Balsamiq is a tool you don't think about needing, but when you find it, it fits like a glove and you wonder how things ever got done before it.
Moreover, Peldi's blog is frequently featured here on HN, and he writes cogently and about interesting things. These posts, in particular, struck a chord with me: http://blogs.balsamiq.com/peldi/2011/09/07/policies/
Yeah, there really is no comparison when it comes to wireframing. In terms of creating client deliverables and complete documentation we export the wires to PNGs and place them in an InDesign template we have.
The template allows us to add an extra layer of notation and InDesigns file linking capabilities makes updates/changes a snap.
I had hoped that myBalsamiq would fix these issues but alas it did not. It works for collaborative, iterative team work but falls down flat for big 'Sprint 0' planning. Maybe one day it will get there but it needs to add some features to hit scratch that itch.
Now, whether or not that is in their big picture plan is up in the air. It did take them this long to get rid of the 'sketchiness'.
Hi mattyfo, Peldi from balsamiq here. We have not really attacked the commenting feature in myBalsamiq yet, what we have in regards to commenting is really MVP at this point. We'll do it right, stick with us! ;)
Ya that's how I felt the first time I saw it too. The 7-day free trial is what got me. I used it constantly for those 7-days and was really sad when it was over.
Now it's the unconscious first place I start for any new idea, be it a new app, website, page, feature - whatever. Start a new mockup, put a text area on the screen and start typing my ideas into it like I used to do with pen and paper.
If the idea gets beyond this stage I just start dragging and dropping. What used to take hours with an awkward combination of Asana/Photoshop/pen&paper now takes a fraction of that with far more iterations and better results.
Can't sing the praises of this product enough.
However: there are many free alternatives if you just want the ability to make wireframes and don't need something great/wont use it often: http://moqups.com is the latest I've come across. There are lots more.
I've also been using moqups.com a lot lately and must say that it's pretty amazing as well, although I must admit I'm a bit biased because I just love that it's pure HTML and JS.
Balsamiq is about creating wireframes. Wireframes are there especially to not mimic too much the "final" product so that you can concentrate more on the feature an flow aspect without suffering of the interference that the visual elements could create.
Keynote, at least the way you are using it, is to create mockups. Mockups are there to crystalize (or invalidate) the ideas expressed in the wireframes together with the branding you are creating for your application.
Your point is true. However, I've found in real world use that we don't go through the low-res "wireframe" much anymore. We skip right to the meat of things since working in Keynote is just as quick.
I'll also add that it probably matters if the consumers of the mockup/prototype/wireframe/whatever are internal/external to the organization.
I wonder if Peldi has plans to move Balsamiq off of Adobe Air. Given the recent pivots Adobe has made regarding Flash, there seems to be some risk with sticking with Adobe Air in the long term.
Congrats to the Balsamiq team! To anyone who isn't using Balsamiq yet, do it--an astoundingly useful bit of software. It's difficult to convey just how valuable this tool is for anyone that makes software/website for people to use.
The fact that everyone at the company is friendly and helpful and awesome is a significant bonus.
I've been using Balsamiq for 2+ years. I use it a lot for mobile apps. Unfortunately, Balsamiq has been painful to use lately for mocking up mobile screens. It doesn't have the latest mobile ui elements so I have to build them up from scratch. This update doesn't change this.
There's a market for an easier way to mockup mobile app screens and Balsamiq is barely addressing this segment right now. I am waiting for the day a new product comes out specifically designed for mocking up mobile apps.
As a first step, the next big feature on our list is to make the Symbol Libraries on https://mockupstogo.mybalsamiq.com/projects easy to import from within the editor. It should help some, then we'll see. Mobile widgets have been changing very rapidly, I hesitate baking in any set as part of the default ones.
By the way, Balsamiq could be killer on the ipad. It already has a fun and tactile feel that fits the ipad perfectly. To Balsamiq: imo, you guys should just ditch flash and use your vision to make something much better in c/obj-c that includes lots of mobile and tablet components in addition to web. You'd have a ton of customers.
We are a bunch of indie developers who felt exactly this way! So, we cranked out a tablet app (both iPad and Android) that lets you import Balsamiq bmml files onto your device and edit/present your screens. Please feel free to take it out for a spin here: http://www.mockups.me/wireframes/tablet.html - any feedback is appreciated!
I had been a big Balsamiq fan, especially because of the low fidelity, but have since moved to Mock Flow which seems to work better for teams and multi-page designs.
Looks like a great update! I've always loved how Balsamiq didn't give options for the skinning of the mockups as it made it easy to say no to clients that wanted to spend more time on that. However, I can see how that would be a popular request and it seems like they integrated it very well into the app.
myBalsamiq is by far the most simple/cost-effective tool I've used for wireframing. Being distributed with version control was particularly unique and helpful, as far as potential competitors go.
As a random usability thing, they also handle renewal notifications without being annoying. I don't need an email every hour that my subscription is expiring, and the earth doesn't shatter once it does. If I decide not to renew, I can still download all the mockups I made when I had the subscription. If I decide I need to get back into the program, a couple clicks and I'm back in for $12/mo. Small stuff like that makes feel like they're not trying to suck every penny out of me, which is why I don't hesitate to go back to them when I need to.
It would be a wonderful day for managers of the world if Balsamiq was acquired by Microsoft and integrated into Powerpoint. My brain hurts just imagining the avalanche of meetings with playable mockups; would it be good or bad?
Microsoft could just make Visio interface a bit little messy. I.e. eliminate the need to open popup menu in order to change properties, add quick search for objects etc.
Balsamiq has forever been my favourite wireframing tool, it offers great power with great simplicity. But as the blogpost states, the interface was a little "messy".
My favourite wireframing tool just became beter! Way to go team balsamiq!
Love Balsamiq! I've been doing mockups for my site redesign and it's been great for showing my ideas to people and not just pitching. Can't wait to try the new one.
I believe I hold the cynicism record on HN and even I'm impressed.