Craft by InVision - Detailed Review
Design Tools
Craft by InVision - Product Overview
Introduction to Craft by InVision
Craft by InVision is a suite of plugins specifically developed for Sketch, a popular design tool, and integrated with the InVision platform. Here’s a brief overview of its primary function, target audience, and key features.
Primary Function
Craft is designed to streamline the design workflow by bridging the gap between Sketch and InVision. Its primary function is to enable designers to create interactive prototypes, manage design systems, and enhance their overall design process directly within Sketch.
Target Audience
Craft is targeted at UX/UI designers, product designers, and development teams who use Sketch as their primary design tool. It is particularly useful for teams that need to collaborate efficiently and create high-quality, interactive prototypes.
Key Features
Data Generation
Craft allows designers to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch. This feature is useful for visualizing how content will look in interfaces, saving time by populating designs with names, photos, addresses, and custom data sets.
Duplication and Customization
The plugin offers a Duplicate feature that enables quick creation of multiple instances of design elements with different content or styling variations. This ensures consistency throughout the designs and eliminates the need for manual duplication.
Design Systems and Component Management
Craft’s Library feature helps in creating and maintaining a library of reusable assets such as symbols, styles, and components. Designers can easily update these assets across all their designs, ensuring consistency and efficiency.
Prototyping
One of the most significant features of Craft is its ability to create interactive prototypes directly from Sketch designs. Designers can add interactions, gestures, and transitions to their designs and then sync this work to the InVision web app for sharing and feedback. This seamless integration allows for rapid prototyping and effective user testing.
Collaboration
Craft enhances collaboration by allowing designers to work within Sketch while leveraging InVision’s collaborative features. This integration enables teams to share prototypes, gather feedback, and work together more efficiently.
In summary, Craft by InVision is a powerful tool that integrates seamlessly with Sketch and InVision, offering a range of features that enhance the design workflow, improve productivity, and facilitate effective collaboration.
Craft by InVision - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of Craft by InVision is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, making it an invaluable tool for designers looking to streamline their workflow.
Integration with Design Tools
Craft seamlessly integrates with popular design tools like Sketch and InVision, allowing designers to enhance their workflow without switching between multiple applications. This integration enables designers to generate realistic data, manage design systems, and create interactive prototypes directly from their Sketch designs.
Data Generation and Design Elements
One of the key features of Craft is its ability to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch. This feature is particularly useful for visualizing how content will look in the design, saving valuable time and effort. Craft also allows for easy duplication and customization of design elements, ensuring consistency throughout the designs.
Prototype Creation
Craft facilitates the creation of interactive prototypes with ease. Designers can convert their Sketch designs into clickable prototypes with just a few clicks, and then share these prototypes with stakeholders for feedback and collaboration. This process is smooth and efficient, allowing for a seamless transition from design to prototyping.
Design Systems and Libraries
Craft’s Library feature is highly beneficial for managing design systems and component libraries. It enables designers to create and maintain a library of reusable assets such as symbols, styles, and components. These assets can be easily updated across all designs, ensuring consistency and efficiency in the design workflow.
Collaboration and Feedback
Craft enhances collaboration by allowing designers to share their prototypes and gather feedback from stakeholders. The Freehand tool, available in InVision Studio, provides an infinite, collaborative space where teams can work through design ideas in real-time, add comments, and share feedback. This transparency and ease of collaboration significantly improve the design process.
Ease of Use
Craft is known for its ease of use, even for designers who are new to the tool. It offers comprehensive tutorials and examples that cover various design scenarios, helping designers to quickly get started and maximize the use of Craft. The intuitive user interface and seamless integration with other design tools make it easy for designers to adopt and use Craft effectively.
Conclusion
Overall, the user interface of Craft by InVision is designed to be user-friendly, efficient, and highly collaborative. It streamlines the design process, saves time, and enhances productivity, making it a valuable addition to any designer’s toolkit.
