My UX Toolkit: A Perfect Blend
Every designer has their own secret sauce for how they build products by following their particular process or framework. The tools we use are extremely important as they allow us to be more creative, efficient, and effective at communicating our ideas.
Below is a simple list of tools that I use at SalesforceIQ on a daily basis to help create experiences and products.
Sketch ($99) — There are many, many tools out there for building mock-ups and that help you to quickly create concepts and prototypes. The ability to create multiple upon multiple artboards in an organized structure is extremely beneficial, as well as being able to export work in a clean way to a prototype. I use Sketch to create all of the artifacts I need for my process from storyboards and user-flows to wireframes and visual assets.
Evernote (Free) — Taking organized notes is a necessity in the User Experience field. Evernote allows you take detailed custom notes in a way that is organized in whatever way you would like to set it up. I use Evernote to jot down notes during kickoffs & Interviews, and even to save helpful links I find along the way.
SilverbackApp (beta) — Not every team has the luxury of having a dedicated User Researcher. SilverbackApp allows you to record sessions with users and simplify the process of sifting through the recordings and findings.
Slack (Free+) — Communication can be a big challenge when working with many teams and departments. Here at SalesforceIQ, we have setup a design channel to always keep each other in sync of what we are working on. This allows us to consistently stay informed and provides us with a space where we can all discuss what is on our mind.
InvisionApp (Free+) — This may be one of my favorite tools to use. InVision is a project management tool that allows designers to keep designs, ideas, iterations, and feedback in an organized way. InVision allows me to showcase design work at every stage of a project and organize all stakeholder feedback in one place.
Spotify (Free) — Music can help with the creative process. My work starts by setting the right tone with music and getting the creative juices flowing. I like to begin each day by discovering a new artist that fits the mood, slapping on a good pair of headphones and diving into work.
UI Stencils ($12.50+) — Starting with paper has many, many benefits such as immediate access to sketching ideas, the ability to communicate work to coworkers passing by, and the fact that the “sketchiness” of concepts communicates that they are still a work in progress. My last few projects have been tailored to mobile devices and I have found these UI Stencils to be very useful.
There are hundreds of different tools that designers use for their design process. At SalesforceIQ, we encourage designers to use whatever tool makes them the most efficient at their jobs, as opposed to dictating tools that everyone should use. I don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all tool for every designer; experiment and playa round with combinations of tools to discover what is best for you.
Do you find other tools to be more useful? Get in touch and let’s have a conversation :) kmirro@salesforce.com
