5 Wireframe & Mockup Tools For The Best Mobile App Design

It’s been a long time since the code of a mobile app isn’t the main factor for the success of an app. Now, app owners understand that other elements describe great ideas. Perfect development processes do matter especially for the functionality of the app and for removing bugs and errors. But users’ impressions come from different routes which mirror the entire ecosystem created by the most innovative methods which rise every day. An essential part of the whole process of building a mobile app is to decide the way it looks and feels. But how can you know what design elements complement the core functionality of your app? Creating a prototype for your app is the best way to obtain the best results when it comes to complete your app.

What Should Be Considered When Choosing The Best One?

When choosing the best tool for wireframe and mockup tools is important to read the official guidelines provided by Google and Apple, and after that to consider some essential characteristics which will make your work easier.

Handiness

Knowing the fact that you are looking for tools which will help you with your mobile app, you need to choose between the ones which provide features for Android apps and the ones that offer solutions for iOS apps. Some of them satisfy both platforms. Next, you have to figure out if your prototype should describe only the design or it needs to support other actions.

Learnability

You also need to consider the time you need to allocate for studying the platform and how long it will take you to create your project. If you choose a more intuitive tool your work will be more smoothly and the results will be according to expectations.

Collaboration Support

The main purpose of creating a prototype is to test the opinions of the other members involved in the creation process. In this case you need to select a platform which offers you the possibility to send messages to your team or your clients.

Price

Always, the price matters the most. If you are a startup owner with a small budget, it is very hard to find resources for accomplishing all of the above. But if you prioritize your options you will be able to find the right tool for creating a mockup for your app. Of course, if you have enough money to invest in this stage, then the cost shouldn’t be a problem.

5 Of The Best Wireframe And Mockup Tools

Let’s see how the evolution of technology can help us in this situation as in any other stage of creating an amazing app.

Sketch

Sketch is known as an alternative for Adobe Photoshop. For utilizing Sketch you need to have MAC OS 10.11 or higher. It is recommendable to sign up for a free trial to test your computer’s performances. It is very intuitive and it is almost impossible not to learn Sketch since the platform provides a plethora of tutorials and courses. Sketch also allows you to reuse the elements you created before and it also provides live update so you can collaborate with other designers. If you have a question related to Sketch you can search in the FAQ page or you can contact the team. To buy License for 1 year you will pay $99 dollars for a user. If you have multiple team members you will have to extend the contract.

InVision

InVision is a platform which not only helps you in prototyping but it also offers the right environment for working with your team because of “LiveShare” feature. It is easy to use and it’s compatible with Sketch, Illustrator and Photoshop. You can integrate your project with Dropbox, GitHub, Google Drive, Slack, etc for collaborating with the other members. There is an entire page for Customer Support and you can contact them for any problem you have. About the prices, you should know that it is free for just one prototype, but for 3 prototypes you will pay $15 per month. For a professional plan you need to have at least $25 per month. For more information check their website.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer practically hypnotizes you in the minute you enter their site. Among the benefits of using Affinity the best one is that it is accessible even for beginners. For learning how to work with it, you can buy the official Workbook for $49.99, but it also provides free video tutorials. You can export your creations in any format for sending it to your coworkers. The negative element is the lack of customer support. The price of license is also $49.99 and you can choose between MAC and Windows.

Marvel

Marvel provides a design tool, named Canvas which will help you create your mockups inside the browser. You can also add your images from Photoshop or Sketch and you can sync your work to the cloud. It is easy to work with Marvel. You just need to drag and drop elements and you can add gestures and transitions. For learning how to work with it you can check Styleguide. A great advantage is that Marvel experts concentrated a great part of their efforts in creating the right environment for team collaboration. The Help Center is available for any of your problems. Everything is free for one user with two projects. If you want to use this tool for unlimited number of projects you will have to pay $14 per month just for yourself. For companies the prices start from $56 per month.

Proto.io

Proto.io helps you create your design without requiring any code. For the prototype of your app you can add events and screen transitions. For learning how to use this tool, it offers user guides and video tutorials. If you have any questions you can ask the community. With Proto.io you can create public links for sharing your prototypes with other designers or clients. You can try Proto.io for free for 15 days but if you want more, the prices start from $29 per month for one user with 5 projects. If you select an annual billing instead of a monthly system, you will receive a discount.

Design Means How It Works

After you decided what tool fits your needs it is time to see the requirements for a successful work.

Know Your Audience

This is absolutely mandatory in every situation. You have to create your buyer persona before starting to design your app. Keep in mind that mobile users have their own behavior and you need to build your app according to their needs.

Consider Battery Life

With any feature you add, you need to keep your eye on the battery consummation. You have to find the right balance between amazing interface and battery draining.

One Size Does Not Fit All!

The main challenge when you create a mobile app is to design it for all screen sizes and to consider all dimensions for offering the same interface for every user.

Better UX

For mobile customers it is important to keep in mind their environment and the way they access the app. Maybe they are in the comfort of their home or they are in a crowded place waiting for the bus. Your app should be perfectly operable with just one hand.

High Quality Prototyping

Prototyping is essential in the process of creating your app, especially when you work with other team members or you want to present your ideas to clients. Before investing a lot of resources you need to create a high quality prototype that can describe the app you are about to create.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is a great thing that app owners concentrate their attention on providing the best possible experience for their users. A smart choice for saving time and money is to create a prototype for the app to discover possible flaws that can throw their plan apart. Luckily, today there are many platforms which provide impressive tools for making everybody’s work easier and more effective than drawing using a pen and a piece of paper. We presented you 5 of the most popular along with the best practices when you consider using them. Now, you have the power to choose the one that fits your budget and your requirements.