topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 2:29 pm
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"  (Read 6898 times)

iphigenie

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,170
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« on: April 02, 2008, 07:03 AM »
This one if for work - we're looking for a tool that makes it easy for normal people to put in drawing what they have in mind, beyond the scribble-on-paper approach.

Of course this can be done in tools like fireworks, visio etc. but these are expensive and not necessarily that accessible to the average sales person or writer.

So I wonder if someone here uses a simpler tool to sketch user interfaces that could be use to create some simple web wireframes

What it needs to do
- usable by non technical people who are familiar with pc software
- very simple drag-and-drop way to sketch what a webpage, section, newsletter can be
- have elements for boxes, forms fields and buttons
- be cheap (or free) - we cannot affort the $199 some of the diagramming tools are, not for the purpose of this

What it doesnt need to do
- it doesnt need to be a web tool (no generation of html etc. needed)
- it doesnt need to be cut up or exported (it is mostly a briefing/communication tool so printouts would be enough)
- it doesnt need to deal with photos/graphics elements

I'm sure there are tools out there that might not be meant for this but perfectly adequate for the purpose -  - maybe a free IDE that has a nice drawing mode, or a shareware diagramming tool that has web page elements, or maybe one of the online website or diagram generators that could be used for it.

Thanks

Carol Haynes

  • Waffles for England (patent pending)
  • Global Moderator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 8,066
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2008, 08:33 AM »
Have you tried http://www.inkscape.org/ ?

iphigenie

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,170
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2008, 08:53 AM »
not in a long time, i'll check it out today

we'd probably have to create the "web form" and "web button" shapes I suspect, but that's not that complicated

tinjaw

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,927
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2008, 11:20 AM »
Mockup Screens is on my list. I played with the demo/trial and liked it. If I was going to do screen prototypes I would use that tool.

275screen2.PNG
box.pngRecommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"

Ampa

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 592
  • I am cute ;)
    • View Profile
    • MonkeyDash - 2 Player strategy boardgame
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2008, 01:34 PM »
But how about Xara Xtreme? You would only require the standard version @ $89.

Although it is overly powerful for what you need, but I whole heartedly reccommend it because of the ease of use. It is far simpler than any other vector / layout package that I have used, but can produce amaizing results. I use it all the time for websites, posters, forms and 90% of my desktop publishing.

Take a look at some of their demo videos.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2008, 01:36 PM by Ampa »

Jimdoria

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 257
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2008, 03:49 PM »
Check out DENIM:http://dub.washingto....edu/projects/denim/

Free, Java-based, and does exactly what you aksed for in your first post. They talk a lot about pen input, but it works just fine with a mouse too.

DENIM is... a pen-based sketching tool for designing user interfaces... combines many of the benefits of paper-based sketching with existing electronic prototyping tools. It allows designers to quickly sketch an interface using an electronic pad and stylus... preserves the important properties of pencil and paper: a rough drawing can be produced quickly and the medium is flexible. However, unlike a paper sketch, this electronic sketch is interactive and can easily be annotated and modified... 
- Jimdoria ~@>@

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who divide everybody into two kinds of people, and those who don't.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2008, 03:51 PM by Jimdoria »

iphigenie

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,170
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2008, 03:48 AM »
I remember denim, i checked it out years ago, nice to know its still around

Mockup screens looks clever!

Must check both out :)

justice

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,898
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Recommendation please: web wireframe "sketcher"
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2008, 06:17 AM »
I've used Adobe Fireworks to create digital mockups in the past (very time consuming but you can save symbols in a reusable library), and also Visio (but it's too general a tool so don't get the results quick enough).
Mockup screens look really promising but it crashed on me already within 15 minutes of use. (vista) Also I could imagine a more polished program although I could live with that.

Are there any other programs like it? I know Denim which is java used but the interface of that was even quirkier (when i used it 4 years back). We'd definately have budget for the best tool, so I'd like to hear your recommendations.