I am starting development on a mobile application for both iPhone and Android, and I already have most of the GUI mock-ups white-boarded (with some still in my head). As a next step, I need to put them all down on paper so that I can start socializing the designs among my team - and I'm wondering what the best online GUI mock-up tool is that's currently available?
I have a lot of experience using Visio - and I like the way it works. Ideally, though, I'd want a tool which is web-based for easier collaboration.
Any suggestions?
For the iPhone this site [1] has a list of 21 tools - installable, web based and plugins/psds. Here's a selection of them:
(Apple forced them to stop offering these pads)
Notepod is a notepad shaped like an iPhone. Each notepod is 100 pages of 60 x 110mm double sided paper. The front has 52mm x 77mm blank space (the iPhone screen), the back is a 6mm grid.
(You could just print off this template [3] onto A4 card and save $10)
This has a lot of resources for Android mockups.
iPhone mockup is a web based tool that is currently in Alpha release only. You can design your mockup as a hand sketch or illustration, and mockups can contain user-uploaded images and user-entered text
(It's missing navcontroller and tableviews)
With iPlotz you can create clickable, navigable wireframes to create the experience of a real website or software application
This is the best of the bunch in my view, and has a decent free package and demo. It is missing having the entire iPhone/Cocoa Touch set of controls though.
[1] http://iphoneized.com/2009/11/21-prototyping-mockup-wireframing-tools-iphone-app-development/Everyone at my work uses Balsamiq [1], quick and easy to use.
[1] http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockupsWireframeSketcher [1] lets you mockup iPhone and Android applications. iPhone and Android stencils are available in Mockups Gallery:
android stencil for nexus one phone [3]
MIT(was google) has an experimental development environment for android that contains GUI designer called App Inventor [1].
For Android I think Pencil [1] is great. It's free and open source and there are some templates for Android open for the community.
GUI Design/Mockup Design Tool for Android Application [2]
[1] http://code.google.com/p/android-ui-utils/For iPhone or iPad mockup, check "Blueprint" - an iPad app. It is getting almost 5 stars rating on AppStore. It is really awesome.
[1] http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blueprint/id405203705?mt=8For iPhone I tend to use xib files and Interface Builder - to just sketch out the ideas - it even has an option to try it out on the phone simulator and interact with the layout. The best thing is that it is easy to then take these screens and build stuff behind them. The biggest negative is that you cannot sketch TableView screens using it as you can't mimick a TableViewDataSource etc.
I looked at Balsamiq and it seems great for early stage sketches too and may be a good solution for both platforms - not many Android controls in there though!
I've used OmniGraffle for iPhone apps mockup. There are community generated stencils for iPhone and there might be also for android.
I found OmniGraffle to be helpful in creating mockup although not my ideal mockup creator.
OmniGraffle website [1] - iPhone stencils [2]
There's also a PSD file for photoshop available and one for fireworks if you use adobe products for design, which you might helpful.
[1] http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/I used Mockingbird [1], which I found to be very helpful! And best-- it was free to use!
[1] http://gomockingbird.comI use these design templates for hand drawing [1]
[1] http://iphone-dev-tips.alterplay.com/2009/11/iphone-app-desgin-templates.htmlIf you like the NotePod idea of having a notepad shaped like an iphone to do you mockups .... I've made a template with which you can make your own notepod. Just print one in good quality on standard A4 legal paper and go to the copier and make a bunch of copies. Each page prints 6 pages for the notepad. There are guides that will help you use the roller-cutter to slice up your pages. Download the file here : http://cl.ly/083e64184bfd69db2640 Its a PNG. I used photoshop to print it
My wire-frame journey started from using excel and now I have am experimenting on n number of wireframe and prototype tools and my recommendation would be the following:
Axure (tired and tested) Balsamiq
Pidoco.com lucidchart [1] iphonemockup iplotz protoshare cogtool.hcii.cs.cmu.edu justinmind
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Haider
[1] https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/examples/android_mockup_toolYou can also build interactive iPhone mockups with FlairBuilder. Check it out at flairbuilder [1]
[1] http://www.flairbuilder.comyou could use this tool:
GUI-designer [1]
its based on the eclipse emf project and you can design your gui by easily write text like:
Window "Demo"
SeperatorLine 1
One-Column-List +color=orange
Label "Login Screen" +color=white +centered
SeperatorLine 1
Two-Column-List
Label "E-Mail" EditText ""
Label "Password" EditText ""
Label "Stay logged in?" CheckBox [+] ""
Button "Cancel" Button "Login"
SeperatorLine 1
One-Column-List +color=orange Label ""
SeperatorLine 1
with the xpand language you can generate any text (code) from this input, so it would be no problem to get the gui code for the iphone parallel to the gui code for the android version
i know that it will need a little time to understand the emf structure but its worth it :)
[1] http://andrdev.blogspot.com/2010/01/gui-designer.htmlMy favourite is Keynotopia. You can design iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, Facebook and web apps.
I once found this tool here unfortunately it is still alpha and has not all gui widgets there.
iphone mockup [1]
[1] http://iphonemockup.lkmc.ch/StencilsApp [1] is an iPhone app for creating mockups. You can even create transitions and triggers between screens using gestures and actions in a multi screen mockup. Its got the complete iPhone UI library, a large icon library and great 2D drawing tools. Its free to download.
[1] http://www.stencilsapp.comNot for android but useful to quickly build a mockup on the iPhone kerofrog [1]
[1] http://dapp.kerofrog.com.au/