Prototype generation packages
Until I heard about Axure last week I didn’t know about any tools out there for creating prototypes. But in the last week, I’ve learn the names of two others. The list I’m keeping currently includes:
How did I miss all these before? Please leave a comment if you think there are others that should be added.
I have not spent much time looking at each of these. From what I have seen so far they offer high-fidelity prototypes to make sure that the sponsors/potential users understand how the application will work, look and feel.
I am very curious to see how well it generates code. The other side of the protokit benefit is that developers can also see an authentic design. Ideally, a high-fidelity prototype should look real both on the screen and under the hood. Developers should see all of the presentation assets (images and css) and exactly what mark-up their code (jsp, asp, php, etc.) should generate.
If you’ve had experience with any of these tools (or have examples online that they generated) please leave a comment below. I’m very interested to look at the output.
Ironically, these packages also automatically generate all the document debts that high-fidelity prototypes help eliminate the need for.
Freeware color-picker for Windows
For years I used an old version of Tiger Color’s application Color Impact to grab colors from the screen (like the eyedropper in Fireworks or Photoshop). But a few years ago they increased the price to $40, which IMHO is way too much to pay for a feature that should have already been included in MS Office.
Enter Color Cop, a freeware eyedropper for Windows. In the spirit of “Getting Real” (and unlike the bloated Color Impact app) it does just what you need and nothing else. Using this small, light app keeps me from firing up Fireworks when I just need to grab a hex or RGB for some pixel on my screen.
Props to Lifehacker, the source of many great tips.
Anyone used Axure RP before?
If anyone has used Axure for prototyping, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience. I’m particularly interested in the ability to use a library of templates (like protokit) as a base.
