5 Wireframing Tools for Mobile & Web Apps

One of the most significant steps in Project Planning is Wireframing or Prototyping. While businesses carry out detailed requirement gathering and analysis, it is required to have visual confirmation of the scope of the solution offered to the client. A wireframe not only helps the client visualize what to expect but also the development teams to find answers (on their own) to most of their queries. And hence it saves the time & cost to a large extent in the process of mobile app development or website development.

We have identified top 5 free Wireframing tools available that includes standalone applications, web based tools and browser add-ons:

Mockingbird

Mockingbird is web based beta software that works on Cappuccino framework. In the world of mobile application development or website development, Mockingbird can be used to create, link, preview and share the wire-frames of a website as well as a mobile application. It features a user-friendly interface with simple drag & drop UI, integrated modules for text re-sizing, interactive page-linking and producing a link that can be shared with the clients or subordinates. And being web based application allows the users to create & share the mockups on the go. The feature-rich beta platform is already one of the top Wireframing tools available; it would be quite exciting to see the functionality of Mockingbird once the full version is released.

Framer

Framer Studio is based on Framer.js framework which is an Open Source Community widely used for Wireframing. One of the biggest advantages of Framer provides is accessibility through Mobile platforms. Framer is one of the finest tools for graphical animations and to define interactions. Framer allows users to create presentations directly from a Sketch or PSD. The in-built hardware acceleration of the platform allows you to fine tune the frame-rate with CSS transforms. And you can create the animations in any layer in 3D space with Spring Physics & Bezier curves.

Indigo Studio

Indigo Studio is one of the fastest UI prototyping tool equipped with an interactive design tool. If you need to create functional and animated UI with a strong focus on UI – with limited time availability; Indigo is the best solution you can hope for. The built-in interactive controls can allow the user creating a multi-frame storyboards with different prototypes for desktop, mobile apps and the web – autonomously. Some of the new features to design Mobile prototypes are listed below:

• HTML5 Support (including iOS devices)
• Supported Touch Gestures
• Document Designs with PDF support
• Storyboards designing with real-world context
• Create interactive app designs faster
• Designing fully functional and animated UI prototypes

Lovely Charts

Lovely Charts is another web based application explicitly used to create diagrams. The major use-cases of ‘Lovely Charts’ is to create flowcharts, sitemaps, organization charts and wireframes. It is a modern tool with in-built functionality to assume what type of chart you are drawing and optimize the process of prototyping. Another feature of ‘Lovely Charts’ is History Management. The application automatically stores up to 20 previous versions of the diagram in the memory. And the user can go back to any of the previous versions. Furthermore, the extensive library of crafted symbols is rich enough to cater to most requirements.

Gliffy

Gliffy is also a web based application to create various types of diagrams and charts such as – flow diagrams, business processes, floor plans, technical drawings, network diagrams, website wireframes and more. The application is equipped with a drag & drop UI and in-built features to add buttons, boxes and lines using the tool-shape library – anywhere on the page. And using a simple text editor, users can add texts to create an interactive prototype. The various set of in-built libraries allow users to add shapes and also upload their own images such as – logos, backgrounds and more. One of the most fascinating features of Gliffy is the integration of Gliffy diagramming features with an existing web application based on an extremely user-friendly framework.

Which tools are you using currently for Wireframing? Share your reviews and comment with us. LetsNurture has more than 8 years of experience in the domains of website development as well as mobile app development. Having catered so many industry verticals with astute and innovative solutions have helped us to present ourselves globally. To get in touch with us, send us an email to info@letsnurture.com.