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July 20, 2010

Mocksup – Web Mockups in Far Less Time

Mocksup is a tool that takes website mockups to a whole new level. Some web mockup tools lets users work on layout, some keep the focus on design, and others offer features to test out the structure of pages within a new site. Mocksup is an application that brings all of these elements together, letting people design pages, link those pages together, and then distribute those mockups to friends and coworkers to seek instant feedback and approval.

Before you go through the process of putting together a website that your client is going to dislike, create a few mockups of your ideas with Mocksup and find the one that your colleagues think the client will like best. When you create a new project, you’ll be presented with a blank page that can be filled with all the elements you hope to put on your site. Upload custom background images, use unique color combinations, and tweak the alignment of various page elements until everything looks just as you want it. When one mockup page looks perfect, you can start on the next. Using links, you can then bring together the pages you’ve made in a multi-page prototype to give people a better idea of exactly how your website will function and flow. You can also use digital Post-It notes to strategically draw your colleagues’ eyes to potential problem areas and seek their advice on how certain layout issues can easily be resolved.

Once you’re happy with how your mockup looks, go ahead and send it to your friends. Anyone you invite can leave comments along the right hand side of the mockup page or add a note directly on the mockup itself. If someone decides they preferred an older version of your design, that’s no problem. Mocksup automatically archives older versions of your mockups each time a newer version is saved, ensuring you’ll never lose a great idea again. Overall, Mocksup is a useful tool that combines the best elements of similar applications to create a mockup application that is far superior to others in the category.

Practical Uses:

  • Create a mockup of your website idea to show to your boss
  • Give clients a sneak peak at the websites you’re building for them
  • Find out what your colleagues think about a site element before moving forward
  • Get advice from friends and find out what they think of the site you’re designing

Insider Tips:

  • Leave notes on the mockup to draw your contributors’ eyes to a certain spot
  • Make your mockup public or keep it private to avoid prying eyes
  • Refer back to an archived version of your mockup at any time
  • Link together multiple mockup pages and create one big project

What we liked:

  • All backgrounds can be customized with unique images
  • Being able to link pages together makes the application much more useful
  • Feedback is left directly on the mockup itself
  • Archiving happens automatically, so there’s no fear of saving over a previous version of the mockup

What we didn’t like:

  • Free plan only allows for one mockup project

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2009
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Founded by: Adam Howell and Jim Van Fleet
  • Web site: http://mocksup.com

Costs:

  • Free plan
  • Mini plan is $9/month
  • Mega plan is $19/month

Comments

  1. Wow, very big error here. You state that “Before you go through the process of putting together a website that your client is going to dislike, create a few mockups of your ideas with Mocksup and find the one that your colleagues think the client will like best.”

    This is not the case. A quote from the Mocksup website: “Q: Can I create mockups with Mocksup? A: No. Mocksup is not for creating…mockups in the browser for either PCs or iPhones. Mocksup is for enhancing the mockups you already have. If you’re looking for a browser-based way to create mockups, you’ll have to build it yourself. Please do send us an invite when you’ve got something!”

    In your entry, you state “When you create a new project, you’ll be presented with a blank page that can be filled with all the elements you hope to put on your site.”

    Not true. You can put one thing on the blank page: pictures. Images. Nothing else.

    In my opinion, Mocksup is a whiteboard on steroids, like hundreds of other white boards on steriods out there. I give it one star. However, the point is this: whatever you think of the product, it should be made clear in your entry that Mocksup is NOT a tool for building mockups. Your entry is extremely misleading.

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