A Dive Into The Top 10 Best Mobile UI/UX Design Tools 2024 To Supercharge Your Workflow
I know what you’re thinking, Figma! You’re not alone. Most of the time, if you ask someone about UI/UX Design tools, they will say Figma. Or, Adobe XD if you are a little nostalgic. Puns aside, you have a lot of choices for UI/UX Design in 2024. We’re not just talking about tools you can use to create your prototypes but also tools that you can use alongside Figma and other similar tools that you might use.?
So, here’s a list of Top 10 UI/UX Design Tools for 2024 that you don’t want to miss.?
Figma?
No introductions needed here because if you love UI/UX Design, then Figma should be a household name for you. Something great about Figma is that its user experience is so good and easy to learn that even if your design needs are not related to UI/UX, you can still use Figma for designing, and create stunning vector visuals.?
In 2024, we see more and more people using Figma for creating vector designs and not just for designing UIs. But at its core, Figma is an amazing tool for wire framing and prototyping, and more and more designers are using it for creating their illustrations. Additionally, something that no-one really talks about is FigJam. FigJam is a white boarding tool you can use right inside of Figma. If you want to brainstorm ideas, create mood boards, or maybe a flowchart, FigJam is an easy tool to use.?
Today, FigJam also has AI built-in. This means that you can create anything visually by typing in a prompt with the information about what you’re trying to draw. Did I mention that Figma is free and that you can use a web app to do all your design? That’s Figma for you.?
Sketch
Sketch, you can’t go wrong with the branding on this tool. Just a quick look at the name, and you know what the software is about. Sketch started its journey as a UI design tool built for Mac devices. But it became popular and now you can use Sketch on any web browser. The major thing Sketch is focusing on is in saving designers time when they need to deliver prototypes consistently. You get an entire library of symbols, layer styles, text styles, and user-friendly scaling and aligning features. Not to mention over 700 extensions which include useful plugins.?
Additionally, Sketch has support for interchangeable fonts, alternate characters, and ligatures. It also supports OpenType features. What more could you ask for? You can take complete control over your typography and deliver prototypes consistently.
Proto.io
When it comes to creating precise mockups, Proto.io just might be what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to create, organize, integrate, and test your mockups, then Proto.io will be a great choice. But that’s not all. Proto.io is all about collaboration. They have a built in communication system where you can add comments and video feedback and easily exchange notes with your development teams. You can even integrate with testing tools you usually use like Userlytics, Lookback, and Validately.
Framer?
If you’re building yourself a portfolio or prototypes, Framer is an easy tool with an easier learning curve. Many designers are keen on aesthetic visuals. If you’re one of those people, Framer allows you to create beautiful and aesthetically-pleasing portfolios and prototypes using its built-in components, layout tools, and asset library.?
Much like Figma, you can easily collaborate with the rest of your team by sending them a link. You can invite your copywriting, designers, and developers so that they can use and work on your prototypes seamlessly. For quick prototyping and testing, Framer gives you some very realistic outputs.?
Webflow
If you’ve been in the web development space for sometime, Webflow would be a name you hear often. Webflow started out as a no-code tool for web development but its design capabilities are comprehensive. Today, Webflow is a tough competitor for industry leading website builders and CMS tools like WordPress. But, builders also use Webflow to build web apps. Since Webflow is a no-code web development tool, it's very popular with non-technical founders who want to build MVPs for their products. The great thing about Webflow is that you can design the UI for your websites and apps, and then build your entire product right there using the no-code tools.?
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FlowMapp
When you’re designing something for digital spaces, using design tools alone won’t be sufficient. You have to brainstorm, build sitemaps, and create workflows. FlowMapp is great for this because you can use it to easily create flowcharts, flow diagrams, and sitemaps. But wait, there’s more. By using FlowMapp you can create maps and then link all of it together just like a real app’s map.?
You can use FlowMapp at different stages of your designing process. An obvious use case is to create sitemaps, others are to create user flow and task flow diagrams, doing behavioral analysis while conducting user research, designing your user journey, and preparing the information architecture.
Invision Freehand
Invision Freehand is an interesting tool and their Freehand white boarding is the most interesting feature. You can easily collaborate with the rest of your design team using the whiteboard. Additionally, you can even add key stakeholders and your customers in the design process through Invision.?
This is not to say that you can only use Invision Freehand during the design process. The whiteboard capabilities allow you to collaborate with candidates during interviews and other white boarding scenarios as needed. Another great news is that you can centralize your design workflow by artboards directly to the other design tools you use such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.?
Balsamiq
Sometimes, simplicity is what you need. When you’re a UI/UX designer or any designer for that matter, you can easily get distracted from the actual flow of the user experience you’re trying to design and get side tracked with colors and other flashy elements. This is where Balsamiq comes in. It's a wire framing tool that has a UI like a notepad. Balsamiq was built this way so that you can experience the app like a notepad and create rough drawings.?
What this simplification does is that it allows you to focus on the layout and main content of a page instead of the typography, colors, and images. Those are the fun stuff but having a solid wireframe with everything you want the user to do mapped out will help you create high-converting user interfaces that aligns with the goals of your business.?
Adobe XD
Again, no introductions needed if you’ve been around design for a long time. If you’ve used other Adobe software like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Lightroom, then figuring out XD should be too difficult. Most Figma users switched from Adobe XD at some point and it's a very effective tool for creating beautiful prototypes.?
As you might know, Adobe XD comes with the Adobe Creative Cloud which can be expensive. You can also subscribe to Adobe XD independently but this again might be expensive for some users. However, you can create some truly stunning prototypes with XD by using 3D transforms, reusable components, repeat grids, vector drawing tools, auto-animation, and content-aware layouts. If that wasn’t enough, just like most of Adobe's software, XD works seamlessly with other tools in the Creative Cloud.?
Origami Studio
Last but definitely not the least, Origami Studio is a very powerful tool you can use to create prototypes, animate, and design whatever is needed for your app projects. An interesting and useful feature is that it integrates easily with other design tools that you might use. You can simply copy and paste content you’ve created on Figma or Sketch into your Origami Studio workspace.?
Additionally, you can create your own libraries of the components you design and use it to speed up your design process. You can import layers from Sketch or Figma, create masks, create multiple layers, and much more. A unique feature in Origami is called a “Patch.” Patches are like construction blocks you use to enhance your prototypes with interactive elements like animation, interaction, and behavior. What’s more? Patches can also send and receive data from other Patches so you can make some really interactive prototypes with Origami.?
Make Your Designs Better in 2024
This year so far has been very exciting and we as users of technology are getting more and more comfortable with using new tools. There was a time where a popular tool was the standard for any industry and people didn’t prefer using any piece of software that wasn’t on the popular lists. Times have changed and we are now searching for new and smarter tools that make our lives a bit easier.?
We have some pretty strong, and honestly, cool tools in our list of UI/UX Design tools for 2024. It's time to embrace them and make use of all that they have to offer.?
If you’re a founder who understands the key role UI/UX Design plays in your app’s success, consider working with us!?
Book a call with our expert to get started today.