The Top Ten Best UX Tools for Remote Working

In March 2020, with the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe and offices shifting from in-person to remote working, many designers saw this as a challenge. How would tasks be managed and prioritised? How would the team stay in touch? How would they be able to collaborate on projects in the way they did in-person? 

Nearly 18 months on, despite many offices welcoming their employees back into offices, it seems the combination of going into the office and working from home is here to stay. We have listed our top ten recommendations for the best UX tools to use whilst working remotely – from project management to remote testing.

Project Management Tools

Many UX/UI designers will be used to working with a project manager who is in charge of scheduling and overseeing tasks during a project. Whilst working remotely, it is important that designers manage their own daily workflow using a system that allows them to keep on top of various tasks. Here are a few of our recommendations:

1. Trello

Integrations include: Google Calendar, Google Drive and many more

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Trello is an easy-to-use tool for managing tasks from the start to the end of a project.

– Plan, track, prioritise and manage projects at a glance.

– Control the process by applying different tags, labels, using @ mentions to notify people of new tasks or updates, attach documents and put in deadlines.

2. Jira

Integrations include: Trello, Confluence, Bamboo

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Jira is better suited to more complex projects with strict deadlines.

– Implement labels, tracking time, deadlines and add members of the team to a specific task.

Communication and Idea Collaboration Tools

At the start of any project, it is extremely important to spend time generating ideas and gaining feedback from the whole of the team. There is now a wide variety of different tools in order to do this remotely, from online whiteboards to video calling platforms that allow teams to brainstorm and offer comments in real-time.

3. Mural

Integrations include: OneDrive, Dropbox, Microsoft teams, Jira, Slack

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Mural is a digital workplace to brainstorm ideas at an early stage of the project.

– Discuss design ideas before designing.

– Includes a HTML5 whiteboard that you and your team can draw directly on.

– Add sticky notes for feedback.

– Collaborate in real-time.

4. Slack

Integrations include: Google Drive, Jira and DropBox, Office and many more

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Slack allows design teams to chat, exchange files and automate design tasks easily. 

– Can create a variety of different teams and chats.

– Ability to track your chats – search for documents in conversations and directly mention team members.

5. Zoom

Integrations include: Google, Skype, Facebook and many more

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Schedule video meetings with colleagues or organise webinars with the public through Zoom.

– Screen share allows you to share work with team and make any changes in real-time whilst on the call.

– Share screenshots from a meeting or webinar.

– Send notes in the chat feature whilst on a call.

– Record meetings or webinars.

Design Collaboration Tools

Designing a product can take a lot longer if designers are working on different platforms, not knowing what each other is doing and having to wait for feedback from ongoing questions. We have selected the best tools that allow teams to collaborate together on various projects in real-time with features that allow others to give immediate feedback.

6. Sketch

Integrations include: Abstract, Overlay and InVision

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Sketch is a digital toolkit that’s suited to designers from beginner to advanced level.

– Has its own Cloud service to allow teams to collaborate on different projects.

– Able to create prototypes for both mobile and desktop.

– Share previews via links and get feedback with comments.

7. Figma

Integrations include: Slack, Trello, Jira, Maze

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Figma is a digital tool for designers to work collaboratively in real-time.

– Very similar to Sketch.

– Has prototyping functionality, so designers can create not only static pictures, but fully-clickable prototypes as well.

8. FigJam

Integrations include: Figma

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– FigJam is an online whiteboard for teams to brainstorm ideas together.

– As a tool offered by Figma, any designs can be easily moved from FigJam straight into Figma.

– Use sticky notes, markers and emojis to express your ideas.

Remote Testing Tools

Working remotely has meant previous ways of in-person testing are no longer an option. Nonetheless, with the help of tools that incorporate video and audio, designers can now get the test results they need in a much faster manner.

9. Maze

Integrations include: InVision, Figma, Sketch and Adobe XD

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– Maze allows you to test a concept before the development stage.

– Rapid testing.

– Results come in reports that includes data from heat-maps to misclicks.

10. UserTesting

Integrations include: Jira, Slack and Trello

Why is it useful for remote working designers?

– UserTesting allows designers to get very detailed input from their target audience.

– An audience is chosen from a range of demographics including age, country, language, knowledge of a particular product/device etc. This allows precise feedback.