Craft by InVision - Key Features and Functionality
Craft by InVision Overview
Craft by InVision is a suite of plugins that integrates seamlessly with Sketch and InVision, offering a range of features that enhance the design workflow. Here are the main features and how they work:Data Generation
Craft allows designers to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch. This feature is particularly useful for designing interfaces where you need to visualize how the content will look. With Craft, you can populate your designs with realistic data such as names, photos, addresses, and even custom data sets, saving valuable time and effort.Duplication and Customization
The Duplicate feature in Craft enables quick creation of multiple instances of an element with different content or styling variations. This eliminates the need for manual duplication and ensures consistency throughout your designs. You can easily duplicate elements and customize them as needed.Library Feature
Craft’s Library feature is essential for design systems and component management. It allows designers to create and maintain a library of reusable assets such as symbols, styles, and components. You can easily update these assets across all your designs, ensuring consistency and efficiency in your design workflow.Prototype Feature
The Prototype feature in Craft enables seamless integration between Sketch and InVision. You can create interactive prototypes directly from your Sketch designs and share them with stakeholders for feedback and collaboration. This feature allows you to specify interactions for any Sketch layer, link between pages, and add different trigger events and animations.Integration with Sketch and InVision
Craft works fully within Sketch, allowing you to make changes to your designs without worrying about disrupting the prototype. You can switch between designing screens and adding hotspots quickly. Once you’re ready, you can sync your designs to an InVision account for further collaboration and testing.Note on AI Integration
The resources provided do not indicate any AI-driven features specifically within the Craft by InVision plugins for Sketch and InVision. The AI features mentioned in other sources are related to a different product called Craft AI Assistant, which is not part of the Craft by InVision suite for design and prototyping.Conclusion
In summary, Craft by InVision is a powerful tool that enhances your design workflow by streamlining data generation, element duplication, design system management, and prototype creation, all within the familiar environment of Sketch and InVision. Craft by InVision - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Craft by InVision is highly regarded for its speed and efficiency in creating clickable prototypes, especially for static screens and prototypes with minimal intra-page interactions. Here are some performance highlights:
- Rapid Prototyping: Craft integrates seamlessly with Sketch, allowing designers to quickly create and link screens, making it ideal for demonstrating how one screen flows to the next.
- Full Integration with Sketch: This integration enables designers to make changes to their Sketch files without worrying about disrupting the prototype. Designers can rapidly switch between designing screens and adding interactions.
- Efficiency: Craft allows for the creation of prototypes within a short time frame, often within minutes, which is beneficial for quick demonstrations and feedback sessions.
Accuracy
In terms of accuracy, Craft by InVision has some strengths but also some notable limitations:
- Interaction Management: While Craft is excellent for linking between pages, it can become cumbersome when dealing with multiple interactions within a single screen. Each interaction creates a new artboard, which can lead to a cluttered project structure.
- Symbol Interactions: If you are using symbols in Sketch, Craft does not allow you to add interactions directly to the symbol. You need to detach the element from the symbol or use a workaround like adding a transparent rectangle over the desired area.
- Update Issues: When you make changes to your design and re-import the Sketch file, only the first artboard updates, not the subsequent ones created due to interactions. This can be problematic and requires manual adjustments.
Limitations and Areas for Improvement
- Intra-Page Interactions: Craft is not ideal for screens with many interactions. Managing multiple interactions within a single screen can become messy and prone to errors.
- Symbol Handling: The inability to directly add interactions to symbols in Sketch is a significant limitation. The workaround, while functional, feels like a hack and can be inconvenient.
- Import and Update Issues: The import process can be slow, especially with large Sketch files, and the update mechanism for interactions is not seamless, which can disrupt the workflow.
Conclusion
Craft by InVision is a powerful tool for creating clickable prototypes quickly, particularly when the focus is on navigation between pages rather than complex interactions within a single screen. However, it has clear limitations, especially in managing intra-page interactions and handling symbols. For more complex prototyping needs, other tools like Framer might be more suitable. Despite these limitations, Craft remains a valuable asset for rapid prototyping and design feedback, especially when integrated with Sketch.
Craft by InVision - Pricing and Plans
The pricing structure for Craft by InVision is not directly associated with InVision’s main product plans, as Craft is a separate tool, though it integrates with InVision. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing plans for Craft, which is a note-taking and document management tool:
Free Plan (Starter Plan)
- Features: Create up to 10 documents for free, with 2 extra free documents per week.
- Ideal for: Individuals getting started with Craft for personal projects.
Plus Plan
- Pricing: $96 annually or $10 monthly.
- Features: Unlimited access to Craft, allowing users to create as many documents as needed.
- Ideal for: Solo professionals and creators looking for extended capabilities in document creation and management.
Family Plan
- Pricing: $180 annually or $18 monthly.
- Features: Invite up to 5 members to enjoy all the benefits of Craft Plus together. Each invited member gets their own account upgraded to Plus.
- Ideal for: Families or small groups aiming to collaborate and organize together in Craft.
Team Plan
- Pricing: $600 annually or $60 monthly.
- Features: Invite up to 25 members to enjoy all the benefits of Craft Plus together. Each invited member gets their own account upgraded to Plus.
