With the iPad growing to over two million units in two months, it is inevitable that there would be a multiple of similar apps being released. A few weeks ago I reviewed a wireframing app by the name of iMockups developed by Endloop.ca that is very promising but has with a few usability issues. I made mention of its limited export capabilities and somewhat unintuitive interface. There is a new app called SketchyPad that brings serious competition to the nascent iPad wireframing market.
SketchyPad is a gorgeously designed app with a leather aesthetic that mimics a day planner. On the left is a collapsible menu comprised of 56 stencils - the majority of the screen available for the blank canvas area. The canvas is a fixed size, unlike iMockups, which can be resized according to your project needs. For me, having a fixed area for the canvas is preferable to iMockups where I was always adjusting the wireframe size. At the top are alignment options, color pickers, text tools and file management menus. Stencils are utilized by dragging them from the left menu onto the canvas, once there they can be resized or locked so they do not interfere with additional stencils.
Create An Ipad App
Text elements such as titles and URLs can be edited by using the text tool; iMockups has what I call "smart stencils" that automatically determines text input areas depending on the stencil type. This is area that SketchyPad should look to iMockups to improve on. SketchyPad treats each wireframe as an individual page so there are no options to create multiple wireframes as part of a project. iMockups much better project and file management functionality and SketchyPad loses points in the area.
SketchyPad, however has several robust options for export - these include saving to the camera roll, sending a sketch by e-mail, or my favorite, export to Balsamic. An exported file can be opened and edited on the desktop with Balsamiq. This one feature alone, for me made SketchyPad a go to tool, as I can initiate a wire frame on the train and then finish the project on my MacBook Pro.
SketchyPad brings a new paradigm to wireframing on the iPad and hopefully will improve rapidly. It has a more refined interface, with better options for file export, but has somewhat poor document management capabilities. I suspect that those looking for a wire framing app, will be split between on iMockups and Sketchy. Each app has their pros and cons and choosing one will be determined more by user preference. Personally, I am leaning towards SketchyPad due to its lower price point - S4.99 vs .99 for iMockups, along with its export capabilities to Balsamiq.
SketchyPad v1.0
Developer: Nick Golovin
Cost: .99
App Store Link
[rating:4.0/5]
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