Lame but true: Gliffy is my new best friend.
As a business analyst, I spend my work days crafting requirements for web applications, which include wireframes that illustrate the page layouts. Web site wireframes are blue prints that define a page’s content and functionality, without conveying design elements, like colors, graphics, or fonts.
Since wireframes are one of my key deliverables, I’ve tried a number of different tools, including Visio, SmartDraw, Balsmiq, and Google Docs Drawings. For web site wireframes, my hands-down, indispensable, favorite tool-of-choice is Gliffy.
Here’s why:
- Gliffy is a visual tool fluent in pixels. I can drag and drop shapes in Gliffy to my heart’s content, but I can also specify the precise pixel dimensions, and position shapes at exact positions on the page. Most other tools force you to drag everything into place by hand – which is like flying an airplane without an altimeter!
- Gliffy exports drawings to standard formats, like JPEG, PNG, and SVG (Visio). It’s easy to paste Gliffy images into Word docs or insert them into Google Docs.
- Gliffy is cloud-based. I can use Gliffy anywhere there’s an Internet connection and a browser. It also works great with Chrome!
- Gliffy is reliable and well-supported. After several weeks of hard use, I’ve had exactly one functional issue with Gliffy. I filed a ticket, and an hour later my problem was solved.
- Gliffy stores drawings in easy to manage folders, and files that are quick to load, and easy to share.
- Gliffy is inexpensive … starting with free. A free account has the same utility as a paid account, but imprints your drawings with a “Powered by Gliffy” advertisement. The paid accounts start a $5 a month for one user, or $25 a month for ten users.(Did I mention that Gliffy lets you specify shapes in pixels?)The next time you need to whip up a wireframe or UI mockup, do yourself a favor and take Gliffy for a spin.(Did I mention it was free?)See Also: 20 Steps to Better Wireframing.