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I've used a ton of these tools (two of my favorites are balsamiq and wireframe.cc) and am always excited to check a new one out. That said, at least half of the

I've used a ton of these tools (two of my favorites are balsamiq and wireframe.cc) and am always excited to check a new one out. That said, at least half of the time, I end up going back to my plain old graph paper notebook and pen. It just feels more natural, and I find that due to that I usually end up getting more designs and ideas fleshed out more quickly, which is really what I'm going for when just starting a project and getting some wireframes down. Overall, I tend to use wireframe "tools" when working with a other team members or clients (or in any other situation where passing a notebook around isn't feasible), and go back to pen and notebook when working on personal projects or just want to quickly map out an idea.

colmtuite 14y ago
What do you like about balsamiq? I've used it a few times and I can't see any benefit to using it over paper, Illustrator or designing directly in the browser. I don't understand what value it's trying to add? You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned speed. Speed is key. Drop shadows, gradients, fancy fonts, complex colors etc. contradict the point of using a wireframing tool in the first place.
- kyrra 14y ago
  For me, balsamiq helps remind viewers that this is a mockup and is not real. It has the reusable template objects and assets folder. I tend to ignore most coloring and shadows unless I need to make a clear distinction in a part of the UI. Sometimes without color variations your point is complete missed by the viewers. I like balsamiq for the friendly keybindings and just easy manipulation of the widgets. It's been fairly bug free for me for the last two years that I've used it.
- rmason 14y ago
  I was eager to try Balsamiq having been a fan of Peldi when he was Adobe. But I tried it when it came out and didn't like it at all. Tried a few other products and they were all worse. A few weeks ago I gave it another try and it just clicked. What I have found is that the product has matured and the community is strong and provides the missing pieces. It's become a regular part of my toolkit. For me a wireframe tool is useful for building a minimum viable product. If you're looking for something that is pixel perfect you will continually be disappointed with what is out there.

colmtuite 14y ago

What do you like about balsamiq? I've used it a few times and I can't see any benefit to using it over paper, Illustrator or designing directly in the browser. I don't understand what value it's trying to add? You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned speed. Speed is key. Drop shadows, gradients, fancy fonts, complex colors etc. contradict the point of using a wireframing tool in the first place.

kyrra 14y ago
For me, balsamiq helps remind viewers that this is a mockup and is not real. It has the reusable template objects and assets folder. I tend to ignore most coloring and shadows unless I need to make a clear distinction in a part of the UI. Sometimes without color variations your point is complete missed by the viewers. I like balsamiq for the friendly keybindings and just easy manipulation of the widgets. It's been fairly bug free for me for the last two years that I've used it.
rmason 14y ago
I was eager to try Balsamiq having been a fan of Peldi when he was Adobe. But I tried it when it came out and didn't like it at all. Tried a few other products and they were all worse. A few weeks ago I gave it another try and it just clicked. What I have found is that the product has matured and the community is strong and provides the missing pieces. It's become a regular part of my toolkit. For me a wireframe tool is useful for building a minimum viable product. If you're looking for something that is pixel perfect you will continually be disappointed with what is out there.