Simple tools, such as index cards, paper, and whiteboards, are more than sufficient for the majority of your modeling needs. Components Security Unicode Usability Web arch. Developers often wonder what modeling tools to use.
Simple tools are easy to learn, easy to use, and very often easy to share with others.
Yes, complex tools have their place, assuming they provide the best value for your investment in them, but never underestimate the effectiveness of simple tools either. This is part of a technique called essential user interface modeling, described in Software For Use by Larry Constantine and Lucy Lockwood. See Resources . Paper and string Pieces of paper, or index cards tacked onto a whiteboard and connected by strings, can be used for a wide variety of models. Many an initial system architecture was developed using nothing more than a paper napkin.