- Ideal for: Small to medium teams requiring a collaborative space to create, manage, and share documents.
Business Plan
- Pricing: $3000 annually or $300 billed monthly.
- Features: Invite everyone on your team to enjoy all the benefits of Craft Plus together. Designed for scalability.
- Ideal for: Large teams and businesses seeking comprehensive collaboration and document management solutions across the organization.
Craft by InVision - Integration and Compatibility
Craft by InVision Overview
Craft by InVision is a versatile suite of plugins that integrates seamlessly with several design and collaboration tools, enhancing the workflow of designers and teams.Integration with Design Tools
Craft is primarily designed to work with Sketch, a popular design tool. It offers a range of features that extend Sketch’s functionality, such as data population, prototyping, and design annotations. With Craft, designers can generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch, duplicate and customize design elements, and manage design systems through its Library feature. In addition to Sketch, Craft also integrates with other design tools. For instance, it can sync with InVision Cloud, allowing designers to build rapid prototypes and share them for feedback. This integration enables a smooth transition from design to prototyping and collaboration phases.Compatibility with Other Platforms
Craft is not limited to Sketch and InVision; it also supports integration with other design platforms. Although the primary focus is on Sketch and InVision, there are mentions of broader compatibility:Figma and Adobe XD
While the main Craft by InVision does not natively integrate with Figma and Adobe XD, there is a separate product management platform called Craft.io that integrates with these tools. This allows designers to view and collaborate on designs created in Figma, InVision, or Adobe XD within the Craft.io workspace.Prototyping and Collaboration
One of the key features of Craft is its Prototype feature, which allows designers to create interactive prototypes directly from their Sketch designs. These prototypes can be linked to different artboards, enabling designers to simulate user interactions and animations. The prototypes can then be synced to InVision Cloud, where they can be shared with stakeholders for feedback and collaboration.Device Compatibility
Craft’s integration with InVision allows for seamless viewing of prototypes on various devices. For example, designers can connect their prototypes to an iPhone or any device on the same network, and the prototype will appear in the InVision app, complete with animations and interactions.Workflow Optimization
Craft enhances the design workflow by automating repetitive tasks, such as data population and element duplication. It also facilitates collaboration by allowing designers to manage design assets centrally and ensure consistency across all designs. The plugin ecosystem and integrations with other tools make the design process more efficient and productive.Conclusion
In summary, Craft by InVision is a powerful tool that integrates well with Sketch and InVision, and through other platforms like Craft.io, it extends its compatibility to Figma and Adobe XD. Its features streamline the design process, improve collaboration, and enhance overall productivity. Craft by InVision - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
InVision is known for its top-notch customer support. Users have praised the responsiveness, knowledge, and readiness of the support team. If you encounter any issues or have questions, you can rely on InVision’s customer support to be helpful and prompt.
Resources and Tutorials
InVision provides a wealth of resources to help users get the most out of Craft and other InVision tools.
Comprehensive Tutorials
There are detailed tutorials available that guide users through the process of creating clickable prototypes using Craft. These tutorials cover topics such as installing the Craft plugin, creating overlays and fixed headers, and sharing the prototype. For example, Noble Desktop offers a step-by-step guide on transforming Sketch designs into clickable prototypes using InVision’s Craft plugin.
YouTube Guides
There are video tutorials on platforms like YouTube that walk users through the process of building high-fidelity prototypes with Craft. These videos often include links to additional resources such as demo files and image assets.
Documentation and Guides
InVision’s official website and other resources like SitePoint provide detailed guides on how to hand off designs from Sketch to developers using Craft and InVision Inspect. These guides cover organizing layers, marking exportables, documenting colors, and exporting designs to InVision.
Community Support
InVision also fosters a community of users through various channels. For instance, there are Facebook groups and forums where users can share tips, ask questions, and get feedback from other designers and developers.
Inspect Tool
One of the key resources provided by InVision is the Inspect tool. This tool allows developers to inspect designs, extract styles and content, download image assets, and get an overview of colors and fonts used in the design. This streamlines the design handoff process and ensures that developers have all the information they need to implement the design accurately.
By leveraging these resources and support options, users can effectively utilize Craft by InVision to create high-quality prototypes and streamline their design and development workflows.
Craft by InVision - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Craft by InVision
Pros
- Seamless Integration with Sketch: Craft integrates perfectly with Sketch, allowing designers to make changes to their designs without worrying about disrupting the prototype. This integration enables rapid switching between designing screens and adding interactions.
- Efficient Workflow: Craft allows designers to build onto the prototype screen by screen, fixing errors along the way. This approach reduces the cognitive load of planning the entire flow at once.
