Product Managers play a crucial role at the intersection of technology, design, and business.
As a Product Manager, you’re not expected to handle all aspects of product development, like coding or UI design. Your main responsibility is to manage the development team and guide them towards achieving the product vision. However, it’s important for Product Managers to have a general understanding and basic skills in various disciplines, including design.
Collaborating with designers on wireframes and being able to use design software to bring your ideas to life can be valuable skills for a Product Manager. It’s worth noting that product development is becoming more design-centric, so familiarising yourself with popular design tools can greatly benefit your career in the tech industry.
What to look for while selecting a tool
Before selecting your next design tool, there are a few important factors to consider:
– Popularity: It’s helpful to know which design tool is widely used by companies, especially if you’re looking to enhance your job prospects. Research the tool preferred by the company you aspire to work for.
– Price: While larger organizations may not be as concerned about the cost, it’s important to consider the price of a design tool, especially if you’re working on personal projects or for a startup with a limited budget.
– Usability: Evaluate how user-friendly the tool is. Consider the expertise level of your team members and their familiarity with design tools when assessing the tool’s usability.
By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision when choosing your next design tool.
Top Design and Prototyping tools for Product Managers
You could be approaching this list from different perspectives. As an aspiring Product Manager without design experience, you may be seeking something user-friendly. On the other hand, if you’re already experienced in design, you might be looking to expand your toolkit. Either way, finding a tool that suits your needs will be beneficial for your journey.
Figma
If you’ve been in the design world lately, Figma is definitely on your radar. It’s a cloud-based tool that offers web-based collaboration, similar to Sketch. The best part is, it’s fast and user-friendly, making it a great choice for newcomers to design. You can use it right in your browser or as an app. Give it a try!
Adobe Xd
Those who are already familiar with Adobe’s design suite will find Adobe Xd the most helpful. The co-editing feature is especially handy for helping distributed teams collaborate. You’ll also benefit from a selection of 200+ plugins to help boost your creativity with even more features and functions.
Adobe Xd works well with other platforms within the Adobe creative cloud, so we’d recommend this one the most to those of you already in that ecosystem.
InVision
InVision is indeed a popular choice among top tech companies. It’s not only a safe choice for your teams, but also a valuable skill to learn for your own career growth. One standout feature of InVision is its Inspect feature, which translates designs into detailed specifications. This makes it easier for your development team to hit the ground running without the need for continuous back-and-forth communication. With a platform that facilitates seamless collaboration between designers and developers, you’re bound to achieve big wins in your projects!
Balsamiq
If you’re looking to invest in learning a design tool that can open doors in your career, Balsamiq is a fantastic choice. It’s considered the OG (original) and widely used in the tech industry. Unlike other tools, Balsamiq focuses on communicating usability and structure rather than fancy animations and sound effects. This is particularly valuable for pitch and stakeholder meetings when you want to convey your product concept clearly and without distractions. Balsamiq is designed with non-designers in mind, making it very user-friendly. Plus, being cloud-based allows for easy accessibility of your designs to anyone who needs them. Give it a try and see how it can elevate your design process!
Sketch
As a Product Manager, we often find ourselves needing to do more than just wireframes and prototypes. The design work can be quite diverse and endless. Sketch is a fantastic tool for that because it’s multi-functional and easier to use compared to Photoshop, but still offers a similar toolkit. It’s not only popular among designers but also with marketing teams, making it a great choice for collaboration and communication across disciplines. Give Sketch a try and see how it can enhance your creative work as a Product Manager!