There’s lots of ways to create a mockup. It’s true that there is no “best” way, but depending on certain UI and UX designer’s styles and preferences (and the design process), some will work better than others. In this post, we’ll look at the pros and cons of mockup tools, graphic design tools, as well as coded mockups that start to blur the lines with prototyping (links provided).

 

01. Using bespoke tools

Using a tool like UXPin, or other solutions like Moqups or Balsamiq, will provide you everything you need to build your mockup and facilitate the entire process. These tools are designed to make the creation process as easy as possible, so you can focus more on stylistic decisions and less on how to manipulate the program.

Both experts and beginners feel most comfortable with mockup tools, as beginners prefer their ease of use, while experts appreciate the designs specifically tailored to their advanced needs.

Moqups and Balsamiq provide more functionality than non-design tools that are sometimes used for wireframes and mockups (such as Keynote), but they are limited to only low fidelity designs. They can, however, be quite useful if the goal is to create low-fidelity wireframes very quickly.

When it comes to mockup tools, many are targeted for wireframing than true mockups. With built-in collaboration, UXPin offers dozens of element libraries to save time, and its a simple matter of dragging, dropping, and customizing to create your mockup. Our 20+ element libraries cover both web and mobile.

 

02. Using graphic design software

Some designers swear by software like Photoshop, Sketch, or Illustrator, especially those particularly skilled or familiar with tools that offer control down to the pixel. Graphic design platforms work best if you’re aiming for the highest level of realism and visual fidelity.

Working in graphic design software gives you access to an almost endless selection of highly defined colours, so if you’re working within the restrictions of a rigid and preset colour scheme — for example, under particular branding rules — then these programs may be your best option. More than colour options, these programs offer far more visual tools, allowing you to tackle all of the nitty-gritty detail. If you have a style-heavy page, it might help to hammer out the specific visual details in the mockup process (in which case Photoshop or Sketch will give you the most options). Similarly, if you’re dealing with a strict and/or hard-to-please client, presenting them with a gorgeous and impressive mockup might win them over more easily.

It’s also worth mentioning that mockups created in Photoshop or Sketch can be dragged and dropped into the prototyping phase with UXPin. This lets you easily animate all layers (no flattening) with a few clicks, and ensures you don’t need to start from scratch when it’s time to prototype.

If visuals are not your only priority, you might be more efficient using a tool that allows you to do the wireframing, mockups, and prototyping all in one place. Graphic design software can be more trouble than its worth for mockups unless you’re looking for optimum visualization — you’ll definitely need to communicate regularly with your developer since these tools aren’t designed for collaboration.

 

03. Coding your mockups

For starters, if you’re mainly a designer and not comfortable with coding, then this obviously isn’t even an option.

Most coding can be postponed until prototyping (if you’re creating an HTML/Javascript prototype) or even later (if you use a prototyping tool). But despite the complexity and potential obstacles, there are many respectable designers who advocate introducing coding into the mockup phase. But those who prefer coding early understand that more mathematical changes such as sizing can be implemented more easily when the code is already written.

But as we mentioned before, mockups with coding are not a popular strategy, for more reasons than the difficulty of coding. Among the reasons designers prefer to leave coding out of mockups, these three are the most common:

• Limits Creativity – The strength of building with code can also be its weakness: knowing concretely what you can and cannot do will cut off many avenues before they’re fully explored, while designing openly might inspire new ideas you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Sometimes when you like an idea enough, you try harder to figure out how to recreate it with code, whereas the idea never would have even surfaced if you started in code.
• Limits Experimenting – It is a lot harder to try out new and different ideas in CSS/HTML than in other simplified programs. Just as with the above point, the freedom to create will often inspire new, more, and better ideas. Just ask yourself how many UI designs and iterations can you create in 30 minutes of Photoshop or Sketch versus CSS/HTML?
• Dilutes Design Process – Not everyone is great at multitasking. The mockup phase is all about iterating on the appearance of the site, and worrying about coding at the same time can get distracting. Some people prefer leaving things for the right place and time: visual design during the mockup phase, coding during the prototyping or development phase.

Again, it’s up to you when to introduce coding. Just make sure you know your design priorities and keep the developers updated on how you’re prioritizing features.

Conclusion

Don’t make the mistake of thinking all mockups are the same. Simple decisions about platforms, fidelity, and coding will all produce significantly different results.

Know what you want and what your goals are before you even begin the design process — if you want a tool that supports all three phases, it’s best to start out using it than to begin halfway through. Likewise, if you need a stellar, fully realistic mockup, keep in mind that you’ll be using a graphic design editor at some point.

 

 

Credit: CreativeBloq