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Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the work from home culture has become the new normal. However, for UX designers, working remotely has not been an easy ride.

UX Designing is a highly collaborative job and the designers need remote UX design toolkits to make it happen.

If you are a UX designer, you would be probably using whiteboards, paper prototypes, sticky notes, sketches etc. to share your ideas and workflow designs. But if you are away from your office, how will you collaborate?

Tools for remote UX designing

We have shortlisted some of the most beneficial and certainly essential UX tools to make your remote working environment convenient. So, let’s check them out.

1. Sketch

Sketch is a tool to create, prototype, collaborate, and bring your ideas to life.

If you are an experienced web designer, then you must have heard of Sketch.

It’s a Bohemian coding platform and is an extremely robust vector-based tool that facilitates users to build prototypes as well as interfaces.

You can connect with your team to collaboratively work on the interface of a particular website or app.

The platform has been dedicated to particularly aiding the development and design of apps and websites.

Hence, you can get rid of non-essential features that would fill up your interface. Moreover, it is a quick and extremely efficient solution with a better scope of creativity.

2. Figma

Figma is a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool.

Figma is an all-in-one tool that lets you “create, collaborate, prototype, and handoff”. You can also collaborate with your design team in real-time to create the interface design.

It is an effective platform for multiple user projects and can be accessed through Mac, Windows and Linux. Moreover, it has a built-in feature that supports virtual meeting platforms.

You can choose paid as well as unpaid versions at your convenience. Web designers state that Figma fosters smooth working and also enables sharing graphics.

3. InVision Studio

InVision Studio features frictionless rapid prototyping and advanced animation for screen design.

Studio by Invision excels in collaboration and has a thriving network of employees in over 20 nations. They have a wide range of solutions that makes the processes of ideation, prototyping as well as design certainly feasible.

Their flexible working suits both large and small companies and teams. The platform adds convenience for improving iterations, developing interactive flows and facilitating remote usability testing.

Invision claims to be the “world’s most powerful screen design tool”, and we explore its top 10 features to find out what’s under the hood.

4. Zeplin

Zeplin exports designs into a format which generates code snippets, design specs, and assets.

Zeplin provides ease of access and uses by bridging the gap between designers and engineers/developers. With their Connected Components, you can connect your design’s components within GitHub to your counterparts. The platform automates the collection of component documentation concerning your specific framework.

It has an exceptional level of customizability and flexibility for the description as well as for the code snippet. Moreover, it can link sources within your designed interface.

These sources could be your design system documents or internal wiki. Overall, it’s a platform that fosters an exceptional level of connectivity with frameworks and platforms to create an effective interface.

5. Adobe XD

Adobe XD is the prototyping tool for user experience and interaction designers.

Who doesn’t know Adobe? It’s known for its excellent tools and Adobe XD is an addition to the fame. The platform enables you to get the leading environment for various digital projects within the creative cloud suite of Adobe.

For existing Adobe users, the platform could be a little more unique than other Adobe tools and platforms, however, it has everything one needs to get their work on track. Developers and designers can find it extremely beneficial, especially for UI design. It’s a vector design as well as a wireframing tool with numerous additions including auto-animation to keep the trends of UX secure.

Remote collaboration

As designers have to work with multiple departments, they need effective collaboration is the key to success. So, here are a few tools that will not let you miss your brick and mortar meetings.

1. ProofHub

Proofhub provide centralized workspace where all communication and collaboration can happen.

With Proofhub, you can not just simplify the process of proofing but it allows quick changes within the file from multiple users. Developers can also instantly add comments and feedback.

2. Miro

Miro is an online collaboration tool that features a digital whiteboard that can be used for research, ideation, building customer journeys and user story maps, wireframing and a range of other collaborative activities.

Miro was initially known as the RealtimeBoard platform that makes collaboration quite easy, especially during work from home. It’s an online collaborative whiteboard that has the potential to connect the team anytime and from anywhere across the world. A highly useful tool for project managers, developers and designers as they can run engaging as well as productive meetings as well as workshops to pursue their operations seamlessly. It’s a detailed platform to nurture creativity and perform ideation through research resources and templates. The platform has the potential to facilitate diagramming, strategy planning and mapping.

3. Slack

Slack is an online team collaboration software that offers one on one chats, group chats, file sharing and various third party integrations.

Slack is an excellent tool that fosters ease of communication. Though it aims to make conversations more convenient, it’s not like a messenger or Whatsapp application. You can create a specified network of colleagues and restrict communication for official and work-related purposes only.

Moreover, Slack enables real-time conversations and allows the heads and managers to maintain multiple teams through their group feature. For quick access, the platform has applications for iOS and Android users equipped with all the necessary features.

4. Mural

Mural is a digital workspace for visual collaboration to share ideas and brainstorm with your team.

Mural is another whiteboard platform that fosters adequate and appropriate collaboration for the stage of ideation. The team members can use it to share ideas, comments and sticky notes from different team members in real-time situations. It’s one of the most popular tools used by leading companies including Intuit, IBM and Atlassian among others. The platform is highly suitable to carry out evaluation, brainstorming, planning and designing processes. Another exclusive aspect is the integration feature that enables you to use Jira, Dropbox, Slack and various software on the go.

Remote testing

Without testing all your efforts can go in vain. However, with limited resources at remote locations, the use of the following tools will come to your rescue.

1. Maze

Maze offers rapid, remote testing for agile teams with actionable insights from detailed reporting.

Maze is a unique platform that facilitates accurate testing through Invision prototypes meant for testing purposes. With Maze, you have the opportunity to run tests on your concept before entering the stage of development. Many companies like Airbnb, IBM and Microsoft among others have been users of Maze.

To begin the test, a designer would be required to create a scenario that needs to be completed by the tester. You can add forms as well as questions. Maze would further generate a report that has a spreadsheet depicting the testers including the information stats for direct and indirect rates along with a heatmap.

2. Playbook UX

PlaybookUX is an affordable UX software that recruits the right participants, schedules, transcribes and analyzes your research.

Playbook UX enables the testing of prototypes, concepts and further tests products as well.

Playbook UX is a distinctive tool based on AI technology to recruit, transcribe, incentivize and assess videos. The tool has two varying modes, out of which, one is dedicated to preparing and further launching a test.

After completion of the mode, it will have video records concerning every tester similar to UserTesting. The other mode enables you to communicate with the testers directly. Moreover, it offers correct feedback and information on details in real-time.

3. Lookback

Lookback.io is a mobile UX user recording tool that captures screen interaction, voice and video of the user directly from his or her device

Lookback is one of the handiest testing tools or a premium mobile user-research platform. The tool allows the UX and UI designers to carry out remote user research and further interact with other team members at the same time. Moreover, they can run tests from the users’ end with pre-defined objectives. The best feature it has is the in-person test set-up. Lookback also equips you with a robust dashboard to help you monitor the activities and perform tests again whenever required.

Conclusion

So, these are the top 12 tools you must consider for seamless remote working. With these UX design, collaboration and testing tools, you will have the opportunity to attain quality without miscommunication and glitches.

To know how we collaborate remotely and how you can do it effectively, read our article on 7 Most Useful Collaboration Practices For Remote Work.

Remote UX design toolkit: A complete guide on using tools like a pro

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Jayshree Ochwani

Inspire the next generation of designers

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