- Reusable Code: If you need to create a second prototype with improved designs, you can reuse a significant portion of the code you’ve already written, saving a lot of time.
- Easy Updates: Changes to your Sketch files can be easily imported into Craft without affecting any interactions you’ve set up. This ensures that your prototype remains updated with minimal hassle.
- Effective for Static Screens: Craft works well for static screens and prototypes with minimal intra-page interactions. It is particularly useful for quickly setting up hotspots and transitions.
Cons
- Interaction Limitations: Craft is not ideal for screens with many interactions, such as those involving radio buttons or checkmarks. Managing these interactions can become cumbersome and may require workarounds like using transparent rectangles to add hotspots.
- Symbol Limitations: If you’re using symbols in Sketch, you cannot add interactions to specific parts of the symbol without detaching the element from the symbol. This can be a significant limitation.
- Browser-Based Inconveniences: While Craft itself is a plugin for Sketch, some users may find the need to work within the browser for certain aspects of InVision inconvenient, especially when dealing with special characters in filenames.
Conclusion
By weighing these pros and cons, designers can make an informed decision about whether Craft by InVision meets their specific needs for creating and managing interactive prototypes. Craft by InVision - Comparison with Competitors
Craft by InVision
Craft is a plugin for Sketch that integrates seamlessly with InVision, allowing designers to add interactions and animations directly within Sketch. Here are some of its unique features:- Full Integration with Sketch: Craft enables designers to switch rapidly between designing screens and adding hotspots, making the workflow efficient.
- Prototype Mode: Designers can enter “prototype mode” to specify interactions for any Sketch layer, including various trigger events and animations.
- Ease of Use: It is particularly useful for creating clickable prototypes that require lots of navigation between pages but have minimal interactions within each screen.
Alternatives and Competitors
Uizard
Uizard is an AI-driven design tool that transforms sketches into digital prototypes quickly. Here’s how it compares:- AI-Powered: Uizard uses powerful algorithms to simplify the graphic design process, allowing users to create interactive prototypes from sketches efficiently.
- User-Friendly: It is designed for designers of all levels and speeds up the prototyping process significantly.
- Difference from Craft: Uizard focuses more on transforming sketches into prototypes, whereas Craft is integrated with Sketch for detailed design and interaction work.
InVision Studio
InVision Studio, while not an AI-driven tool per se, is a comprehensive design and prototyping platform that offers several features that make it a strong competitor:- All-in-One Platform: Studio allows designers to perform all UX design functions, including design, prototyping, and animation, on a single platform.
- Simple & Rapid Prototyping: It enables quick linking of screens to create prototypes and includes detailed motion and animation tools.
- Collaboration Tools: Studio features Freehand, an infinite collaborative space for real-time teamwork and feedback.
- Difference from Craft: InVision Studio is a standalone application that offers more advanced features for high-fidelity prototyping and animation compared to Craft.
Framer
Framer is another tool that stands out for its capabilities in prototyping complex interactions:- Advanced Prototyping: Framer is particularly good for prototyping the full flow of an app that remembers user actions, which is something Craft and InVision might not handle as well.
- Difference from Craft: Framer is more suited for complex, interactive prototypes that require remembering user actions, whereas Craft is better for simpler, navigation-focused prototypes.
Key Considerations
When choosing between these tools, consider the following:- Scalability and Integrations: If you need a tool that can grow with your team and integrate well with your existing software stack, InVision Studio or Framer might be more suitable.
- Ease of Use and Onboarding: Craft by InVision is very user-friendly, especially for those already familiar with Sketch. However, Uizard and InVision Studio also offer intuitive interfaces and comprehensive onboarding resources.
- Specific Needs: If you need advanced animation and interaction capabilities, InVision Studio or Framer could be better choices. For transforming sketches into prototypes quickly, Uizard is a strong option.
Craft by InVision - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Craft by InVision
What is Craft by InVision?
Craft is a suite of plugins developed by InVision specifically for Sketch and InVision. It is designed to enhance the design workflow, save time, and improve productivity in design processes.
What features does Craft offer?
Craft offers several key features, including the ability to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch, easy duplication and customization of design elements, a Library feature for managing design systems and components, and a Prototype feature that integrates seamlessly with InVision. It also allows for creating and maintaining a library of reusable assets, such as symbols, styles, and components.
How does Craft help with data generation in design?
Craft allows designers to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch. This feature is useful for designing interfaces and visualizing how the content will look. It offers various options for data generation, including names, photos, addresses, and even custom data sets, saving valuable time and effort.
