Nick Finck

iPad apps for UX professionals
Apr 2nd, 2010

So you’ve been following all the news about the Apple iPad coming out and you’re wondering if you are going to make the leap and buy an iPad.  For those who may have already made up their minds, I would ask yourself if you have actually picked one up and tried it at the Apple Store.  If not, you may want to do that before you make any quick judgments… you’ll probably be pretty shocked at what you discover through experiencing it first hand.  Having said that, if you are a user experience professional and you do end up picking up a iPad, here are a few good apps you should consider checking out.

OmniGraffle

The one tool no information architect or interaction designer should be without… yes, that’s right, OmniGraffle for the iPad.  A simply rock’n app to begin with now makes it way to the iPad.  Create wireframes, sitemaps, process flows, story boards, even free hand sketches.  Oh and don’t forget to check out Konigi’s Wireframe Stencils for OmniGraffle and of course the iPad Stencil for OmniGraffle while your at it.

SketchBook Pro

Autodesk’s SketchBook Pro for the iPad is a handy freehand sketching tool.  I have been using it for some time on the iPhone and it works 10 times better on the iPad.  For those that like to sketch before they dig into detailed wireframes, this is a must have tool.  There is a bit of a learning curve with it for sure, but once you get past that it is pretty handy.

iMockups

If you are looking for a way to do quick and dirty mockups on the iPad, well look no further than iMockups for the iPad by EndLoop.  This handy little app will allow you to throw together mockups on the iPad in just minutes.  Sure, it doesn’t have the depth or detailed features that OmniGraffle for the iPad has but its a quick and dirty way to get a concept across to the client without too much time involved.

iWork

Of course no user experience professional would be able to do their job properly without the ability to create user test scripts, run reports on analytic data and present user research findings.  All of this is possible with the iWork suite for the iPad which encompasses Keynote, Pages. and Numbers.

Evernote

While Evernote is not specifically limited to the the work we might do as a user experience professional it is quite handy to have.  Basically its a tool that allows you collect and easily access information, photos, images, files and whatever you want from an device be it your laptop, your iPhone, or your iPad.  If you have one of those idea moments while away from the office, this is a good tool to have.