If you’re on this page, you’re either not satisfied with your current design tool, or you’re just starting out and looking for the right one.
If so, you’re in the right place!
In this article, we will list the 8 best product design tools for you.
However, having the right tools is only part of the job you haveβyou also need inspiration , which we’ll provide a solution for at the end of the article.
Let’s dive in!
What Are Product Design Tools?
Product design tools are software that assists designers in:
Creating
Developing and
Refining product from initial concepts to final production
They are critical for transforming ideas into real, usable goods.
Here’s a breakdown of the major types:
π΄ Sketching and drawing tools – These are used for the initial stages of design. Designers can use tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Sketch to produce digital drawings and detailed illustrations. They assist in picturing and refining the basic concept before progressing to more complicated levels.
π΄ 3D Modeling Software – Tools such as Autodesk Fusion 360, SolidWorks, and Blender are used to produce three-dimensional models of products. These models are critical for determining how the product will look and work in real life. They enable exact measurements and adjustments, ensuring that all product components fit together properly.
π΄ Prototyping Tools – Before mass production, designers must test their ideas. Prototyping technologies such as InVision, Axure, and Figma enable designers to generate interactive models of their products. These prototypes can be used to collect feedback and improve.
π΄ CAD (Computer-Aided Design) Software – CAD tools such as AutoCAD and Rhino are used to create comprehensive designs. They assist with the creation of detailed technical drawings and specifications that are required for manufacture.
In short, product design tools are essential for turning ideas into real, usable products.
9 Best Product Design Tools To Try in 2024
Letβs check out 9 product design tools that can help you improve and ease your work!
1. UXMaps
UXMaps is a design research platform that provides an extensive range of UI/UX designs and user flows to help you increase productivity and improve the quality of your work.
UXMaps streamlines your design process by allowing you to quickly access high-quality design examples, removing the need to spend hours searching for the best solutions.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Use powerful search and filter features to quickly get design inspiration.
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Check out website elements from top companies and incorporate market-tested design ideas into your projects.
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Browse over 40,000 design examples to find just what you’re searching for.
What can you do with UXMaps?
π Filter – Search for designs by category, element, company, or industry to get the best appropriate solutions for your project.
π Screens – Explore individual website screens from various firms and save or save them for future reference.
π Companies – Focus on a specific company to see all of their design screens, which will help you copy effective design features.
π Elements – Examine popular website elements to learn how different businesses use them.
π Flows – Look at screen sequences to see how they connect and flow together, which will help you understand the overall design strategy.
π Collections – Save your best designs in collections so they are quickly available.
2. Figma
Figma is a cloud-based design tool that allows for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. It enables designers to create user interfaces for web and mobile applications.
Figma’s strength is its real-time collaboration features, which allow numerous team members to collaborate on a design simultaneously.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Work with team members in real-time, making it easier to share ideas and receive feedback right away.
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Figma’s cloud-based platform allows you to access your ideas from any device with an internet connection.
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Track changes and keep many versions of your design, which is essential for iterative design processes.
What can you do with Figma?
π UI/UX Design – Develop detailed, high-fidelity designs for websites and mobile apps.
π Prototyping – Create interactive prototypes to demonstrate user flow and interactions.
π Wireframing – Create low-fidelity wireframes that outline the essential structure of your design.
π Design Systems – Establish and manage design systems to ensure consistency across projects.
3. Jitter
Jitter is a fast and simple motion design tool that enables creators and teams to easily create spectacular animated content and interfaces.
It includes animation presets, easy integration with design tools, and several export possibilities.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Using templates, you may quickly generate animations, saving time and effort on motion design.
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With one click, import designs from programs such as Figma, optimizing your workflow.
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You may export your animations in a variety of formats, including 4K video, GIF, and Lottie, for multiple platforms.
What Can You Do With Jitters?
π UI/UX Animations – Add smooth animations to your online and mobile interfaces and improve user experience and engagement.
π Social media content – Create engaging animated posts for social media and increase your social media presence with dynamic content.
π Video titles and communication materials – Create animated titles and other video content.
π Figma Animations – Easily animate your Figma designs and save time by integrating your current design workflow.
π Lottie Animations – Use the Lottie format to create animated app and website screens and produce high-quality animations with small file sizes.
4. Marvel
Marvel is a design platform that enables teams to create digital products by providing tools for wireframing, design, prototyping, and user testing.
It interacts with other popular tools and encourages collaboration throughout the creative process.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Manage the entire design process in one place, from wireframes to prototypes.
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Work with team members in real-time to refine designs and gather feedback.
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Connect with tools like Sketch and Jira to enhance your workflow.
What can you do with this tool?
π Wireframing – Use low-fidelity wireframes to describe the basic structure of your design, allowing you to quickly visualize and improve on design concepts.
π Prototyping – Prototyping involves creating interactive prototypes to demonstrate user flows and interactions.
π User Testing – Conduct user testing to collect input, improve designs, and ensure that they satisfy user needs and expectations.
π Developer Handoff – Automatically produce design specs for developers, streamlining the design-to-development process.
π Design – Use the platform to create high-fidelity designs and combine your design efforts into a single tool.
5. FlowMapp
FlowMapp is a UX planning platform that includes tools for developing visual sitemaps, user flows, and wireframes.
