IAApps organizes all the different tools into 4 categories:

1. Interface Modeling
2. Prototyping
3. Screen Capture
4. Usability Testing

Each category is then further organized by OS platform:

1. Mac OSX flavors
2. Windows flavors
3. Web

I found the navigation somewhat clumsy. Rather than navigate the menus, I’d prefer a tool “site map” – a single page with all of the tools listed under each category and operating system so that I could quickly scan for what I want. You almost get that “Show All Listings”, but not quite.

Aside from that, I think the site can be a valuable resource by providing a definitive directory of all the software applications User Experience professionals need, and a way for us to rate the tools.

I’m going to head over there now and rate some of the tools myself.

Related posts:

1. Review: 16 User Interface Prototyping Tools
2. Rapidrabb – an online prototyping tool
3. Design Tools

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Over at Semantic Foundry, designer extraordinaire, Will Evans, has a wonderful essay explaining how he uses wireframing as both a problem setting and a problem solving approach.

I pick my primary audience and the one activity which allows them to solve one goal quickly, effortlessly, elegantly. In this case, the primary audience wants to easily find the best cruise, at the right time, for the right price. I don’t even look at the requirements document or competitive analysis until after I have sketched a couple of ideas either on paper or using Omnigraffle, which explores the primary goal. I’m not looking for solutions at this point because the first round of wireframes provide a space to engage in a dialogue with other designers, stakeholders, and the wireframes themselves.

It’s a great description of how Will tackles a design and he’s provided his work products for you to download.

Read Will’s essay: Shades of Gray: Wireframes as Thinking Device

[Plug: At the upcoming UIE Web App Summit, we have two sessions dealing with wireframing. Dan Brown will talk about how wireframes are an essential part of your overall design deliverable strategy in his full-day workshop, Communicating Design: Essential Deliverables for Highly Effective Design Teams. James Box and Richard Rutter will spend half of their full-day seminar, Wireframing and Prototyping for Highly Interactive Web Apps, demonstrating how to use wireframes when building Ajax and social networking tools.]

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Yet many teams don’t know how to iterate effectively. They spend too long building out a design and then don’t collect any useful information to tell if they’ve achieved what they set out to get. They end up deploying their result, only to discover their users are unhappy with what was built.

In today’s article, The Anatomy of an Iteration, we dive deep into what it takes to conduct successful iterations. I explain the four iteration steps and share some best practices. I’m sure you’ll find it helpful to make sure your team is learning everything they can in their design process.

Iterations are a key part of the prototyping process. If you’re looking to improve your prototypes, you’ll want to attend Richard Rutter and James Box’s full-day seminar, Wireframing and Prototyping for Highly Interactive Web Apps at the UIE Web App Summit.

Have you learned any tricks to help keep your iterations short and effective? We’d love to hear your experiences. Share them below.

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