Can Craft be used for collaboration and feedback?
Yes, Craft facilitates collaboration through its integration with InVision. Designers can create interactive prototypes directly from their Sketch designs and share them with stakeholders for feedback. Features like Live Share, comment mode, and history mode help in real-time collaboration and tracking of comments and changes.
How does Craft integrate with Sketch and InVision?
Craft integrates seamlessly with both Sketch and InVision. It allows designers to create designs in Sketch, populate them with realistic data, and then transition smoothly to InVision for prototyping and collaboration. The Prototype feature in Craft enables the creation of interactive prototypes directly from Sketch designs, which can be shared with stakeholders.
What is the benefit of using Craft for design systems and component management?
Craft’s Library feature is particularly helpful for design systems and component management. It enables designers to create and maintain a library of reusable assets, such as symbols, styles, and components. This ensures consistency and efficiency in the design workflow, as updates to these assets can be applied across all designs.
Is there any learning support available for using Craft?
Yes, Craft provides a comprehensive set of tutorials and examples to help designers get started. These resources cover various design scenarios and demonstrate how to maximize the use of Craft to improve productivity.
Can Craft be used in conjunction with other design tools?
While Craft is specifically developed for Sketch and InVision, there are other platforms that integrate with similar design tools. For example, Craft.io (a different platform) now integrates with Figma, InVision, and Adobe XD, allowing for a more centralized and streamlined workflow across different design tools.
How does Craft enhance the efficiency of the design workflow?
Craft enhances efficiency by allowing designers to create faster prototypes, use a preview mode to monitor progress, and interact seamlessly with hotspots in build mode. It also offers features like Live Share and comment mode, which streamline collaboration and feedback processes, saving time and effort.
Are there any specific use cases where Craft is particularly beneficial?
Craft is particularly beneficial in scenarios where rapid prototyping, efficient collaboration, and consistent design systems are crucial. It helps designers create high-fidelity prototypes quickly, manage design assets effectively, and collaborate smoothly with team members and stakeholders.
Is Craft suitable for both beginners and experienced designers?
Yes, Craft is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers. It provides valuable insights and tips through its tutorials and examples, making it accessible for those new to the tool while also offering advanced features that experienced designers can leverage to enhance their workflow.
Craft by InVision - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Craft by InVision
Craft by InVision is a suite of plugins that seamlessly integrates with Sketch and InVision, offering a range of features that significantly enhance the design workflow. Here’s a comprehensive overview of who would benefit most from using Craft and an overall recommendation.
Key Benefits
Rapid Prototyping and Feedback
Craft enables designers to create interactive prototypes directly from their Sketch designs and share them with stakeholders for feedback. This feature is crucial for quick iteration and validation of design ideas, making the design process more efficient.
Data Generation and Realism
Craft allows designers to generate real or placeholder data directly within Sketch, which is invaluable for visualizing how content will look in the final product. This saves time and effort in populating designs with realistic data.
Collaboration and Live Sharing
With Craft, designers can use features like Live Share to collaborate in real-time using a browser screen. This facilitates seamless collaboration among team members and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
Design Systems and Component Management
Craft’s Library feature helps in creating and maintaining a library of reusable assets such as symbols, styles, and components. This ensures consistency and efficiency across all designs.
Efficiency and Productivity
By automating tasks like data generation, duplication of design elements, and managing design systems, Craft significantly boosts productivity. It allows designers to focus more on the creative aspects of their work rather than repetitive tasks.
Who Would Benefit Most
Craft is particularly beneficial for:
UI/UX Designers
Those who use Sketch and InVision as part of their design workflow will find Craft indispensable. It streamlines their process, enhances collaboration, and improves the overall quality of their designs.
Design Teams
Teams working on multiple projects simultaneously will appreciate the efficiency and consistency that Craft brings to their design processes.
Agencies and Freelancers
Anyone involved in client projects will benefit from the rapid prototyping, live sharing, and commenting features that facilitate client feedback and approval.
Overall Recommendation
Craft by InVision is an essential tool for anyone serious about optimizing their design workflow. It integrates seamlessly with Sketch and InVision, offering a suite of features that enhance collaboration, efficiency, and the overall quality of design outputs. If you are a designer or part of a design team using Sketch and InVision, incorporating Craft into your workflow can significantly improve your productivity and the effectiveness of your design processes.
In summary, Craft is a valuable addition to any design toolkit, especially for those already invested in the Sketch and InVision ecosystem. Its features are designed to make the design process smoother, faster, and more collaborative, making it a highly recommended tool for designers and design teams.