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OmniGraffle is a versatile tool that users heavily rely on for a wide range of tasks. One key use case for the product is wireframing, …
Overview
What is OmniGraffle?
OmniGraffle is a wireframing tool for Mac users.
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Product Demos
Generating a site map in one minute with OmniGraffle - Demo
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Loading Omnigraffle Diagram into CLIPS rule engine
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SVG Animation Demo
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Brief Demo of Omnigraffle
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OmniGraffle 6 Mind Map Demo
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Product Details
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What is OmniGraffle?
OmniGraffle Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
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Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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OmniGraffle is a versatile tool that users heavily rely on for a wide range of tasks. One key use case for the product is wireframing, roughing out, and documenting content models and site maps. This is particularly useful for the strategy team, as they can easily create workflow diagrams and produce detailed annotations that are difficult to convey via a prototype. Additionally, OmniGraffle addresses low visibility issues in web projects by allowing users to create flowcharts, behavioral flows, and site map trees.
The software serves as an excellent replacement for Visio, offering better visuals and flexibility in wireframing and design activities. Users utilize OmniGraffle to create process flow diagrams, business flow charts, and other diagrams required by their company or department. Moreover, it is used beyond traditional design purposes, with users leveraging the tool to structure texts such as lyrics, poetry, or novels to find the best flow and logic in their thematic elements.
OmniGraffle's flexible and large format medium makes it ideal for mapping out ideas and concepts that require content organization, such as messaging frameworks. Furthermore, it is a popular choice for technical documentation purposes where technical diagrams need to be created. The software also facilitates collaboration across teams by enabling the creation of workflow diagrams that can be easily shared with non-design stakeholders.
For website projects, OmniGraffle helps users chart out website and user flows through flow charts and information architecture. It plays a significant role during the discovery phase of understanding user needs and customer journey by visualizing user flows, basic journey maps, brainstorming sessions, and visual note-taking. Furthermore, designers rely on OmniGraffle to build wireframe sketches that are shared with clients during the initial project phase.
Overall, OmniGraffle offers a comprehensive set of features that cater to various industries and use cases. Its ability to address different visualization needs makes it a valuable tool for wireframing, diagramming, and content organization.
Users recommend the following:
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Test the software using the trial period before purchasing to determine if it meets your needs and if it is easy to use.
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Consider alternative tools for drag and drop features and pre-made high-fi widgets. Also, explore more powerful options for flowcharts and business logic charts.
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Seek answers on blogs and YouTube videos in addition to relying solely on the provided documentation and tutorials. Study the smaller hot keys and tricks in Omnigraffle for better productivity. Try other tools like Adobe Illustrator or Balsamiq Mockups depending on the type of work you do. Additionally, consider Keynote, InVision, or Foundation/HTML for a more efficient workflow.
Overall, users appreciate Omnigraffle's value for money and its capabilities in wireframing, data modeling, and building flow diagrams. However, they encourage potential users to thoroughly evaluate their specific needs before investing in any tool.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-11 of 11)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
February 07, 2019
THE diagramming software tool for OS X
I use OmniGraffle the same way that others use Micrfosoft Visio, primarily for technical diagrams for my documentation. In my particular case, I am the only person using it, and that is because I came into this position as a user of Apple products for years and continue to use it at home. This department uses all Windows notebooks for Windows server support. The bad news for me is that there isn't a version that runs on a PC, so if I'm working on a drawing in Visio at the office and want to take it home and work on it, I can import it into Visio, but complex arcs don't import cleanly due to its algorithms for computing sine and co-sine values during the import.
- OmniGraffle is fairly simple to use, but the one thing I think it does best is working with curved lines, particularly if you are using some of the available arc templates. Drop an arc onto your page, then tell it the dimensions it needs to be, and viola! Done. Manipulating the arcs is as simple as clicking and dragging offset points.
- OmniGraffle has also done an excellent job in stirring up the creative minds of many people who create templates and tools to work with OmniGraffle (not that Microsoft hasn't done so either), and managed to get the bulk of those into well organized repositories.
- What it all boils down to for me is: it just works. One doesn't need to have a computer science degree to work with it either. It is as simple or complex as you want it to be.
- The ability to import Visio drawings is important to a lot of people. However, if one is importing a Visio drawing that has a complex arcs in it, they are not going to import properly. You end up with a drawing in OmniGraffle that doesn't look like it does in Visio - the arc lines are all off.
