Axure RP is a software prototyping tool used by UX designers, from Axure Software Solutions in San Diego.
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Conceptboard
Score 7.6 out of 10
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Conceptboard is a collaboration software built for teams of any size. Its primary features are project management, team whiteboards, integration into business workflows, and real-time collaboration.
Still the best IMHO for dynamic prototyping. Sometimes you need to wireframe novel on-page widgets, such as draggable search areas (in the context of map-based search), or interactive annotations on diagrams. And sometimes real data values are necessary for test participants to give good feedback. However, this is something of a niche scenario. The majority of uxers prefer xd or Figma and find that static prototypes (screen1->click->screen2) is sufficient.
Well suited - 1. Whiteboarding, brainstorming, designing, workshops, etc. 2. Templates - Pretty good repository of ready-to-use templates esp for project management, agile, etc. Less appropriate - 1. Anything that requires integration with existing enterprising software - limitations like no integration with Jira, Asana, etc. 2. Embedding anything related to images, videos, etc. The embed is not very smooth, it lags, and sometimes straight out doesn't work 3. Image search - Many competitors provide this feature and hence Conceptboard lacks here
Adaptive views enable us to create truly responsive designs, even when they are very complex.
The platform’s many available templates and ability to create a library of reusable designs enables us to prototype faster and more efficiently than creating every single design from the ground up.
The company provides a lot of support options, from training videos to online forums. This is a pretty complex tool, so knowing that we can always look up or ask a question and get a quick answer has helped us immensely.
Axure’s comprehensive suite of tools to portray interactivity in prototypes has truly helped us show stakeholders and clients what an end product will look like, which has really helped us gain necessary internal and external buy-in.
Great user interface that's very intuitive and easy to use. This is an important aspect of collaboration, brainstorming sessions often involve a lot of people coming from different functions who may not be too familiar with these tools
Allows users to see real-time changes and actions done by others from sticky notes/comments down to their cursor movements
Lets users add/attach files and annotate/comment on each directly on the board which skips the hassle of having to look at files using different programs/platforms and referencing on the board
Axure feels like a tool that started with a simple interface that wasn't redesigned over time. Simple tasks sometimes require clicking through multiple layers. Crucial pieces of functionality are hidden under text links, or just flatly aren't discoverable. Much of the quirks of the interface only come from having screwed up numerous times, and knowing that certain things are just difficult to accomplish.
I've never used the support for Axure but they do have an online community that can be helpful when you're unsure how to accomplish a specific bit of interactivity. Overall the community for Axure is a great benefit for the software. There are also a lot of shared library assets which can help reduce the time you spend on projects.
I think that the online training videos cover all product features and are a great resource to point people to. The newsletter is also frequent and passes on a range of tips and techniques for users that are eager to learn more, or just want to keep themselves up to date
Since Axure RP is a desktop software that can work without a cloud connection, it is easy to have approved within a highly restricted corporate environment for a low cost with a small team. iRise is a solution that requires greater amounts of management, best service a group of designers in a corporate environment. InVision is cloud-based and, although not impossible, would require a long-term agreement to be made between the corporate and InVision. These could take years. Origami is free and desktop based and has great control of the transitions and data - but is so granular that additional time commitments may have to be made to make a prototype of this fidelity
Miro is a superior product with more capabilities and better suited for advanced users. We selected Conceptboard as a short-term solution that was low-cost compared to Miro but allowed users to create boards. Once users are versed in Conceptboard, they are better off using Miro which has more integration, better capabilities, and is overall a more complete product.
Axure allows for us to quickly get the entire sales team trained on a specific narrative and gives them a fool proof click path for them to use in the demo.
Axure is relatively inexpensive and allows for purchasing the software without having to pay a monthly subscription (although they do have that option).
The Sketch integration has allowed for a 10 fold increase in productivity by taking designs already created in another program and quickly adding them to Axure.
I can say that this tool is unique since its impact on our work team has been one of the best we have ever had since it allows us to exchange ideas in one place through boards, which is more fun with the video call function
