Product Overview: Pencil Project
Pencil Project is an open-source GUI prototyping software designed to facilitate the creation of various user interfaces for desktop, web, and mobile platforms. Developed by Evolus, this tool is particularly useful for businesses, startups, SMBs, mid-market companies, and enterprises looking to visualize and design user interfaces efficiently.
Key Features
- Built-in Shape Collections: Pencil Project comes with a comprehensive library of shapes, including general-purpose shapes, flowchart elements, desktop/web UI shapes, and pre-installed Android and iOS UI stencils. This extensive collection allows users to create prototypes that mimic the look and feel of popular systems and platforms.
- Diagram Drawing Support: The software supports diagram drawing with connectors that can link shapes together, along with a collection of flowchart shapes. This feature is essential for creating detailed flowcharts and wireframes.
- Multi-Page Document Support: Pencil Project allows users to create multi-page documents, enabling the linking of elements between different pages. This inter-page linking feature helps in simulating the browsing experience between screens of a model, which is particularly useful for application and website mockups.
- Export Options: Users can export their designs in various formats, including PNG, PDF, SVG, and HTML. This flexibility allows for easy sharing and presentation of prototypes in different environments.
- Clipart Browser: The software integrates with OpenClipart.org, enabling users to search and add cliparts to their designs using a simple drag-and-drop operation. These cliparts are in vector format, ensuring they scale well to different sizes.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Pencil Project is cross-platform, meaning it can be used on multiple operating systems. Additionally, it integrates seamlessly with Mozilla Firefox, allowing for web-based prototyping.
- Advanced Tools and Functionalities: The software includes features such as alignment tools, grid and snap options, layer support, text formatting, image import, template support, and keyboard shortcuts. These tools enhance the usability and efficiency of the prototyping process.
Functionality
- Wireframe and Mockup Creation: Pencil Project is commonly used for creating wireframes, flowcharts, and UI mockups. Its built-in shapes and linking features make it ideal for visualizing the flow and interaction of user interfaces.
- Interactive Prototypes: The inter-page linking feature allows users to create interactive prototypes when exported to HTML format. This enables stakeholders to simulate the user experience by clicking on UI elements and navigating through the prototype.
- Community Contributions: The software benefits from community-created stencil collections, which can be easily installed using a drag-and-drop operation. This community support expands the tool’s capabilities and provides a wide range of additional shapes and templates.
In summary, Pencil Project is a versatile and powerful tool for GUI prototyping, offering a wide array of features and functionalities that make it an excellent choice for designers and businesses looking to create and visualize user interfaces efficiently.