Developers are only as efficient as their tools allow them to be. Because of this, you always want to use the best tools to their fullest extent for each task. Tool usage changes rapidly, and as a UI/UX developer, you must stay on top of the best tools. What tools do UI/UX developers use to create everything from wireframes to fully functional prototypes?
Figma
Figma is a real-time collaborative design tool that allows teams to build fully functional prototypes. This tool is fantastic as there is no need to manage and share different versions of designs as every design is stored in the cloud. The collaborative design aspect of Figma allows many developers, engineers, and business managers to view and edit the same design file simultaneously.
Along with building prototypes, Figma is great for building component libraries. With pixel-perfect designs, you can build out exact designs for any website or web app you may want to build.
Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a diagramming app used for creating user flows and user stories. One of the critical parts of being a UI/UX developer is creating designs that move smoothly from step to step and tell a great story. Lucidchart helps with this by offering an easy-to-use diagramming tool.
Like Figma, Lucidchart is a real-time collaboration tool that allows multiple contributors to work on the same chart simultaneously. Along with shapes and colors, you can easily overlay data on your diagrams to add even more meaning. With all these tools, it couldn’t be easier to diagram the decisions and responses of a user moving through your app.
Whimsical
Sometimes you don’t need to create pixel-perfect designs. Instead, something simple such as a wireframe, is sufficient. Wireframes use general shapes to quickly ideate over possible layouts and features for apps and websites. Whimsical is a tool that excels at collaborative wireframe creation.
Along with building wireframes, Whimsical can assist with tasks such as building Kanban boards for project management tasks or building and leading agile retrospectives. Whimsical is the tool you need if you are looking to create functional visual aids quickly.
Dribbble
Dribbble is less of a design tool and more of an ideation tool. Dribbble is a design-based portfolio-sharing website. Here, designers and agencies can share designs for websites or apps to show off successful products or even gain feedback on proof of concepts.
If you are approaching a green field project for a company open to designs, Dribbble could be a first step to getting inspired. From simple, static sites to more complex and dynamic websites, Dribbble designs are immersive and fun to explore.
Learn How to Use Your Tools
It is one thing to know which tools exist, but another to know which tool to grab and how to use it when creating interactive and accessible designs. All the tools mentioned above have crossover, but that does not mean they are interchangeable. Using Whimsical for prototyping and software engineering handoff documents is feasible but more complicated than it needs to be. Understanding each step of the design process is essential to better pair the task with the tool.
We have mentioned the importance of using the right tool for the task, but this requires a good understanding of the design process. This is where a UI/UX Design Bootcamp comes into the picture. With this bootcamp from Thinkful, you will learn every step of designing accessible and immersive website and application designs. From talking to business stakeholders to understanding what they want to work with product managers and software engineers, Thinkful covers every step you need to know.