{"id":47109,"date":"2022-04-29T18:01:23","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T10:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=47109"},"modified":"2024-05-16T14:17:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T06:17:02","slug":"discover-the-best-productivity-apps-for-design-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/discover-the-best-productivity-apps-for-design-team\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Productivity Tools and Tips For Your Design Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our work as web designers, we\u2019re always looking for ways to streamline our workflows to allow us to finish projects faster without compromising on the quality of our design work and even improving it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a good habit, but if we\u2019re not careful, we can spend so much effort looking for ways to become more productive<\/a> and then backfire, causing our productivity to decrease<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The digital age has removed much of the effort associated with continual improvement from our shoulders to the point where looking for ways to do better primarily involves looking for tools that will help us do so.<\/p>\n

The creative aspect of design remains largely up to teams and individuals, however. Still, a reasonable selection of productivity-enhancing tools can help free up more time for the tasks we have been commissioned or hired to do.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive right in and see which of these tools would best fit your needs.<\/p>\n

1. Monday.com<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Monday.com\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Monday.com is a team management tool<\/a> suitable for teams of any size, and because it is so easy to put in place and use, it is as popular with non-tech teams as with technical teams.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve decided on what\u2019s essential for your team, you can put monday.com to work; tracking time, showing who\u2019s in charge of what, providing overviews of timelines, calendars, files, etc.<\/p>\n

Monday.com is all about you and your team having easily digestible data at your fingertips. Since employees, team members, and managers have the same view of what\u2019s going on; it helps empower and motivate all parties concerned.<\/p>\n

This team management tool is currently being used by more than 50,000 teams employed by startups and Fortune 500 companies. Last year, this fast-growing company tripled its customer base and revenue.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try Monday.com <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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2. Mason<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"mason\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Mason is a somewhat different animal in the universe of design tools, and you could even say it\u2019s radically different in its approach. In short, this productivity-enhancing tool allows you to skip steps in the design-build process you always felt were highly important and even mandatory.<\/p>\n

Mason\u2019s approach is extremely straightforward, but it also makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

First, Mason\u2019s visual interface, combined with its front-end feature-building capability, is the engine that drives the process, allowing you to create precision software features for apps and websites, and other types of digital products. Once you complete your design, there\u2019s no documentation to contend with, and you don\u2019t need to have your design OK\u2019d by QA.<\/p>\n

Since Mason manages the HTML\/CSS, in most cases, you can bypass development. Since your software feature is ready to use and can be immediately installed, you don\u2019t have to wait for the next deployment cycle.<\/p>\n

Radically different? Since Mason enables you to skip documentation, QA, development, and even prototyping \u2013 it probably is.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try Mason <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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3. Proto.io<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Proto.io\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Proto.io is a web application that designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and product managers can use to create prototypes of their web and mobile apps. This productivity tool is easy to use and does not require coding or special technical skills to build low \u2013 or high-fidelity prototypes to help you move smoothly through your design process.<\/p>\n

Low-fidelity prototypes can best be used to illustrate basic design concepts and solicit feedback during the initial design stage. On the other end, Proto.io can be used to create interactive, animated, high-fidelity prototypes that can successfully mimic the look, feel, and functionality of what your final product would be like.<\/p>\n

Proto.io\u2019s Dashboard provides invaluable version control and collaboration assistance. It\u2019s beneficial for teams using a rapid prototyping design approach. The Editor takes care of prototype construction, while the Player displays your work on your browser and plays a key role in user testing.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try Proto.io <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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4. Nutcache<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Nutcache\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Keeping with our \u201cgreat tools promote great productivity\u201d theme, Nutcache is a productivity tool designed to help team members collaborate better to improve their overall performance. Nutcache also helps teams streamline workflows to ensure tasks are completed on time. This is a perfect application for design teams that adhere to Agile practices and principles.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try Nutcache <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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5. ActiveCollab<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"ActiveCollab\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

The new ActiveCollab is bigger and better in almost every way imaginable. Those familiar with the older version of this project management software will discover a slew of new and enhanced features.<\/p>\n

Of particular note is ActiveCollab\u2019s new task dependencies and automatic rescheduling feature. Whenever a small change is made to a parent task, each child\u2019s task will be updated and rescheduled, eliminating a lot of busy work.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try ActiveCollab <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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6. Lucidchart.com<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Lucidchart\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Lucidchart is a presentation tool that bridges the gap between tech-minded presenters and non-tech audiences. This useful tool works based on the principle that visualization is often the best way to communicate complex ideas so they can easily be understood and discussed.<\/p>\n

Lucidchart\u2019s custom shape library, and collaborative diagramming software are great for in-house use and teams that are spread across different locations and using different operating systems.<\/p>\n

<\/i> Try Lucidchart <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Five Productivity Tips to Achieve More<\/h2>\n

Here are five productivitiy tips<\/a> on how to achieve more and gain greater peace of mind.<\/p>\n

1. Write it down<\/h3>\n

Every task that needs to be done and every commitment you make should be written down. By doing so, you can avoid having to try and remember things or have important tasks, meetings, or other commitments fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n

\"write<\/figure>\n

2. Do that dreaded task first<\/h3>\n

The tasks on your to-do list your particularly dread have a habit of falling further down the list with time; even priority items are not immune. After all, it\u2019s more fun to work on an easier task that you enjoy doing. Make a habit of doing the dreaded tasks first. You\u2019ll not only survive, but you\u2019ll feel better about yourself.<\/p>\n

3. Take breaks<\/h3>\n

Have you heard of the Pomodoro (Tomato) productivity technique<\/a>? How it works is you take a 5-10 minute break every 40 minutes or so. By doing so, you\u2019ll accomplish more and perform higher quality work than if you work straight through without taking periodic breaks. Find a work-break time cycle that works best for you.<\/p>\n

\"take<\/figure>\n

4. Exercise!<\/h3>\n

Make exercise a habit. You\u2019re not in training for an extreme sport (or maybe you actually are), but you need exercise to keep you physically healthy and mentally alert. Walking, jogging, stretching, and anything that keeps muscles trim is good for you.<\/p>\n

5. Stop saying YES to everything and everybody<\/h3>\n

If you accept every task or assignment in hopes of pleasing everyone, you\u2019ll soon lose control over your life. Everyone will be more productive because you\u2019re doing their tasks for them, while your productivity suffers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t21 Productivity Tips for Freelance Web Designers<\/span><\/a>\n
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