It enables teams to develop and optimize website structures , increasing user experience and project management.
Unlike tools focused primarily on wireframing or prototyping, FlowMapp covers sitemaps, user flows, and wireframes in a single platform.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Create detailed sitemaps and user flows to keep project structures clear and organized.
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Communicate with team members and clients in real-time to ensure everyone is on the same page.
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Use templates and tools to accelerate the design and planning process.
What can you do with FlowMapp?
π Sitemaps – Create interactive visual sitemaps that outline website structures and easily visualize and arrange site architecture.
π User Flows – Draw user flow diagrams to outline user trips and improve the user experience by designing efficient navigation paths.
π Wireframes – Create wireframes for web pages and applications so you can quickly prototype and test design concepts.
π Content management – Organize all project-related information in one location for easy access.
π Collaborate – Share projects and get feedback from teammates and clients so you can improve teamwork and ensure project goals are aligned.
6. Sketch
Sketch is a design tool specifically designed for creating, prototyping, and collaborating on digital products.
It is essentially a Mac application with web-based features for sharing, feedback, and developer handoff.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Use powerful vector editing and design tools to create high-quality designs.
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Work in real-time with team members and clients to streamline feedback and modifications.
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Create interactive, realistic prototypes that showcase user flows and interactions.
What can you do with Sketch?
π Vector editing – Create intricate, scalable visuals with fine control over each point, resulting in detailed and professional-grade designs.
π Prototyping – Create intuitive prototypes to test and validate design ideas. Make sure your designs are effective and user-friendly.
π Design systems – Develop and manage shared libraries and design systems, ensuring consistency across all design projects.
π Developer handoff – Create design specifications and assets for developers to ensure a smooth transition from design to development while reducing errors.
7. Overflow
Overflow is a user flow diagramming tool that lets you create interactive user flows, design presentations, and extensive walkthroughs.
It works with common design tools and attempts to improve the storytelling component of design processes.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Easily develop and visualize user journeys to improve project clarity.
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Create detailed presentations to engage your audience.
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Share and collect feedback from team members and stakeholders efficiently.
What can you do with Overflow?
π User flows – Create user flow diagrams to map user trips and improve knowledge of navigation paths.
π Design presentations – Create interactive presentations with several views and engage stakeholders with dynamic presentations.
π Prototype view – Switch to screen-by-screen prototypes to see design details.
π Story view – Create step-by-step design walkthroughs.
8. Framer
Framer is a design and prototyping tool that helps designers create interactive, high-fidelity prototypes.
It mixes design and coding to provide precise and dynamic design results, making it appropriate for both designers and developers.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Create complex, interactive prototypes that closely resemble the final items.
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Use both design tools and coding capabilities to create more sophisticated interactions.
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Work with team members in real-time to improve efficiency and feedback loops.
What can you do with Overflow?
π Animation – Design smooth and complex animations.
π Component design – Create reusable components and design systems.
π Responsive design – Design responsive interfaces that adapt to various devices and optimize designs for different screen sizes.
π Coding – Use a built-in code editor to add advanced functionality and expand design capabilities beyond standard tools.
9. WebFlow
Webflow is a visual web development platform that allows users to create, build, and launch responsive websites without having to write code.
It combines a strong CMS, a visual editor, and hosting features to create a full solution for web designers and developers.
What are the benefits of this tool?
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Create completely functional websites without having to write code.
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Create web pages that automatically adjust to various screen widths.
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Hosting your websites directly on Webflow’s servers ensures consistent performance.
What can you do with Webflow?
π Website Design – Use a visual editor to build responsive websites and professional-looking designs without coding.
π CMS Integration – Use Webflow’s CMS to handle content dynamically, simplifying updates and management.
π E-commerce – Create and manage online shops.
π Animations and interactions – Add intricate animations and interactions to increase user engagement through dynamic images.
π SEO Optimization – Use built-in SEO tools to improve site visibility and increase your website’s search engine rating.
Conclusion
Before choosing the best product design tool, consider your specific needs and what you want to achieve. Here are some suggestions:
For user flows – Pick UXMaps or Overflow if you want to specialize in creating unique product designs with detailed user journey maps.
For websites and apps – Choose Figma for its comprehensive design and prototyping features.
For videos and social media content – Jitter is ideal for creating stunning animations.
For collaboration – Marvel, FlowMapp, or Sketch offer robust real-time collaboration tools.
For designing and coding – Framer integrates design with coding capabilities.
For designing websites without code – Webflow enables you to build responsive websites visually.
But to create amazing products, itβs not just about finding beautiful designsβitβs about accessing examples that have been proven to succeed in the market.
With UXMaps, youβre not just admiring beautiful designs. Instead, youβre exploring designs that are both functional and effective, ensuring your work pays off.
Plus, hereβs what you get:
π₯ A massive library – 40,000 design examples all in one place.
π₯ Customizable filters – Find exactly what you need by filtering designs to match your specific requirements.
π₯ Idea boards – Organize your thoughts and inspirations by creating boards for different projects.
π₯ Collections – Easily save your favorite examples to revisit when youβre ready to start designing.
Donβt miss out β sign up today and start exploring the best design examples from leading companies around the world! π