Richie KS

A design is always subjective and dynamic. Continuous evolution is the essence of the design. When it comes to evolution and change of the design there is a number of factors which determine this. Each and every design project can be unique and different. This is the reason the process will vary from project to project. This also depends on the product type under design, designer’s personal preferences, number of people in the design team, and many other variables.

But it is not the case with the tools required for the design. One must always end up in listing out a handful of tools before starting the design. For the entire brainstorming and planning of the project, these instrumental tools must provide the foundation. They also support in communicating the ideas and presenting the solution to the project’s technical team.

Today mobile apps have gained the highest popularity. This is the reason the majority of the designers want to explore and gain knowledge in mobile app designing. To speed up the workflow they must always refine their design toolkit. This also helps them to complete their project on time and implement right decisions.

Being a designer must be aware of different tools which are required for a different phase of the project. Here are a few steps which are involved in a design process.

Initially, brainstorm the idea
Then create basic strategies and planning
Start interacting with the developer
Clear communication of design ideas to the team
Start making animations
Wireframing
Create a prototype

Some of the projects may include some more steps but this is a list which can be treated as a foundation to start with the project.

Today, there is a number of tools available for designers. But it is a challenge to choose a list of tools which are suitable for their project. The toolkit can include extensions, plugins, and inbuilt tools. Let’s look into some of the tools which are necessary for a designer.

OmniGraffle
Marvel
UI Stencil kits
Sketch
MindNode
Photoshop
Pen and Paper
Principle
io
Zeplin

OmniGraffle is one among the amazing tools for designing diagrams. This is also a good choice when it comes to making flowcharts for apps. It comes with all the necessary features to prototype strategy maps, wireframe models, and screen flows. Along with all these, it also allows the creation of many other diagrams with unlimited scope and opportunities. This software is best suitable for Mac users. Mainly for those designers who want to sketch designs for iOS apps. This allows designers to set keyboard shortcuts, convert text into images, layer artboards, and change the size of the canvas.

When it comes to finding software for crafting out app prototypes which are highly interactive, Marvel is the best choice. It is considered as a sophisticated editor. It helps to bring together many designs of the designer with great speed and allows performing the design in a cohesive manner. With this tool, there is no need for advanced, complicated, and expensive programs for prototyping. This is the best choice when a designer is planning for an app for the Apple App store. The prototypes created using Marvel are compatible with Apple TV, Apple Watch, iPad, iPhone, MacBook Laptops, and MacBook desktops. Marvel even works well with Android devices. This is the reason irrespective of the platform Marvel can be a great choice.

When the designers have started with their early sketches, UI Stencils can play a major role. Majority of the great ideas have always begun when the designer starts with a sketch. These UI stencils are made of steel and not like others which are made of plastic. The entire kit is professional and comes with a booklet of sketch pads. There will be a carrying case which allows easy handling. Based on the varieties of design specifications available these are made with different sizes.

Sketch in the design kit can be useful as Adobe illustrator or Photoshop. But one interesting thing is it has made place in UX and UI design for mobile applications. It comes with special features which help in creating tabs, headers, buttons, symbols, and many other components. After creating these elements in Sketch it is possible to compile them in one single place. This tool is popular for its ease of use. The process of wireframing is made really faster using this tool. It has provided easy handoff mainly for visual designers.

For relationships maps best possible tool which can be used is MindNode. This can be the best tool for design when the developer wants to go wild in making the best design. This comes with great designs on its own. This tool is considered as the best interface and simple platform. In this tool, one can prioritize their tasks when they are on a project and it also allows the user to set reminders and deadlines in the project. When we consider the usability quotient, it is pretty high for MindNode. This is because it allows users to fold and unfold nodes.

Photoshop is even though very old tool, it is always considered best. This is a classic tool which can be used by any designer. This is one among the design software which has evolved as well as improved drastically. Initially, people were using it just to cut and paste pictures but today one can do a lot more things using it.

Simple tools can be sometimes more effective. When it comes to sketching and mapping thoughts, designers can make use of a pen, pencil, and paper. Even though these are in use from years they have not lost their charm. When we carry a book and a pen in our pocket it is the tool at our disposal. Sometimes they are very useful since they do not demand electricity, gadget, or charge.

Even though there is a number of tools available when the design has complex interactions and animations one can choose Principle. This is best suitable for presenting advanced interactive prototypes. This is useful since it provides depth of control. That is why it is suitable for testing, building, and presenting more complex animations.

Proto.io is very effective when it comes to prototyping templates and it is really effective. It is also useful to create custom animations. So, this tool is very popular among the tools available today in the market and most of the mobile app designers choose this for their design.

This is a web app and a plugin which is only compatible with Sketch. This is used to create specification sheets which are similar to breathing, living, and very interactive virtual entities.

Want to know more? various compilation of tools and tech resources available on digitalgeeky.com.

