iRise was a wireframe and prototyping tool with requirements management capabilities and ALM tool integrations. The product was discontinued in 2024, and is no longer available.
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Optimal
Score 9.1 out of 10
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Optimal Workshop, a company in New Zealand, offers their suite of user research tools on a subscription basis, including the Treejack information architecture tool, OptimalSort card sorting test, Chalkmark first-click testing, and other tools.
I can keep up with our UX/UI designer using iRise, and he's on a Mac and loves the Sketch, inVision software. I often trump him, by having all the direct customer feedback in place. This also works well with Pragmatic Marketing's approach to software. Requirements can be coded in line with Pragmatic's Strategy to Tactical framework. Love this software!
Optimal Workshop is great for UX testing for those with a budget to do so. This may be a little on the expensive side for smaller businesses, but definitely not anything crazy expensive. The insights that you get out of these tests are invaluable and can be the difference between launching a site and succeeding/failing.
Recently my client has to have hovers as an enhancement to the current app. I used irise to show them how it would look in the future and they didn't like it. Finally because of the irise wireframe they decided not to have the hover - which was good before it was too late.
Client wanted a new interface to import Excel docs into the interface. I used irise to prototype the whole functionality.
Tree Testing - it is a very simple and easy to use system, that provides the data needed from a tree test
Card sorting - provides a system for users to participate in navigation menu layouts. We looked into several options, but this seemed very intuitive for users.
When working on a complex page that has multiple sections with multiple views of each sections, it gets difficult to navigate to the section you want. It would be easier if there was a search functionality for searching the sections or components within the page.
Drag and drop controls to have more properties. e.g. for a button. It would be easier if the properties included BorderStyle, BorderWidth, Color, BackColor etc. Currently, these options are not available on the properties and we have to use the formatting tool bar.
The recruitment panelists are not professional, nor do they take the tasks seriously. You are going to get a lot of bad data.
They are HQ'd outside the US and must have a small team because the customer service is the absolute WORST I've experienced in their industry.
They pride themselves on documentation, but when they fail to document something they blame the customer for the mistake.
There are way too many limitations with the tool after you launch, limited integrations, and poor survey questionnaire options. The tool itself is far too basic for most sites, especially B2B.
This platform solves the problem that enterprise software sales teams encounter, and iRise cuts to the chase. Sales people often say "do your magic thing with the prototype" and the customer gives immediate feedback, we change it on the fly
I would rate Optimal Workshop's overall usability 9 out of 10 due to several key factors. Firstly, the platform has a user-friendly interface makes navigation straightforward, even for first-time users. The tools and features are well-organized, ensuring users can quickly find what they need without unnecessary complexity. Secondly, the platform is highly intuitive, meaning users can easily understand how to perform tasks without extensive guidance. This is supported by clear and concise instructions throughout the application, reducing the learning curve significantly.
Additionally, the learnability of Optimal Workshop is exceptional. New users can become proficient in a short amount of time, thanks to its well-thought-out design and helpful onboarding materials. Even more advanced features are presented in a way that feels approachable and manageable. Finally, the platform supports a seamless workflow, allowing users to focus on their research or tasks rather than struggling with the software. These qualities collectively make Optimal Workshop a reliable and efficient tool for many projects, justifying its high usability rating.
We’ve never had to use much of their support services since the platform is very easy to use, we have however needed to transfer ownership between team members due to people leaving or other circumstances. Under those situations, the support offered to us has been been very quick and efficient and we never had to nudge them much to get the job done.
We have used iRise instead of tools like Word, Excel, Visio, and other diagram tools found online. iRise is good because I think it captures the good parts of all these packages into one. I am able to easily create diagrams and mockups in one software package instead of cobbling together a bunch of other solutions.
For the price as it is very convenient for first-time beginners, its intuitiveness both for the one who is designing the activities and for those who have to interact with them. The fact that it collects and gathers the data into insights of the overall responses collected by all users.
