What is the best UX design tool?

1. Miro | The Ultimate Workshop Tool

Miro is the ultimate workshop tool that empowers teams to collaborate in real-time. It leverages it’s unlimited whiteboards and a versatile toolkit to cater for all needs. With Miro, you can enhance your online UX workshops by utilising interactive features, integrations, and engaging visual elements to spark creativity and drive productive sessions.

Key features

• Extensive Template Library: Miro offers a vast library of templates specifically designed for various UX workshop activities. These include user journey mapping, wireframing, affinity diagramming, and more, saving time and providing structure to workshop sessions.
• Integrations: Miro seamlessly integrates with popular productivity tools like Slack, Jira, Google Drive, and Trello, allowing participants to incorporate existing workflows and easily share and access relevant project files.
• Interactive Widgets and Tools: Miro provides a wide range of interactive widgets and tools, including sticky notes, drawing tools, timers, and voting features, enabling facilitators to mediate exercises, capture insights, and facilitate group decision-making.
• Video Conferencing: Miro integrates with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, enabling seamless communication and collaboration during remote UX workshops, with the ability to see and interact with participants in real time.
• Mobile Accessibility: Miro offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, allowing participants to join and contribute to workshops from their smartphones or tablets, providing flexibility and convenience for on-the-go participation.

Positives ✅

• Versatile Collaboration – Miro offers a wide range of collaborative features, including real-time whiteboarding, sticky notes, and video chat, making it easy for teams to work together regardless of their location.
• Intuitive Interface – The user-friendly interface of Miro allows for smooth and seamless navigation, enabling users to quickly adapt and engage in the collaborative process.
• Vast Template Library – Miro provides a vast library of templates tailored for various purposes, such as UX design, brainstorming, and project management, helping teams jumpstart their workshops and streamline their workflow.

Negatives ❌

• Steep Learning Curve – While Miro offers a wealth of features, some users may find it overwhelming initially, requiring a learning curve to fully leverage its capabilities.
• Pricey for Small Teams – The pricing of Miro might be considered relatively high for small teams or individual users, making it less accessible for those on a tight budget.

Pricing

• Free Trial: YES (with limited features)
• Starting Price: $10/month
• Monthly and annual subscription options

Get started with Miro

Try Miro for free

---

2. MURAL | Collaborative Workshop Tools

MURAL is a powerful workshop tool that embraces design thinking methodologies. It offers an interactive whiteboard environment and sticky notes for seamless visual collaboration. With MURAL, you can facilitate creative and collaborative workshops, leveraging its design-focused features, integrations, and workshop templates.

Key features

• Real-time Collaboration: Foster an interactive workshop environment through real-time collaboration, allowing simultaneous work, feedback, and engagement.
• Workshop Templates: Utilise UX design templates, such as empathy mapping, user personas, customer journey mapping, and design sprint frameworks, to provide structured guidance.
• Integrations: Seamlessly integrate with popular collaboration tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira, streamlining workflows and enhancing project management processes.
• Sticky Notes and Digital Tools: Utilise a wide range of digital tools, including sticky notes, shapes, drawing tools, and connectors, to visually represent ideas and foster collaboration.
• Video Conferencing: Integrate with video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, enabling real-time communication and facilitating interactive discussions during workshops.
• Mobile Accessibility: Enhance flexibility and accessibility by joining workshops from iOS and Android devices using dedicated mobile apps.

Positives ✅

• Visual Thinking and Design Tools – MURAL offers visual thinking and design tools, such as sticky notes, drawing tools, and templates, fostering creative problem-solving and interactive workshops.
• Integrations and Workflow Efficiency – By seamlessly integrating with collaboration tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira, MURAL enhances workflow efficiency, enabling effortless file sharing and access.