- If one has a very complex diagram that needs to fit on one page but extends close to the margins, you could end up getting a little frustrated because the program keeps wanting to drag another page into the fray.
- It may be something very simple to do, but I haven't yet found out how to specify exact page sizes for my drawings. If I just take the default, I'll get an 8/5" x 11" portrait page and have to focus on ensuring everything fits right. On the other hand, if I create a large page to start with because I know it isn't all going to fit on one letter-size page, resizing the page when I'm done is not a pretty picture.
November 15, 2018
Easy way to outline concepts you need to communicate to others
I use OmniGraffle to map out ideas and concepts that require a flexible, large format medium for organizing content. For example, if I'm currently using OmniGraffle to map out a messaging framework for internal use. It helps me easily link ideas together and create hierarchies, which would be difficult using a presentation tool like PowerPoint or keynote. If you need a way of getting abstract ideas on paper and exploring relationships among them, OmniFocus is a great tool for that.
- Mind mapping. You can easily link ideas together and OmniFocus can automatically arrange them in a presentable format.
- Wireframing. If you're working on simple design concepts, it's a great way to show ideas to designers.
- Outlining process flows. If you're outlining a process, such as marketing automation, it's perfect.
- No support for team collaboration. I would really like to see a way to share files to iCloud so that others can access and edit.
- Better print settings. If you're trying to print a document across many pages, it's not easy to make this happen.
- No ability to pre-configure settings. For example, I have to manually change the unit of measure from "inches" to "pixels" when I create a new document, would like the ability to change that fundamentally.
February 01, 2018
OmniGraffle is simply the best choice for modelling on the Mac
OmniGraffle is rapidly becoming the modeling tool of choice for the organisation; we are seeing broadening adoption of the product across the whole organisation.
We were looking for a Mac-compatible modeling tool - similar to Visio for the PC - and OmniGraffle was by far the best choice on the market.
We were looking for a Mac-compatible modeling tool - similar to Visio for the PC - and OmniGraffle was by far the best choice on the market.
- Ease of use and time to adopt software
- Multi-device support
- Scripting capability
- High-end modelling product
- More templates stencils and samples
- Data integration
September 14, 2017
Omnigraffle is a good, if limited, tool
We use Omnigraffle for some basic early wire framing of applications and for creation of workflow diagrams. It's stencil libraries enable quick creation of diagrams and documents since you're not having to draw everything from scratch.
- Creating diagrams and workflows
- Creating Static Wire frame drawings
- Creating Specification documentation for an application
- There is no capability for creating prototype or interactions, I've starting moving away from using Omnigraffle for wire frames for this reason as there are other tools that accomplish this while enabling interactive features.
- It is difficult to create charts
- Stability isn't where I'd like it to be. Although I don't ever lose much work due to how MacOS autosaves regularly, I do see crashes and weird glitches more often than I do when using my other productivity tools.
September 13, 2017
Is there still a place for OmniGraffle in your design flow?
OmniGraffle is used by the product experience design team to produce detailed annotations that are too difficult to convey via a prototype. Often the more subtle aspects of a UI, experience, or interface are difficult to convey to developers, OmniGraffle allows us to instruct them on the nuance of the design without overly complicating the prototypes.
- Annotations - OG excels!
- It is a very easy tool for users to ramp up on.
- The ability to script and export assets from the tool is excellent.
- It would be nice to be able to export screen assets directly to InVision.
- I wish coding interactivity in OG was easier and simpler.
- I wish the tool intrinsically understood the distinction between screens and annotations without having to add actions or settings.
November 14, 2016
Great tool for behind-the-scenes
I use OmniGraffle from time to time when creating user flows and basic journey maps. It is not a required tool at my company or in my department.
- Diagram creation - It's easy to make and organize various boxes.
- Wireframing - The use of guides helps keep everything aligned. The multiple pages helps keep all the screens in a project organized.
- Brainstorming - It's possible to quickly draw up a digital representation of a pathway or user journey to share with my team.
- The interface could be more beautiful.
- OmniGraffle isn't quite as intuitive or beginner-friendly as some other design tools (e.g., Sketch 3).
We use Omnigraffle for charting out website and user flows. This includes flow charts, information architecture and more. To my knowledge, it is only used by our department.
Omnigraffle helps us create a total picture of what a website project will look like, how many pages there will be, and how users will interact with it. We then use this to discuss with stakeholders for feedback and iterations.
Omnigraffle helps us create a total picture of what a website project will look like, how many pages there will be, and how users will interact with it. We then use this to discuss with stakeholders for feedback and iterations.
