In recent years the number of tools available to help you create web site has increased several times. Among them, would establish a new kinds of aplications, now It seems that we all need a wireframing or prototyping tool at our necessary tools box.
Prototypes should be something that can be created quickly and almost wherever you need it. Pencil (pencil.evolus.vn) is one of them, but it’s free Firefox plugin, prototyping tool that helps you create visual requirements (wireframes and prototypes) for small websites and web applications. Using it you could build a graphical user interface (GUI) for your project, and show it to the client. Lo-fidelity visuals not only help with solution-focused feedback, but they are instantly understood by the viewer. Rough sketches, done in a few minutes can, could be more effective in communicating our ideas than a polished photoshop picture.
Browser plugin and desktop tool
The biggest advantage of Pencil Project is that it can run from a browser without installing additional aplications. So, Pencil can be installed into Firefox 3 as an addon. Thanks to the XULRunner project which provides Pencil a way to run completely outside Firefox. XULRunner builds of Pencil 1.2 are available for Linux and Windows platform.
UI and Icons are included
By default, Pencil provides some build-in collections and for more specific use, Pencil users has build their own collections:
- Dojo UI Widgets (stencils to create UI prototyping for the Dojo Javascript Toolkit)
- Ext UI Widgets (stencils to create UI prototyping for the Ext Javascript Toolkit)
- Ext Icons (icons for use with the Ext UI stencils)
- Flowchart Shapes (stencils for creating flowchart diagrams)
- Touch Screen Hand Gesture
Save your time
This tool lets us do so in a designerly way—by sketching—that enables us to explore a range of different designs before committing to any one of them. Sometimes, prototypes are not just about concept exploration; sometimes we need to know if something is look nice or even possible. Pencil can helps all team members — web developers, management, marketing, and clients — get on the same page before time and of course money will sunk in various development dead ends.
Weakness
Pencil, has a few limitations eg. can export functionality provides only a few image formats. So it’s hard to say it’s a real interactive prototype development tool. So if you have more money not whining just buy advanced applications for rapid prototype and wireframing. If not, you could always extend this to paper prototyping as well.
Summary
Rember that, design process is about developing and communicating insights. Prototypes/wireframes are extremely valuable in design for determining what to build versus how to build it.