Negatives ❌

• Internet Reliance – Like any online platform, MURAL heavily relies on stable internet connectivity. Poor internet connection can hinder the real-time collaboration experience, leading to delays and frustration during workshops. Participants in areas with unreliable internet may face challenges in fully utilising the platform’s features.
• Limited Offline Access – As MURAL is primarily a cloud-based platform, it requires an internet connection to access and collaborate on boards. This limits offline access and may pose challenges for participants in situations where internet access is unavailable or unstable.

Pricing

• Free Trial: YES (with limited features)
• Starting Price: $12/month
• Monthly and annual subscription options

Get started with MURAL

Try MURAL for free

3. Limnu | Streamlined Workshop Facilitation

Limnu is a workshop tool that prioritises simplicity and an intuitive interface, it’s ideal for facilitators seeking a distraction-free environment. With Limnu, you can conduct your online UX workshops effortlessly, utilising its real-time collaboration, drawing tools, and convenient whiteboard templates to streamline your workshop process and foster focused discussions.

Key features

• Infinite Canvas – Enjoy limitless space to ideate, brainstorm, and visualise ideas, fostering creativity and exploration without constraints.
• Sticky Notes and Drawing Tools – Use diverse sticky notes and drawing tools to express ideas, create sketches, and annotate content for interactive workshops.
• Whiteboard Templates – Start quickly with pre-designed templates, including UX-specific ones like user journey maps, wireframes, for convenient workshop activities.
• Integrated Video Conferencing – Collaborate face-to-face via integrated video platforms, enabling real-time communication during virtual whiteboard sessions.
• Cross-Device Compatibility – Join and collaborate on any device, ensuring a seamless experience for remote participants across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Offline Mode – Limnu offers an offline mode, allowing participants to work on the whiteboard even without an internet connection. The changes made offline will sync automatically once the internet connection is restored.

Positives

• Infinite Canvas –The infinite canvas in Limnu provides ample space for creativity and exploration. Participants can freely brainstorm, sketch ideas, and organise content without limitations, enabling a flexible and unrestricted workshop environment.
• Intuitive Drawing Tools – With its intuitive drawing tools, Limnu encourages iterative design processes during workshops. Participants can quickly iterate on their sketches and annotations, refining and improving their ideas in real time.

Negatives

• Learning Curve – While Limnu offers a user-friendly interface, there might be a learning curve for participants who are new. Some might require time to familiarise themselves with the tools and features, potentially impacting the initial productivity of the workshop.
• Limited Whiteboard Customisation – Compared to some other whiteboarding platforms, Limnu has fewer options for customising the whiteboard’s appearance. While it offers essential tools and features for collaboration, participants seeking advanced customisation options may find it slightly restrictive.

Pricing

• Free Trial: YES (14 days)
• Starting Price: $10/month
• Monthly and Annual: Monthly and annual subscription options

Get started with Limnu

Try Limnu for free

4. Conceptboard | Seamless Task Management

Conceptboard is a workshop tool that seamlessly integrates task management within its collaborative whiteboard environment, allowing you to assign tasks, track progress, and streamline your workshop activities. With Conceptboard, you can conduct efficient UX workshops by combining collaborative whiteboarding with task management functionalities, ensuring smooth coordination and effective project management.

Key features

• Robust Content Management: Conceptboard provides a comprehensive content management system, enabling users to organise and manage their workshop materials efficiently. Users can upload and share various file types, such as images, documents, and videos, ensuring all necessary resources are easily accessible to workshop participants.
• Visual Feedback and Annotation: Conceptboard offers powerful visual feedback and annotation tools that allow participants to provide precise comments and annotations directly on the board. This feature enhances communication and collaboration, making it easier for workshop participants to share their thoughts and make suggestions during the workshop.
• Workflow Automation: Conceptboard includes workflow automation features, such as task assignment, notifications, and progress tracking. These features streamline the workshop process, ensuring that tasks are assigned, deadlines are met, and progress is monitored effectively.
• Integration with Productivity Tools: Conceptboard integrates with popular productivity tools such as Google Drive, Trello, and Slack. This integration enables seamless collaboration and enhances workflow efficiency by allowing users to access and share files and information from their preferred tools within the Conceptboard interface.

