I was first introduced to Balsamiq while working as the Director of User Experience for a software company in Chicago. Until that point in my career, I had been designing user interfaces and clickable prototypes using Photoshop, handcoding layouts in HTML and CSS, and spending a lot of time learning prototype software like iRise and Axure.
Now, these are all great tools and should be explored fully. But, my role with this company was different. I was working as a user-experience architect alongside a large agile team of developers. In an environment such as this, it meant that I no longer had the luxury of time to transform my ideas into hi-fidelity layouts and complex clickable prototypes. Instead, I now had to work faster, more efficiently, and deliver creative concepts that were clear and concise, but in a fraction of time. There was simply no time to wireframe in Photoshop or code HTML, and to be honest, Axure was just too cumbersome, personally speaking, for doing quick and dirty designs that my development team demanded. Then, I discovered Balsamiq.
I was first introduced to Balsamiq by a developer on my team. He had been using it to sketch rough ideas to share with his development colleagues. Of course, I was immediately impressed. After all, developers are not known as the visual folks on the team, as much as working with detailed, text heavy requirements, and raw programming code. So, when I learned that a developer was already using the tool effectively, I knew I had to learn more.
From the moment I launched Balsamiq Mockups, its value was immediately apparent. Gone were the complicated toolbars with multiple menu options to learn. Gone too were the long hours toiling over hi-fidelity Photoshop mockups or tweaking handcoded HTML and CSS. With Balsamiq, I was able to design simple, concise, and effective designs using simple graphics and in half the time! As a result, my development team could immediately see what I wanted and could ask the right questions early. Plus, with Balsamiq's ability to make simple, clickable prototypes, I could impressively present my ideas to the team with ease.
With Balsamiq, I found a tool that let me express my ideas without the pressure of having to be perfect. I was also able to design with the same creative intention, but on a very basic and raw level. The focus became less about the tool I was using and more about the architecture of the design. In other words, with Balsamiq, I had found the tool I had always been looking for. I am sure you will agree.
Chapter 1, Getting to Know Balsamiq, starts with the basics of Balsamiq and walks you through the installation and the ins-and-outs of the application. Learn important menu items and about the application screen itself, setting the stage or what's to come.
Chapter 2, Building a Project, is a continuation of the essential elements of Balsamiq - like layering, alignment, and grouping, as well as an introduction to the project work you will be completing throughout the remainder of the book.
Chapter 3, Working with Symbols, discusses one of the more useful tools in Balsamiq. Symbols allow you to work more productively by allowing you to take greater control over your wireframes.
Chapter 4, Building Data Tables, deals with deciphering and presenting data online, one of the key challenges of great user interface design. Often, it could mean taking Excel data and making it interesting for your site's visitors. Not an easy thing to do. This chapter will walk you through good data table design and explain how to present data that is readable, useable, and presented effectively with Balsamiq.
Chapter 5, Icons, Images, and Text, presents you with three elements that are vital to a successful user experience. Knowing how to use each of them could make or break your entire design. In this chapter, we walk through these essential elements and demonstrate how to use them effectively in Balsamiq.
Chapter 6, Presenting Your Work, teaches you how to present your work to an outside audience. Whether you are creating a clickable prototype, a printable PDF, or exporting your work as a raw XML code, Balsamiq does it all with ease. This chapter shows you how.
Chapter 7, Parting Thoughts: Resources and Recommendations, will leave you with some very useful books, websites, and general tips that take what you have learned using this book and Balsamiq to the next level in terms of skill, creativity, and career.