How Craft changed my workflow in Sketch

James McGarry
Aug 8, 2017 · 3 min read

Craft is a wonderfully amazing tool that InVision came out with recently. It simply put helps to push rapid wireframing to new heights.

Photo by Tamarcus Brown on Unsplash

Let me start by saying, I’m a huge fan of simple wireframes, shade formatting or even hand drawn to find placement. The biggest downfall of this process is the fact that many times we as designers see more in our heads and can visualize the product in a space film, before it’s taking shape. More often than not however, stakeholders and clients can’t always see what we do. They are looking for the images, the spacing and balance of color while we are in search for the perfect format and flow. We are not thinking in high fidelity but not wanting to distract from the process.

Having the ability to quickly block out a page, and then put place holder content in the location to quickly give style and formatting that is easy to convey a concept is a huge tool. It’s an amazing way to be able to present a product or concept in a medium that clients will understand and relate to. They will see the potential and understand the concepts beyond the blocks or placeholder icons. Craft also allows for prototyping into InVision in the app (Much like Adobe Xd). So you can quickly create overlays, interactions, and presentations to increase feedback and team collaboration. You can even control styles and quickly export a style guide including fonts and colors.

Craft is a wonderful tool that as a senior designer I want to share with anyone that will listen since it helps bridge the gap between design concept and business need to see results. There is a continual battle between performing at speed and refining each step to be truly user centered. With craft you can accomplish just that.

Let’s take a look at a few of the items I use the most and how they increase productivity and results.

First and foremost the plugin works well and is situated in the window to not distract from workflow, rather complements it.

Duplicate Feature

The options are simple, and the duplicate option is a game changer when it comes to quickly creating pages with form content or formatting that would duplicate.

Custom Image import

The second item I use regularly is the import image feature you can use iStock or Getty Images. Or if you are like me and love the Unsplash movement, you can customize the imports to your feed or any other searchable image database you want.

The many features of Craft also include the ability to import content directly from a website or bring in images from a page. You can even duplicate content and have it all adjusted to format from a source or URL.

These small features are huge wins in the UX/UI wireframe process.

Design as a System - UX to Code

UX/UI News - Trends, Tips, & Tricks

James McGarry

Written by

Sr. Principle Product Designer - Compulsive learner focusing on HCI and the use of visual communication in emerging technologies. McGarryIV.com

Design as a System - UX to Code

UX/UI News - Trends, Tips, & Tricks

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade