Editing Introduction: After using Sketch software, after "regrettably" missing Figma, he found that the domestic design software is developing rapidly now, so he chose three domestic design software, real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso, conducted practical evaluations on them, and finally output an operation experience report. Let's take a look.
As a traditional designer who has been in the industry for ten years and has used Sketch software for 5 years, after missing Figma "regretfully", he did not expect that domestic design software is developing rapidly now. After entering various design software platforms as a creator this year, this unique experience tour was born.
When I switched from Photoshop to Sketch in the past, I experienced a painful change in user habits, which I still remember very vividly, but when I was completely familiar with Sketch, I no longer wanted to use Photoshop. And now, the turning point of the times has arrived quietly.
Nowadays, domestic design software represented by real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso is becoming more and more mature. They design in China, with the vision of creating a design software for domestic designers, have put in countless sweat and hard work on this extremely difficult design road. After years of polishing, they have already possessed the software strength that is not inferior to Sketch and Figma.
Taking advantage of the May Day holiday, I conducted practical evaluations of these three design software one by one, and finally output an operation experience report for everyone.
1. Product introduction
1. Instant design
Instant design was born the earliest. The software was formerly an instant prototype. After more than 5 years of polishing, it was officially launched in September 2020. At present, the number of instant design users has exceeded 1 million. From design resources to design creation, teamwork, we are committed to becoming the main design tool made by domestic designers and design teams in China, opening up the domestic design ecosystem, and providing designers with an online design platform.
2. Mastergo
Mastergo is a flagship product under Blue Lake, the earliest domestic product design collaboration platform. Backed by Blue Lake’s years of accumulation of users, products and technical resources, it released a beta version in February 2021 and officially launched in October. Currently, Mastergo has joined hands with many domestic companies to create the "Domestic Design Software Co-creation Plan", committed to solving the gap communication between developers and users, and truly realizing industry-research collaboration All-in-one.
3. Pixso
Pixso is a flagship product incubated by Shenzhen Wanxing Technology, and Wanxing Technology has many well-known software such as Yitu and Modao . Pixoso released a beta version in May 2021 and officially launched in October. Pixso is committed to becoming a new generation of product design collaboration tools, integrating the full process link of "Prototyping, Design, Collaboration, Delivery, Resource Management" to provide professional and advanced collaborative design solutions for UI designers and enterprises.
2. Experience user
3. Experience environment
4. Experience steps
Experience steps are very simple. I chose three excellent APPs, and then used three software to design and copy according to my own design process for many years. The purpose of this is to familiarize yourself with the software through real practical use. Only in this way can you fully understand its advantages and disadvantages.1. Design and preparation
1) It is really not easy to be familiar with the workbench
. Compared to the habit of using Sketch in the past, I have no idea about the workbench. So when I first entered the domestic design software workbench, I was a little unaware of it. However, after a brief familiarity, I can slowly understand the design software based on the concept of online collaboration.
Compared with traditional PS and Sketch local software, there is no need to think about which hard disk the file needs to be saved. Secondly, the file is automatically saved at any time, so there is no need to worry about the file being lost or corrupted. The concept of the team is also particularly prominent. In the past, the design part of the work was independent. Now the concept of online collaboration is to integrate products, interaction, design, and R&D to realize All-In-One.
Instant Design:
Instant Design Workbench aggregates many functions. The upper right corner can quickly import JSD (instant design local files), Figma (supports hyperlink import), Sketch, XD files. The left column is the recent work files, workbench, follow-up, recycling bin and team. The
folder is a very friendly function, which facilitates designers to manage design files uniformly, and provides community-based high-quality resources to download and get started quickly. After right-clicking the file, there is a view of the historical version and follow up the file. These two functions are very good. Viewing the historical version can return the historical version of the file operation, and no longer have to worry about the error deletion of the file or other disaster events. The follow-up file can fully track the file, which is very easy to collaborate.
Mastergo:
Mastergo's workbench is very simple and has a low learning cost. High-quality resources provide users with community downloads of quality resources to help quickly get started. You can quickly import files of Figma, Sketch, and XD in the upper right corner. You can view draft boxes, recycling bins and resource communities in the left column, and quickly build a team in the lower left corner.
Pixso:
Pixso's workbench has done an excellent novice guide. After the user opens it, he can view the video courses of software operation on the right, which saves users the time and cost of getting started quickly. Secondly, users can quickly import files such as Figma, Sketch, XD, etc., and can access the resource community. The left column is divided into draft box, recycling bin, resource community and team management.
2) After I get familiar with the new file and artboard
workbench, I will start creating files for practical operation. This step is very simple. Click New to generate the file immediately. Instant Design, Mastergo and Pixso all support a variety of pictureboard sizes, such as mobile phones, desktops, tablets, flats, etc.
Instant Design: After creating a new file, a boot prompt appears, which is very friendly to newbies who have never used design software, which will let them know how to start the first step.
Mastergo:
Mastergo's interface is as simple as Sketch, which makes me feel familiar and easier to get started.
Pixso: The interface of
and Mastergo is similar. The Pixso design is as simple as Sketch, which makes me cheaper to get started.
3) Familiar with the workspace
UI design software functions are actually almost the same. Although it has been using Photoshop for ten years and Sketch for five years, the actual functions are not more than 20%. So although it is the learning of new software, it is actually more about exploring the workspace and simply familiarizing yourself with the software's function classification and operation habits.
real-time design: Compared with
and Sketch, the display form of the operation area is slightly different. However, after my careful exploration, I discovered a Sketch adaptation mode, which was like meeting an old friend. It was great. After I switched quickly, I reduced the learning cost.Mastergo: The operation panel of
Mastergo is very similar to sktech, and has similar operating habits. I found the function of the historical version in the file, which I think is very convenient. Secondly, after right-clicking, an immersion mode is provided, which is a bit like the zen mode in xmind, which is very convenient in the design demonstration scene.
Pixso: The operation area of
Pixso is also very similar to sketch, very simple, and the user habits are similar, which is very convenient to get started. Secondly, I also found the functions of the historical version in the file, which is very convenient.
4) Summary
4 Through familiarity with the workbench and operation area, I have basically gained a preliminary understanding of the design software. This step is actually the user's habit of breaking the ice. When users need to break away from their previous habits and spend time learning new software, how to start the first step is particularly important. Although this is the first time to use it, the learning cost of instant design, Mastergo and Pixso are relatively low. As long as you calm down and spend 5 minutes, you can get started quickly.2. Prototype
1) Import component library
Each designer should have his own set of component library, which is like an engineer's toolbox, and design tools from past years have been installed in it. So before starting the homework, I need to import the Sketch component library that I have worked for many years. The import of component libraries took me a lot of time, which was completely different from the way I understood it. It turned out that the component library of online collaborative software needed to be imported and updated from team resources, which made me suffer. Finally, I found the technology from the official user group to solve the problem.
Instant Design: The entrance to the
component library is in the lower left corner, and with no Chinese prompts, it took me a long time to find it. After entering the component library, you need to click on the Shared Design Library and click Publish to take effect after entering the details. This kind of road power is too long, and the cost of using it for the first time is too high.
Mastergo: The location of the
component is very obvious, just to the left of the layer, but the operation is very cumbersome. I need to go back to the team panel of the workbench, import the component library, enter the component library file, and then add to the team component library to publish an update before it can officially take effect. This has caused me tossing for a long time.
Pixso: The import logic of the
Pixso component is very similar to mastergo, and both need to be effective after the team import component is released.
2) Establish text style
component library Although I have imported it, I found that importing text styles is not supported. Text styles are the basis for ensuring that the font size and color of the entire interface are unified, so I can only remake a set of text style component library separately.
Instant Design, Mastergo and Pixso all embed a variety of free commercial fonts, without downloading and installing, greatly saving designer costs, and secondly, effectively avoiding the trouble of infringement caused by designers using commercial fonts. Also, they all provide a local font download assistant, which helps me to quickly load local fonts, which is very convenient. What surprised me the most was that the fonts all support gradient colors and layer blending mode, which saved me the cost of visual processing in photoshop when I used Sketch. My God, this is really great.
3) Establishing color style
is the same as text style. Color style is the basis for ensuring the uniform color matching of the entire interface. After I started using the shape tool, I needed to start creating color styles to ensure the uniform color of the entire design. Instant design, Mastergo and Pixso's color style functions are similar to Sketch, and there is no much learning cost, so it's easy to get started.
4) Making basic components
design components is what attracts me the most. I tried Photoshop when I was learning UI design before. The pain of batch modification makes me feel uncomfortable every time I think of it, so I have completely given up Photoshop since I tried Sketch. The
component is relatively simple to build, but compared to Sketch, real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso have added a variant of features, which is really great. Because when a component has different states in Sketch, I need to build different components, which is a bit cumbersome, and the variant design can be done once and for all, convenient for operation and more flexible.
Of course, if you are a novice, it will cost a lot of time. However, for designers who are already accustomed to component design, the design of real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso is really very convenient.
5) Complete interactive copying
By establishing text styles, color styles and mastering the production methods of basic components, the next work is to disassemble, copy and combine according to the structure of each page.
is also very smooth in real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso, compared with software deployed locally by Sketch and Photoshop, and has no lag. However, you try to ensure that your network is stable. I have indeed encountered situations where the software cannot be operated during the production process. Fortunately, the data is automatically saved incompletely and has no impact.
As the operation time increases, each software can be fully started in just 1 day, which feels great.
6) Summary
When I started to operate, I found that the learning cost was not high. Of course, this was related to my work experience. Secondly, instant design, Mastergo and Pixso made some key innovations in functional experience, which greatly improved work efficiency. This was an outside surprise. When I was completely familiar with them, I began to become more and more interested in them.
3. Visual design
1) It is relatively simple to use the gradient
gradient tool. As long as you master the gradient principle, there is no large learning cost. Secondly, compared to Sketch, Instant Design, Mastergo and Pixso all provide excellent plug-ins, with many ready-made gradient effects. Just click the mouse and the design effect will come out. This is very helpful to novices and makes design easier.
2) Design drawings
Design drawings can be called the ah moment of this domestic software experience. Instant design, Mastergo and Pixso all provide a great picture resource library, and these are all free and commercially available pictures, which greatly reduces the time cost of drawings. You only need to search for keywords to find good drawings. This is not only a great feature for beginners, but it saves time for any designer when presenting the initial plan to the team or business side.
and the image filling function is also great. After pasting, it is more adaptive to zooming. If there is no special processing, you don’t need to do any action. For novices, this is simply a fool-like operation, which greatly reduces the cost of the design. Coupled with the support of hybrid mode, visual design has become easier.
3) Drawing icons
Although I have been in the industry for many years, I am not good at drawing icons. I usually use the iconfont plug-in to draw secondary drawing or hand it over to my colleagues directly. But this time, I tried a few simple icon drawings this time. I found that drawing arcs in Sketch was already difficult before. Instant design, Mastergo and Pixso can be easily done, which really made me realize that I must keep up with the times in order to keep up with the pace of the times.
As for the algorithm combination of Bezier curves and graphs, they are similar to Sketch and have no learning cost.
4) Design Check
4 After designing all pages, I will start design checking. This step will organize the layer classification and page names of each page.Instant Design Pixso:
I found a particularly useful feature in Instant Design and Pixso. I batch shrink the layer display content of the artboard, which is of great help to the management of layers. I used to be very troublesome about this problem in sektch.
5) Summary
Through visual design of the prototype page, I am increasingly satisfied with instant design, Mastergo and Pixso, especially the embedded resource plug-ins, which are very rich and greatly save too much design costs. This is a great benefit for novice designers. I even think that future product managers, interaction designers, , and front-end engineers can all make 60-point design drafts.
This is enough to show that as the threshold for software becomes lower and lower, it is particularly important to improve design thinking. What your boss needs is not a designer who can only master tools.
4. Communication and collaboration
1) Invite members
. After the design check is no problem, I decided to invite my colleagues to participate in the project and try a collaboration experience I have never had before. There is not much difference between the instant design, Mastergo and Pixso online collaboration modes. You can directly share the links with your team and colleagues, and you can also set permissions for files, which completely dispels my concerns about others operating files by mistake.
2) Online collaboration
When I saw my colleague's cursor operation after adding the file, I really felt incredible. This feeling was so cool.Think about the past when I was going to demonstrate a project for my colleagues, I needed to export the image to the prototype tool platform, then write instructions, make marks, and finally continue to explain through sharing the screen to ensure that the design plan is spread to everyone in the best form.
Now, this greatly saves communication time costs and shows you with the best communication effect, which makes me very excited, like opening a Pandora Box. I can finally understand why many designers are so obsessed with Figma, and now we have excellent online collaboration software like Real-Time Design, Mastergo and Pixso, and we no longer have to worry about network speed and other interference factors.
3) Interactive Demo
It is a very good idea to integrate interactive demonstration and design into one, which really saves too much time. These two process nodes are inseparable and can even be designed synchronously. In the past, I really needed to spend a lot of time importing into the prototype tool and then making interactive demonstrations. It was really time-consuming, but now I don't need it anymore.
is in the same software, and the same process node can make interactive demonstrations. It really makes people feel great. Thanks to instant design, Mastergo and Pixso, it solves a major pain point for designers.
4) Front-end production
In order to verify the design concept of All-In-One advocated by online collaboration software, I specially invited the program engineer to try this collaboration model in person to see if I still need to output pictures and icons like before. The answer is that no, he personally experienced the R&D model. He thought it was great and could start page production directly.
This greatly saves the time when the design needs to be finalized and output specifications. Thanks to Instant Design, Mastergo and Pixso, this experience trip made me really know that if I don’t change it, it wouldn’t be as simple as missing Figma.
) Summary This is the first time I have experienced the online collaboration mode. After I added all my colleagues to the file, everyone was incredible about this collaboration method and thought it was great. This will greatly improve our future homework efficiency. I also began to slowly think about why I had to switch from Photoshop to Sketch 5 years ago, which was like a journey of cleaning the soul.
5. Experience summary
1) Learning cost
Although my time to get started is quite short, it depends on my past software experience. If it is for a novice designer, it requires a certain amount of time cost. However, overall, based on the fact that a lot of design and plug-in resources have been collected, it has been much lower than the past software learning.
2) Operation experience
Instant design, Mastergo and Pixso's workspace and Sketch are very similar, so the operation experience is good. You only need to go through one or two projects to fully get started. In addition, in many functions, it is constantly optimizing and innovating in combination with the habits of domestic users, even more so.
3) Design resources
Instant Design, Mastergo and Pixso all collect a large number of design resources, such as fonts and pictures that are commercially available without copyright, as well as various fool-style plug-ins, which further reduce the difficulty of design and save time and cost.
4) Software performance
Because it is the online mode operation of Saash stored in the cloud, the performance operation of the software and the locally deployed software are relatively weak, and the network speed needs to be maintained. Secondly, it is recommended to download client design work, especially the multi-person collaboration mode. In addition, it would be more perfect if it can support offline software versions at the same time in the future.
Through the practical operation of the design project in just 3 days, I feel that I am basically familiar with the operating habits of online collaborative software. In short, whether it is for pure novices or designers like me who switch from Sketch to domestic design software directly, I think you can get started immediately with just a little effort.
5. User needs analysis
1. Why do users need domestic design software?
In the past, almost all design software came from the United States, such as Adobe Family Bucket Series Software, Sketch, Figma, etc.However, with the launch of online collaborative design software Figma blocking the DJI account, which triggered an "earthquake" in the domestic software circle, domestic companies and designers became aware of crisis. Figma-type software that focuses on cloud storage will not only cause normal work interruptions, but may also steal our design data and data. Therefore, the domestic production of design software is a general trend.
Secondly, when designers use multinational cloud storage software like Figma, they often face the problem of network speed limited, resulting in extremely low synergy efficiency. Local deployment software like Sketch only supports IOS systems, which leads to high cost of users and is extremely inconvenient. This software change for designers is imperative.
2. What are the users’ real needs for designing software?
1) User Motivation
design software development starting point is Photoshop, a subsidiary of Adobe Software. After the mobile Internet era began in 2010, Sketch overtook the curve and became the first choice for UI designers with its flexible and convenient ultra-high design efficiency. However, since Sketch only supports IOS systems, many designers have very high cost to use. You have to buy a expensive Apple computer before you can use Sketch.
