From time to time we will encounter a client that has an idea they are desperately trying to describe. While we love hearing the concept and trying to understand the various accompanying hand-motions, they often fail to properly convey it. Rather, their ideas could be visualized in the form of basic wireframes, simple sketched-out flows or organization charts.

Here are some tools that we find helpful throughout the product design process to always keep the team and our client on the same page. Let us know in the comments or tweet @yetillc if you have a favorite client communication tool.

Wireframe.cc

wireframe.cc

Free with Premium starting at $12/mo

• Web app
• Good for clients to use if they have an idea that they would like to visualize in wireframe form
• Save and share individual wireframe pages with annotations
• Clients can easily visualize concepts that would not translate very well as sketches

Premium Features: Multi-paged wireframes, export png/pdf, link together clickable pages, separate preview and editor modes.

Moqups

https://moqups.com

Free with Premium starting at $9/mo

• Web app
• Good for clients to use if they have an idea that they would like to visualize in wireframe form
• Contains built-in iphone, ipad, and web browser templates
• Very easy to use interface, click and drag, double click to edit
• Color-free means clients focus on content and layout, not the visual design
• You can add images and multiple pages to a web-sharable, browser-viewable document

Premium Features: Master pages, pdf/png export, realtime collaborations and privacy.

LucidChart

https://www.lucidchart.com

Free with Premium starting at $3.33/mo

• Web app
• Good chart-making tool
• Can be used for client to outline their thought-process or demonstrate the way a system or product is already working
• Can be used by clients before a kickoff meeting to illustrate processes
• Very helpful if the client is working in a specialized domain
• Great tool for visualizing complicated models that need a logical flow and organization

Omnigraffle

http://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle

Demo with Premium at $99

• Create sitemaps, wireframes, diagrams, charts and illustrations
• Omnigraffle keeps lines connected to shapes, even after they’ve been moved and organizes diagrams in one click
• Can export as an image file
• Good for product managers and clients to use to illustrate their ideas

What tools do you use to help clients communicate their ideas to your team?