Positives ✅

• Seamless real-time collaboration – Conceptboard enables remote teams to collaborate in real-time, promoting efficient teamwork and synchronised contributions regardless of location.
• Extensive content management capabilities – Conceptboard simplifies organising and accessing project files, with features like file uploading, version control, and folder organisation, ensuring easy access to relevant materials and streamlined workflow

Negatives ❌

• Limited integration options with third-party tools and software – While Conceptboard integrates with some tools like Google Drive and Slack, it may lack advanced integration options, requiring additional manual work and potential limitations in workflow integration.
• Steeper learning curve compared to other platforms – Conceptboard’s comprehensive features may require more time to learn and navigate, requiring users to invest effort in familiarising themselves with the interface and tools.
• Relatively higher pricing plans – Depending on team needs, Conceptboard’s pricing structure may be higher compared to alternatives, which may be a consideration for budget-conscious teams or those seeking more cost-effective options.

Pricing

• Free Trial: 30-day free trial
• Starting Price: $6 per month for individual use
• Monthly and annual subscription options

Get started with Conceptboard

Try Conceptboard free

5. Klaxoon | Engagement Workshop Tools

Klaxoon is a collaborative platform that focuses on boosting team productivity and engagement through its interactive tools and gamification elements. With Klaxoon, you can create dynamic and engaging online UX workshops, leveraging its brainstorming features, meeting facilitation tools, and collaboration capabilities to drive active participation and foster a sense of motivation among your team members.

Key features

• Brainstorming and ideation: Klaxoon provides a range of interactive tools like Brainstorm, Quiz, Survey, and Challenges to facilitate brainstorming sessions and gather insights from team members.
• Meeting facilitation: Klaxoon offers features like Live Storm, where participants can contribute ideas simultaneously, and Live Questions, which allows real-time Q&A during meetings.
• Collaboration and remote work: With Klaxoon, teams can collaborate on shared boards, access files, and documents, and work together in real-time, regardless of their physical location.
• Engagement and feedback: Klaxoon encourages team engagement through gamification elements, such as points, rewards, and competitions, fostering a sense of motivation and participation.

Positives ✅

• Interactive and engaging – Klaxoon’s interactive tools and gamification elements make remote workshops and meetings more engaging, encouraging active participation and collaboration.
• User-friendly interface – Klaxoon is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of different technical backgrounds.
• Versatile collaboration features – The platform provides a wide range of collaboration tools and features, enabling teams to work together effectively, share ideas, and gather feedback in real-time.

Negatives ❌

• Limited integrations – Klaxoon’s integration options with third-party tools and software may be more limited compared to some other platforms, potentially impacting workflow integration and data transfer.
• Pricing can be high for smaller teams – Depending on the team size and budget, Klaxoon’s pricing plans may be relatively higher compared to other similar platforms, making it less accessible for smaller teams or those with limited resources.
• Learning curve for advanced features – While Klaxoon’s basic features are easy to grasp, some of the more advanced features may require a learning curve and time investment to fully leverage the platform’s capabilities.

Pricing

• Free Trial: YES (Limited functionality)
• Starting Price: $24 per month for individual use
• Monthly subscription options

Get started with Klaxoon

Try Klaxoon for free

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to remote workshop tools, Miro, MURAL, Limnu, Conceptboard, and Klaxoon are among the top choices. Miro stands out as the best overall tool, offering a versatile toolkit, extensive collaboration features, and a vast template library. MURAL excels in design thinking methodologies, while Limnu provides a simple and intuitive interface. Conceptboard integrates task management, and Klaxoon enhances team engagement through interactive workshop tools and gamification.

While these workshop tools have their positives and negatives, they all offer unique features to facilitate remote workshops and cater to different needs. It’s important to consider factors such as pricing, learning curve, and integration options when selecting the most suitable tool for your team.