So after Figma was born with disruptive innovation in 2016, as a design software that can work without limiting the system and even supports browsers, it has won the pursuit of fans and opened the curtain for the contemporary design online collaboration.
It was not until March this year that the incident of Figma's ban on DJI, which made domestic companies and designers realize that other people's homes belong to others after all, and it is a very dangerous thing to store all the data in foreign software servers. Therefore, users are eager to change and need to change. Secondly, this is not just the level of designing software, but a problem of data security storage in a country and an enterprise, and the motivation is very strong.
2) User requirements
① Device requirements
1. The model that supports design of the web browser reduces the design software's demand for the device to 0, and also allows users to learn slowly. As long as there is a computer, a hot spot can be designed anytime and anywhere.②Money needs
Designers' understanding of design software is still stuck in the era of free. Whether it is Photoshop, Sketch, or partially free Figma, which charges genuine software, they are reserved for the payment of software and have a low desire to buy.
③Time Requirements
The learning of a software skill is actually the cost of investment. The longer the learning time, the more it is inseparable from this software. Therefore, if you want users to give up Sketch and XD software and learn a new UI design software again, this is a change in user habits, and the shorter the learning time, the better.
④Experience requirements
Users are naturally afraid of change, so when trying a new design software, if the product design does not meet the software that has been used to for many years, they will become anxious and impatient, and it will be difficult to persist in learning.
⑤Functional requirements
design software is a tool for designers and a treasure knife that designers rely on to survive and support their families. Therefore, if you choose a new design software, this treasure knife must be able to overcome obstacles for designers, rather than paying for their feelings.
⑥ Collaborative Requirements
When more and more companies and teams accept All-in-one's concept of industry-research collaboration, design is no longer a single-point work, but a bus hub for product design, and its convenience, communication efficiency, and demonstration effect will become higher and higher.
3. Challenges faced by domestic design software
1) The visible rival
From the perspective of software competitors, domestic design software faces nothing more than American software such as Figma, Sketch and Adobe XD. Domestic design software started late. Although it has gradually matured, it is still a distance away from top design software. This can be summarized into three aspects: stability, ease of use, and innovation of the software. During the practical operation of the software, I deeply felt the anxiety and distress caused by the instability of design software and the unreasonable design.
2) The real opponent
I think the change in user habits is the real opponent facing domestic design software.This era is too impetuous, and it can be said that it is very difficult to calm down and learn things. What's more, designers who have spent ten or five years changing their past software operation habits to adapt to a new software is a decision that requires great determination. Neil Fael, the author of the addictive model of
, once described the difficulties faced by users' habits - users will always try their best to be consistent with their past behavior. Even if it is cognitive dissonance , foxes will think that the grapes that cannot be eaten are sour, which is the same as our country is easy to change its nature.
So how to enable users to easily get started and master the design software at the lowest time cost, so that users can maintain high frequency and high investment use is the real opponent facing domestic design software.
4. Summary
To sum up, due to the outbreak of the incident of Figma's suspension of DJI, the real spring of domestic design software has arrived, and both companies and designers have already had the motivation to change. The real-time design, Mastergo and Pixso, which have been polished for many years, have also ushered in very favorable opportunities. The so-called seven years of hard work is a good era for achieving the explosion of domestic design software.
6. Summary and think about the wheels of the
era will only roll forward. If you do not accept changes, you will only be eliminated. When the phone was first invented in the early 20th century, the British laughed at the Americans - "Americans need phone calls, but we don't, we have enough messengers."
Even the birth of the Internet is actually highly questioned. At that time, an American columnist also wrote an article titled "Internet? I Bah!" for " News Weekly ".
Nowadays, for old users who are used to traditional design software such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, facing the turning point of the times, if we just stick to ourselves and stagnate, then we are very similar to the British who once mocked the invention of the phone.
So, start trying it, friends, keep the design software in China and make Design In China a national pride!
This article was originally published by @Liao Qing Joseph on Everyone is a product manager. Reproduction is prohibited without permission.
question picture is from Unsplash, based on the CC0 protocol.
