7 Apps & Websites I use every day as a UX/UI designer
We can all agree that Figma has changed how we work in UX/UI design, making everything simpler and all in one place. However, even with Figma’s amazing features and plugins, there are other apps and websites I use every day that Figma can’t replace. Each serves a special purpose that extends beyond Figma’s reach. So, I want to share seven of my favorite apps/websites that I use along with Figma. Hopefully, you will find them as useful as I do for creating things smoothly and handling tasks Figma doesn’t cover, showing that sometimes you need a mix of tools to do your best work.
For Inspiration: Mobbin
Key features: iOS, Web and Android app screens, flows, UI components, updates almost weekly.
Available in Free and Pro versions.
Notable mentions: Landbook, Nicelydone Landingfolio
I come from a generation of designers who scoured every corner of the internet for inspiration, going from specialized websites to Pinterest, and later on, to platforms like Behance and Dribbble. Have you ever seen a website and wondered how it was made, what tools were used, or how the different parts work together? We learn a lot by looking at things, right? So, while looking for a big collection of design ideas, I’ve discovered Mobbin about two years ago. It has loads of real websites and mobile apps, different designs, and ways things flow that can give you new ideas and help you in your design work. Mobbin comes with both free and pro options, but even without a subscription, you can access a world of tried-and-tested designs, easily capturing screenshots in PNG format to compare with your work in Figma. These real-world examples provide a solid reference, helping you understand how your flows should operate, identify any missing elements, and so forth. Plus, the site is updated quite frequently, keeping the content fresh and relevant. Whether you’re sketching out the initial concepts or putting the finishing touches on a project, Mobbin is a go-to resource for keeping the creative juices flowing.
For Research: Lyssna, Maze
Lyssna can quickly become a valuable tool for you. It positions itself as a comprehensive user research platform, aimed at helping teams gain deep understanding of their audience for more informed decision-making. The platform facilitates the creation of a variety of usability tests and user interviews, allowing you to bring the voice of your audience into every design decision you make. Key features include a wide range of testing methodologies for usability testing, tools for organizing and conducting user interviews, surveys for validating assumptions, and access to a large panel for diverse user feedback. These capabilities can greatly enhance your UX design process by providing clear, actionable insights based on user feedback and testing. Offers free and paid plans
Notable mentions: Maze
Key features: user research through prototype testing, card sorting, website testing, and interview studies, moderated/unmoderated tests and panel recruitment, fostering cross-functional workflows
Offers free and paid options
Gathering Data: Typeform
Key features: Templates for different purposes, clean UI, conditionals for complex surveys
Available in Free and Pro versions.
Notable mentions: Google Forms
As UX designers, the ability to distill complex user data into clear, actionable insights is essential in our everyday work, shaping the very foundation of user-centric designs. Data visualization emerges as a lifeline in this scenario, turning volumes of raw data into understandable forms, thereby directly informing our design decisions with clarity and precision. In our continuous pursuit of design fluency and efficiency, tools like Typeform are invaluable. They serve as conduits for capturing user feedback through aesthetically pleasing, interactive surveys, ensuring we gather essential data without compromising on user engagement. This integration of data collection and visualization keeps us in our creative groove, eliminating jarring transitions between analysis and design. It streamlines our workflow, helps validate our design instincts with real-world user narratives, and empowers us to craft experiences that resonate more deeply with the end-users because we’re not just working on hunches, but steering our designs based on stories the data tells us.
Visuals and UI: Fonts in Use, Designstripe, Palettemaker
Fonts In Use isn’t just a font catalog; it’s a source of inspiration, a guide for practical application, and a tool for making informed typography decisions. Its real-world examples and extensive information make it a go-to resource for elevating your design work. Remember, the right font can significantly impact user experience, and this site helps you make choices that resonate with users and enhance your overall design. It helps in sparking creativity by providing real-world examples of fonts, aids in making informed decisions by showing fonts in context, keeps you updated on typography trends, and streamlines your workflow by allowing quick font selection without extensive prototyping.
Key features:
- Extensive Font Showcase: Fonts In Use offers a broad collection of typefaces showcased in real-world applications. This isn’t just a font library; it’s a gallery demonstrating how various fonts perform in actual design scenarios, from print to digital.
- Contextual Examples: Each font is displayed in use, giving you a real sense of how it looks in different contexts, such as in advertising, branding, web design, and more. This is crucial for understanding the practical application of typefaces.
- Detailed Information: Alongside each font, there’s detailed information about the typeface, its history, and its designer. This background knowledge can enrich your design decisions.
- Filtering Options: You can filter fonts based on industries, formats, and typefaces. This is especially useful when you’re looking for inspiration or a particular style for a specific project.
Fonts In Use offers a range of benefits for UX/UI designers, including inspiration from real-world font applications to explore new creative possibilities, informed decision-making by seeing fonts in context with your project’s needs, staying updated on typography trends, and an efficient workflow with quick font referencing, reducing the need for extensive prototyping.
I’m sure, I am not alone when I say that customizable illustrations are pivotal when presenting your designs to stakeholders. Firstly, they offer flexibility to align with specific project themes and branding, enhancing clarity and engagement. They demonstrate professionalism and allow for quick iterations based on feedback, ensuring that concepts are effectively communicated and easily adjusted to meet stakeholder expectations and needs. This not only fosters a better understanding of the proposed design but also facilitates a more collaborative and efficient decision-making process.
Key Features:
- Customizable Illustrations: DesignStripe provides a vast library of illustrations that you can customize. You can change colors, elements, and composition to fit your specific design needs.
- High-Quality Graphics: The site offers high-resolution graphics, which are crucial for professional-looking designs. Whether for web or print, these illustrations maintain their quality.
- Diverse Styles and Themes: The illustrations come in various styles and themes, offering versatility for different project requirements.
- Ease of Use: The platform is user-friendly, making it simple to find and customize illustrations, even for those with minimal design background.
- Integration with Design Tools: DesignStripe allows for easy integration with popular design tools, streamlining your workflow.
Another my favorites, you can use PaletteMaker to define color schemes for new projects, ensure accessibility standards are met by choosing colors with sufficient contrast, and maintain brand consistency across different platforms and devices. It’s a tool that not only simplifies the color selection process but also elevates the aesthetic and functional quality of your design work.
key features:
- Palette Creation: Allows for the creation of unique color palettes, essential for maintaining consistency and harmony in design projects.
- Color Theory Tools: Offers tools based on color theory, helping in choosing complementary, analogous, or contrasting colors, which is crucial for creating visually balanced designs.
- Customization: The ability to customize and tweak individual colors within a palette, ensuring precise alignment with brand guidelines or specific design requirements.
- Export Options: Provides options to export palettes in various formats, making it easy to integrate them into different design tools and workflows.
