UX tools for interface design 2019 — Sketch vs Figma
By: Denis Z.
Tags: Figma, UI, UI Design, Design, Sketch

The market of UX design tools has become overloaded with so many ideas that you can find it extremely difficult to make the right choice. However, all the UI/UX tools available are really useful for fulfilling most of today’s design tasks.

Utilizing a productive and successful toolkit enables you to reshape a website or app interface appearance, streamline the interaction with your customers, and consequently win bigger brand recognition on the market. The tactics used here is pure and simple — the more efficiently you apply the latest design technologies, the more proficient your website or business app will be.

We must admit that in 2019, it’s more important than ever before for eCommerce companies to accept the fact that User Interface Design should be tailored so to meet the interests of the customers. Bluntly put, human-centricity is the key. If poorly developed, the UI can push back your potential clients, as they cannot understand what you are offering, or they find it very confusing to navigate the site.

Of course, it can be hard to catch and, what is more crucial, to keep your visitors attention in today’s digital world. That is why it is necessary to make a good first impression of your website or app as people form their opinion within just 50 milliseconds. This proves the fact that you should consider your interface design thoroughly.

Why is UI Design so important for businesses?

People have in-born peculiarities of how they perceive visual elements and it determines the whole process of interaction with your website. Hence, the developers should view the overall interface plan as a multifaceted practice involving structure, customer manipulation techniques as well as communication basics. A recent study has revealed that a cleverly designed interface is sure to increase conversion rates by up to 200.

For obtaining the latest information concerning the best kits one should address a wide range of UI design tools open sources. These sites are abundant in top UX design tools that proved to be effective despite they might have differences in terms of compatibility and price. Some developers offer free user interface tools, others suggest at least 30 days of free trial.

What’s more, some tools are geared only for certain design activities. For instance, these instruments are good at prototyping purposes.

UX Tools Overview

The year of 2018 witnessed considerable success in terms of providing businesses with problem-solving toolkits applicable in various fields. UI and UX designers managed to develop and improve a wide set of effective instruments that can foster the workflow nowadays.

Among the best web UI mockup tools acknowledged by the developers, you can consider Photoshop, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, InVision Studio, Framerx, Axure RP etc. Nevertheless, according to the survey, Sketch and Figma are likely to remain the most popular UI design tools in 2019 with the first taking the top position. We suggest you a deeper insight into the peculiarities and advantages of applying Sketch and Figma.

Before we proceed with analyzing out-of-the-box tools, let me remind that personalized solutions are the best option anyway. Which is why we are always ready to share our expertise in UI/UX design with you — just drop us a line.

Sketch vs Figma: Which UI/UX design tool is better for your business?

Sketch. Designed as a vector tool Sketch helps you create interfaces speedily and instinctively. It enables you to draft design elements including buttons, widgets and navigation instruments. Moreover, this design can be successfully duplicated on other artboards. Sketch is a powerful kit, especially for those striving to enlarge their workflow.

Figma. Figma is viewed as a collective UI design toolkit. In terms of interface, it resembles Sketch to a great extent. This tool strengthens the potential of designers working together giving comments on design issues online.

The Interface

Sketch suggests its users a very convenient toolbar including some necessary instruments in addition to operations. The properties of the layer can be adjusted thanks to Inspector Instrument. A list of layers informs a designer about its varieties and Artboards. Canvas instrument makes it possible to envisage future designs.

Developers operating Figma are certain to notice that its interface has some common features with Sketch. If a designer decides to apply Figma instead of Sketch, it will be easy in terms of usability.

On opening up Figma application, you encounter some preloaded and editable files. Moreover, it is possible to borrow the required elements from these files and bring them to new drafts.

Platform Required

All versions of Sketch and especially the latest ones demand at least MacOS High Sierra (10.13.4). One of the benefits Sketch exposes is its size that is not so big and does not require a lot of space on your device. Consequently, many gigabytes of free space is not required. This tool operates flawlessly on different gadgets.

Working in-browser, Figma supersedes Sketch, which is compatible only with Apple computers. Being a desktop application Figma is adaptable to Mac and Windows.

Cost

License Sketch will cost you $99 annually. A legal version of this tool can be installed by you only on one computer. In case you changed your device and decided to apply this tool on a new machine, it is obligatory to unregister it first from the previous gadget.

A designer is likely to benefit from applying the Figma tool as an individual user as no payment is required in this case. A package for a professional team will cost $12 per month if it is paid annually or $15 for each designer per month if paid monthly. Monthly payment for an organization will constitute $45.

Both tools offer their users a free trial that is very convenient as they are allowed to operate them free of charge before subscribing to them.

Updating

Sketch user needs to update the application regularly depending on terms of the license. It is feasible to download a compatible version of Sketch that has been applied on an old version of MacOS. Anyway, you can obtain the last version of Sketch available within your license agreement.

Figma gets updated every time it is launched on your machine. The complete updating of the application is not needed. Besides Intercom within Figma provides your with access to questions if necessary.

Functionality

Sketch is abundant in instruments that in reality are not so essential as they may seem to be. Such a big variety makes the application complicated, especially for first-time users. The analyzed toolkit enables its users to choose among the vast range of plugins that can integrate with some free UI design tools for the web.

Imaginary points, an arrangement of components, and guidelines offered by Figma are quite easy to comprehend and apply. Grids and constraints, available in Figma, empower professionals with absolute flexibility when it comes to developing a resizable and responsive design. Figma has native prototyping and developer capabilities.

At present Sketch enjoys a considerable and unrivalled reputation in the industry. Still, its rival Figma displays its best functional features that do not yield to the rest of the competitors on the market. No doubt, it is difficult to give total preference to one of them. The sphere you are engaged in and the demands you are requested to meet can predetermine your choice.