Organization is an important skill to have when it comes to all jobs, but it’s especially important in UX design. In this installment, we’ll answer the question of What are the best organizational tools for a UX designer?
How can I be better organized as a UX designer?
It helps to have a go-to list of products specifically designed to help you achieve your goals in UX design. One of the biggest problems that UX designers face is keeping everything organized. Organization is imperative when it comes to UX design because of the multitude of projects, deadlines, and interpersonal connections. The best UX design tools are the ones that give you the most at a lower cost. It doesn’t take hundreds of dollars to be a successful UX designer. Below, we have the top 5 UX design tools best fit to encompass a variety of needs.
Notion
A helpful, customizable tool that helps you organize your meetings, layout websites, and so much more. Not only is it great for personal use, but it’s effectively designed for teams to set deadlines, set goals, and communicate strategy. Notion is a popular tool used amongst students and the workforce alike, so the possibilities are endless when it comes to creativity. Timelines, daily journals, and a fully customizable database are some of the many tools that come with this website.
This tool is best for:
- Note taking
- Productivity
- Database entry
Sketch
This tool assists UX designers with prototypes, artwork, and developer handoff, saving them plenty of time when it comes to design overall. It’s a collaborative interface primarily designed for a Mac, but it’s also usable with other interfaces, like Windows for example.
The great thing about Sketch is its popular design element that allows you to input code into what you're creating. If you want to double the width of a layer from the center, for example, simply input 2c and hit enter.
This tool is best for:
- Prototyping
- Developer handoff
- Real-time collaboration
Usertesting.com
UX design is all about the user. It’s imperative to have a tool centered around user data and what the target audience is looking for. Usertesting.com provides comprehensive data when it comes to users. It partners with other organizations, like Treejack, Chalkmark, and Reframer to get the target audience that you’re looking for.
This tool is best for:
- User data
- Sharing insights
- Driving growth for your product
UXfolio
UXfolio is designed to help you create an optimal UX design portfolio to showcase your projects. It offers design templates that layout your work in a neat, concise way. In addition to offering case studies generation templates, it offers writing prompts to get you started on the descriptions of your work. Lastly, it allows you seamlessly include your prototypes by offering an interactive mode on the site itself.
This tool is best for:
- Portfolio building
- Interactive design space
- Facilitated design decisions
Figma
This is a popular tool amongst UX designers. In fact, Avocademy uses Figma as a design tool for the User Experience Design course. It includes a customizable pen tool that allows the user to have more control over the design. This is different from a majority of design tools because of its flexibility in drawing.
This tool is best for:
- Collaboration
- Design tools available in a single browser
- Easy handoff
What are the top 5 UX design tools?
Notion |
Sketch |
Usertesting.com |
Uxfolio |
Figma |
|
Cost |
Free Personal/$5 Personal Pro/$8 Team |
$9 per month/ |
Essentials/Advanced/Ultimate |
Free/$9 a month |
$12 Professional/$45 editor |
Best for |
Note taking, productivity |
Prototyping, developer handoff |
User data |
Portfolio building |
Prototyping, design tools, collaboration |
Pros |
Unlimited pages and blocks with free plan |
Manageable design system, |
Video-based feedback from actual users, |
Text design ideas, built-in mockup frames |
Unlimited collaborators, easy prototype design |
Cons |
Initially difficult to learn |
Plan is the same regardless of team space. |
Only ultimate plan offers secure prototype testing |
Only one portfolio with free plan |
Needs more of a community presence |
Perks (Pro version) |
Unlimited team members, sharing permissions, |
Unlimited cloud storage, customer service manager, Priority support |
Secure prototype testing, smart tags, tree testing |
Ability to connect Google Analytics, 300+ fonts, |
Single sign on, centralized file management, private plug-ins |
We hope that this helped you narrow down your search for your UX design tools! It’s important to stay organized, especially in UX design. With this list, you’ll be able to revamp your portfolio, stay on top of your prototypes, seamlessly research user needs, and do so much more!
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Looking for project ideas? Want to break into the industry even faster? Schedule a UX/UI mentorship call today. We’ll help you get started on a portfolio and career you’ll love.
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