Wire Frame & Prototyping Tools

Putting together a rough sketch or wire frame of your app design is always a good idea. Doing this will provide the following advantages:

• It will assist you in communicating your idea to the developer, visual designer or others. It is much easier to get feedback on your ideas if you have a straw man to start the discussion with. The wire frame or prototype becomes your app blue print. You wouldn’t start building a house without plans (hopefully), similarly you should have a set of plans for your app.
• It will save you money. It is a lot easier and cheaper to change something in the prototyping phase than it is once the app is finished.
• It will save you time. Although taking the time to do a wire frame may seem like more effort, this will be repaid many times over during development and prevents false starts.
• It will improve your design. By sketching out the design and explaining how a user will move from screen to screen it will quickly become obvious what will work and what won’t. Doing this will also prompt other ideas, work as a creative catalyst and ensure that you have thought of every eventuality.

There are many tools and resources available to help make prototyping and generating wire frames easier. Below are 26 resources which can be used to generate your wire frames:

1. Keynotopia – Use PowePoint/Keynote to Prototype Like a Pro
2. Justinmind – Rich interactive wireframes to define web and mobile applications
3. Proto.io – Mobile prototyping
4. UXPin – UX design tools built by UX designers
5. AppGyver’s Prototyper – Turn wireframes into an interactive mobile app prototype
6. App Mockup Tools
7. WireKit – An iPhone app wireframe kit
8. DevRocket – Photoshop panel plugin for iOS developers
9. Fluid UI – Mobile Prototypes for iOS, Android and Windows Apps
10. UI Stencils – Stencils, sketch pads and accessories for UI design
11. App Cooker – Advanced iOS mockup generator for mobile applications
12. Flinto – Quickly create iOS prototypes
13. App Icon Template – App icon template for iOS 7
14. PortKit – UX Metaphor Equivalents for iOS & Android
15. iOS 7 Wireframe Kit
16. SketchMirror – Preview your mobile apps directly on your devices
17. Invision – Free Web & Mobile Mockup and UI Prototyping Tool
18. Framer – Prototyping tool for animation and interaction
19. Marvel – Free prototyping tool
20. POP (Prototyping on paper) – iPhone App Prototyping Made Easy
21. Mockabilly – App for creating mockups on iPhone
22. Interface – Advanced mockup and prototyping for iOS
23. Blueprint – Mockup iPad app for iPhone and iPad applications
24. Proptotypes – Turn static designs intro a tappable iPhone prototype
25. FieldTest – Create mobile interactive prototypes
26. Dotted Paper