- Flow charts. You can set up a grid and import libraries.
- User Journey. You can map out how a user will interact with a website. Everything is click and drag, and creating arrows etc. is fast and easy.
- I use the arrows function a lot, and I find it is very particular. I wish the process was easier. If i don't use OmniGraffle for a month or two and come back I feel like I need to learn it again.
- I'd like to auto-resize things according to the grid I set. Perhaps this is already a feature?
- How a file is saved is actually a bit confusing at first. It always saves copies I think?
OmniGraffle was one of tools that suggested by a department level. As a designer, we used Omnigraffle a lot particularly in the phase of discovering user needs and understanding user flow, and customer journey. I think it provides a very convenient way to create a flow chart and sitemap. Also I liked the feature of copying a diagram or any artifacts I made from Omnigraffle and pasting them as an image to any presentation tools. It was very convenient that I didn't have to worry about readjusting size or image resolution. Overall, it helps create a quick diagram and big landscape of our product and easily to share with team members.
- There are good templates that I can use.
- Easy to create and modify objects, text, and arrows.
- Converting from Omnigraffle to other formats which make it easy to use the contents anywhere.
- Cost is a bit expensive.
- Sync with other wireframing, prototyping, graphic tools would be great. Specifically, if it can be converted to .ai or .svg (vector graphic tool) to customize the look and feel of diagrams more, then that would be great.
- Collaboration & real-time feedback sharing functionality would be great.
March 18, 2016
Great product with untapped potential
We use OmniGraffle on a regular basis for flowcharts, behavioral flows, site map trees etc. This is being used in our digital department and it helps address some of the low visibility issue we have on some web projects as a whole.
- Great template interface that one can drag and drop onto the canvas.
- Very quick and easy to use interface that I would consider a low learning curve unlike others.
- Would like to have more dynamic interaction tools that cover all that happens in the digital sphere from mobile, web page, or even touch.
- More high end professional template assets. Simply improve the UI designs for most and keeping them current with what is being considered modern.
March 11, 2016
Omnigraffle for Flows and basic wireframing
Omnigraffle primarily used as a Visio replacement. It works well for flows and charts, as well as basic graphics. I have also used it for wireframing activities, but recently changed to using Axure RP or Sketch for wireframing and design activities as they have more flexibilities in those domains. Omnigraffle does offer much better visuals (as of 2014) than Visio.
- Diagrams flowcharts: you can do anything that Visio does, only quicker, easier, and better looking.
- Wireframing: while I prefer other tools now, Omnigraffle has a robust user community and offers free/paid widget sets for web, mobile, and desktop application wireframes.
- Basic interactions: Omnigraffle allows for masters and basic hotspot interactions. If you only need to show simple functionality, Omnigraffle can work.
- Interactions: each new visual must be on a completely new page (as of version 5). There isn't a good way to set up simple on-page interactions (i.e. show/hide of a widget).
- Defaults: while the default setting for the widgets are nice looking, they can look a little cartoony sometimes.
March 11, 2016
A few adjustments and this is a GREAT tool!
OmniGraffle is being used by our organization to build wireframe sketches. These sketches are shared with our clients during the beginning phase of a project. This makes it fairly easy for us to update the wireframes sketches based on any edits the client may have. Once the wire frames are approved we proceed to build out the interactions and pass to the creative department so they can use the wireframes as a reference when they create the graphics for the product.
- Placeholders! I love how there are endless stencils to choose from and download for OmniGraffle.
- I love how easy it is to connect elements in OmniGraffle down to the pixel. The connectors are also helpful when building flowcharts and user stories for user experience.
- The double click to enter text on any shape makes it super convenient to quickly put together a flow chart! I love that I do not need to create a shape and then drop in a text box and place it over the shape to enter text.
- One feature i would love to see on OmniGraffle is the ability to see the pixel distance when I'm trying to place shapes next to each other. Working in UX, i'm always trying to wireframe down to the pixel, this gives the client and the other departments a clearer understanding of how the end product dimensions will look like.
- Preloaded digital platform dimensions would be great. I know there are stencils we can use, but it would be great if i can click on a new canvas and choose between iPhone 6, iPad, desktop 1024, etc. It would make the prototype process much easier when I'm design for these platforms.
- A bigger canvas. Why not have a unlimited canvas so I can build user flows without always having to readjust the canvas size. I like to open the program and just dive right in and start designing without spending time trying to guess how big the canvas should be.