Search engine optimization continues to make a big difference in terms of a website’s ranking and visibility. Since everyone is online, making your business visible in the virtual world is very critical. With all the strategies you have in your marketing toolbox, the same will be rendered useless if you’re unfamiliar with the basics. It’s in fact very essential that a business owner should know how to use optimization to their business’ advantage. If you want to get the most out from the benefits of SEO, here an SEO expert’s top tips that are worthy of considering from the very beginning.

1. Create well-written content

In this competitive world, you can actually write any content for your website. Unfortunately, that will never work when it comes to search engine optimization. In fact, you need to craft your content in a way that it can be made easily accessible to every user. Furthermore, accessible content isn’t only what you need for your SEO efforts to be successful. You have to achieve the right balance in terms of the quality and value of your content. This is because Google algorithms have the ability to distinguish poorly and well-written contents for all websites. Not only that but it can also detect unoriginal content that may affect your rankings in the long run. If you want to boost your traffic, stick with writing fresh and well-prepared content for your business website.

2. Right keywords

Contents without the right combination of keywords are meaningless because most people use keywords when searching for a particular information. In fact, it’s not just keywords but it should be long-tail keywords which are consist of four words or more. Because of the wider competition in the online market, having unique keywords can help your site stand out among the crowd. With long-tail keywords, users can get specific results of their searches.

3. Image optimization

Users will not be enticed to visit your page if it appears to be plain and boring. For better search engine ranking, take full advantage of optimizing your site’s images by incorporating tags, titles and descriptions. Of course, make sure to only use original and high quality images to improve your SEO efforts.

4. Mobile optimization

With the latest technology trends recently, it’s no wonder if Google will have its mobile algorithm. And a result, more searches will be done on mobile devices than desktops. Thus to be on top of this growing trend, start working to make your website more mobile-friendly.

5. Blogging

While blogging isn’t new in the digital marketing industry, it’s still something that you should never take lightly. Remember that content can go a long way in increasing your Google’s ranking – and blogging for instance opens up several opportunities to tackle and distribute relevant contents regularly. If you’re looking at maximizing your SEO strategy, then using the power of blogging can be very beneficial.

6. Backlinks

Be more active in terms of getting natural backlinks because at the end of the day it can also drive traffic to your business website. The more backlinks you have, the better way of endorsing your site to a vast majority of online users.

7. Internal Linking

Don’t ever underestimate the power of internal linking. Take note that any site with an authority link can make your content more relevant in the search slides as long as your content is linked to it . So try adding internal links to optimize your page’s rankings.

8. Strong SEO strategy

Your SEO tactics will not work if you don’t have a strong and effective strategy in place for your business. Before worrying about the tactics, be sure to develop strategic goals that will provide you a real thought as to what you’re really trying to accomplish in the long run. As soon as you embark on your strategy, you can then chase the tactics you can use to achieve your marketing goals.

9. On-page SEO

On-page SEO can also help you reach the top of the search engines. You just need to put emphasis on your efforts by taking time to optimize your webpage efficiently. You can add more content and upgrade your site’s navigation features to achieve a good user experience. Remember that the time spent for optimizing your page is a time well-spent and well-deserved.

10. Website speed-up

Website loading page can affect your rankings dramatically. Like other factors, website speed up can increase your ranking and most importantly, your traffic. You just have to improve your loading speed to the point that users will not have to wait a little longer before the website becomes totally available. You can reduce your site’s loading time by resizing images.

11. Social media presence

SEO isn’t just about blogging, keywords and etc. It also covers activities coming from several social media platforms. At most, having a robust social media presence can be a good online marketing strategy to look forward to. With thee rising popularity of social media nowadays, they have then become the best avenues to improve your site’s credibility. Moreover, users rely on social media channels to look for their favorite brand. Hence, it means that the more profiles you have, the more your business is exposed to a variety of audience.

12. Discipline

All your SEO tactics will be worthy of time, money and energy if you accomplish them with a strong sense of discipline. Essentially, you need to be disciplined in every aspect of what you do in order for you to be successful. For example, creating good contents and adhering to best practices require discipline. If you consider discipline as an important value in the business industry, then it’s best to avoid shortcuts and dangerous schemes to trick the system.

13. User engagement

Aside from social media channels, there are several ways whereby you can engage to your audience and prospect customers such as through contents, comments and more. And talking to them for instance, can help you get a sense of what’s important to them. When you’re able to have an idea of how they visualize the process, it’ll be easier for you to adjust your practices to make everything about your website more realistic on their end.

Conclusion

By following these SEO expert’s top tips and incorporating the same into your overall SEO marketing campaign, we hope we’re able to help in your endeavor to boost the performance of your website. As the digital setting continues to evolve, SEO practices also change over time. And having said that, it’s best if your business is always on top of the latest tips and practices and even asks assistance from a reputable SEO company like omegaseo.co that’s considered expert in this industry.

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