Friday 5: 5 User Interface Design Tools and Resources

Update Aug. 19, 2010: for those of you that are interested we found a great plethora of additional Wireframe Tools that can be found by following this Wireframing Tools Twitter list. We also would recommend a general UX information Twitter list.

For today’s Friday 5 we thought it would be nice to provide some link-love to some of the useful resources we’ve found for UI and UX design. It was difficult to narrow this list down to just five but with careful consideration we were able to weed out some of our other favorites. Some of the more notable include Jakob Nielsen’s Website, Wireframes Magazine, and I ♥ Wireframes.

  1. iPlotz – Create web site wireframes and collaborate with users online
    iPlotz wireframing prototypes and specificationsiPlotz offers free plans as well as paid plans that start at $15 per month (as of the time of writing). The interface is nice to use but has a slight learning curve due to the toolbar icons with no supporting text. What we really like about this tool is the task-related project management and collaboration features; moreover the ability to run the tool online or offline via Adobe Air gives it a cool factor. Overall iPlotz is a great addition to any UI toolkit.
  2. Axure – Web site wireframes, web design prototypes, and specifications
    Axure wireframes prototypes and specificationsConsider Axure RP Pro the full blown UI designer’s tool on steroids. Axure RP Pro does everything from full interactive prototyping, wireframing, collaboration, flow diagrams, and even provides a developer API. What we really like about this program is the ability to employ masters for reusable elements within a given wireframe negating duplication. The program is currently available for both Mac and PC but is not cheap at around $600 for a perpetual user license.
  3. Naview – Create easier navigations through web navigation prototypes and testing
    Naview easier navigation through prototypingCurrently in beta, Naview helps to design and build web navigation prototypes quickly and easily. What looks like a really cool feature is the ability to test your prototypes using surveys. Unfortunately the free plan doesn’t offer built in surveys. What we like the most about this service is the awesome speed that you can create an interactive prototype: we had one up and working in approximately five minutes. Check out our mock-navigation from this publicly shared prototype.
  4. UI-Patterns – User interface design pattern library
    UIpatterns user interface design patterns and articlesUI-Patterns is a repository of design pattern references and guides as well as a user-driven collection of inspirational designs. We really like UI-Patterns for their ability to provide a unified source for UI related information including rated screenshots, a blog, great taxonomy features, and library of problem-solution recipes. There isn’t much more to say about UI-Patterns except that it is an invaluable resource for any UI architect.
  5. Product Planner – View and create user flows, viral loops, and more
    Productplanner view and create user flow diagrams and viral loopsProduct Planner is a library of flow models and a tool to create your own. A unique feature of this tool is the ability to reuse existing models and incorporate them into your own flow diagram. The speed of this tool makes it truly indispensable and like Naview we were able to create a flow model in about five minutes. Check out our mock-flow model from this publicly shared diagram.

Did we miss any great resources that you’d care to share with us? Please feel free to leave us a comment below or drop us an @ on our Twitter accounts if you’d like. @online_branding or @sensorybranding