7 UX tools to try this year

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With each passing year, we see a surge in new tools and technology to make our marketing and creative lives easier. Just five years ago, maybe 100 pieces of technology could claim the title of ‘marketing technology’. Now, there are thousands. 

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In the creative category of marketing tech, UX tools also continue to grow in number and influence. Here are seven great tools and resources to add to your workflows.

 01. UX MAP

UX MAP takes the pain out of explaining user flows

If you’re a designer or product manager struggling to convey your ideas and you’re familiar with Axure RP, then UX MAP is worth checking out. 

More often than not, trying to explain user flows and interactions with words just doesn’t work – especially when there are multiple stakeholders involved. With UXMAP you can bring ideas to life, add notes on mouseover as if you’re there to narrate, and more.

 02. UX-App 

UX-App offers functional prototyping with HTML5

I know what you’re thinking. Do we need another prototyping app? Yes. UX-App brings functional HTML5 prototyping to the table.

It works via what it calls ‘logic blocks’, which enable designers to move past hotspots. The HTML prototyping allows fast sharing through HTML, without the use of special apps. If you’ve ever sat on the phone waiting for a client to load the viewing app on the other side, you’ll know the struggle is real.

 03. HandrailUX

HandrailUX simplifies the process conducting of user interviews

Creating user interviews, gathering feedback and sharing insights with others on your team can be a challenge. HandrailUX aims to simplify the whole process by providing a research platform for individuals and teams.

HandrailUX simplifies user interview development with built-in guides and cloning functionality, allowing you to quickly replicate past interviews or questions, or build from an existing library. Interviews get translated into real-time results, which means you can iterate your design faster (full disclosure: I work with HandrailUX).

 04. Personapp 

Create user personas quickly and easily with Personapp

Personapp takes the pain out of persona creation. It’s slick. So slick, that there should never, ever, ever, be another excuse why your project or organisation shouldn’t have user or buyer personas. 

Personapp provides a guided experience with prompts that explain, in beautiful detail, exactly the information necessary for product, design, development and marketing to be successful. And it’s free.

 05. UX Project Checklist

This simple checklist ensures you don't miss any UX basics

Checklists rock my world. Especially when things get hectic. They ensure that the foundation work gets done (the iterative, reactive things... that’s a whole different story).

UX Project Checklist is exactly what it sounds like. It's a checklist for the core steps of the UX design process. Each section includes a link for some extended reading, and you can sign in via Google to share the checklist across your accounts. It’s straightforward, but sometimes less is more.

 06. Hello Many 

Hello Many offers curated lists of tools and assets

With so many new tools, resources and assets getting shared every day, anything that offers a curated source of these items is A++ in my book. Say howdy to Hello Many.

It is a curated source of UI assets including themes, icons and kits. Check here for inspirations or to download resources for your next project and skip the time suck of internet searches. Also, if you do use Hello Many, be a good community steward and submit assets that you find elsewhere.

 07. Product Hunt 

Product Hunt finds the newest resources so you don't have to

In the same thread as Hello Many, for helping to sort through the noise I have to conclude with Product Hunt. If the past is any indicator of the future, we’re only going to see more tools and resources emerge. Product Hunt is a fantastic place to find the latest and greatest. Its community helps the cream rise to the top so you know if it’s trending, it’s worth a look.

A couple of my favourite lists to follow include: All Things UX and User Experience Design. I keep a list as well, among many collections.

Related posts:

• The future of adaptive user interfaces
• 5 top UX design trends for 2017
• 10 essential tools for freelance UX designers in 2017

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