Product Overview of InVision
InVision is a comprehensive, cloud-based digital product design platform designed to support the entire design process, from brainstorming and designing to testing, collaborating, and delivering. Here are the key aspects of what InVision does and its notable features:
What InVision Does
InVision is built by designers for designers, focusing on enhancing collaboration and streamlining the product design workflow. It is widely used by over 7 million users, including teams from Fortune 500 companies such as Airbnb, Slack, Starbucks, and Uber. The platform helps teams create, manage, and deliver digital products efficiently, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Key Features and Functionality
Prototyping
InVision allows users to create interactive and high-fidelity prototypes quickly. You can design mockups for your wireframes using a drag-and-drop method, adding various elements such as photos, drawings, and designs from different sources. These prototypes can be made clickable, enabling real-time feedback from both designers and clients.
Collaboration
One of InVision’s standout features is its robust collaboration capabilities. The platform supports real-time collaboration through features like Live Share, which enables multiple designers to work together over a conference call or multi-person chat. Users can also leave comments directly on the designs, facilitating instant feedback and communication.
Design Tools
InVision Studio is a powerful design tool that offers vector graphics and pixel-level design. It supports layers, animation features like transitions and gestures, and timeline editing. Studio also includes the Design System Manager (DSM), which allows you to store and manage design components and brand styles centrally, ensuring consistency across the project.
Craft Plugins
The Craft suite of plugins integrates seamlessly with tools like Sketch and Photoshop, enabling features such as:
- Sync: Scheduled uploads for team collaboration.
- Prototype: Creating clickable prototypes directly within the design.
- Design System Manager (DSM): Managing design elements and styles.
- Data: Accessing and adding content to designs.
- Stock: Integrating millions of stock images into your designs.
Project Management
InVision provides robust project management tools. You can manage your project through screens, arrange and assign tasks, create to-do lists, and track progress using the Activity tab. Features like due dates, time tracking, and color labels enhance visibility and organization.
Client Presentations
The InVision Tours feature allows you to take stakeholders on a virtual tour of your prototype, presenting the UX, listing features, and addressing any queries. This helps in justifying the design approach and demonstrating changes and revisions.
Animation and Interactions
InVision makes adding animations to your designs straightforward. You can create animations using swipe transitions, timeline editing, and automatic layer linking. This ensures that animations are implemented correctly without the need for extensive rework.
Mobile Prototyping
InVision supports both desktop and mobile prototyping. You can create mobile prototype slides that are controlled through gestures like double-tapping, screen dissolve, swiping, and sliding. This includes advanced features such as responsive design and interactive components.
Integration and Syncing
The platform integrates with various cloud services like Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox, allowing easy loading and syncing of designs. This ensures that all team members have access to the latest iterations of the project, facilitating smooth collaboration and version control.
Conclusion
In summary, InVision is a versatile and powerful tool that supports every stage of the digital product design process. Its extensive features and functionalities make it an indispensable asset for designers, developers, and businesses aiming to create and deliver high-quality digital products efficiently.