Axure Tips: 7 Tips to Improve the Efficiency of Axure
Introduction
The process of learning software is far more valuable than the process of using it.
Generally speaking, regardless of dynamic interaction or text interaction, such as text field, radio, dropdown, etc., the production of product prototypes, including PRD documents, can basically be completed through a system widget of rectangle.
Most of the widgets under the Default→Common category, such as text, paragraphs, headings, buttons, etc., are adjusted by the style of the rectangle to help us create prototypes more quickly.
Widgets such as dynamic panels, repeaters, and iFrames seem to be not commonly used by us, but they are actually very useful; if used properly, they can not only further improve our work efficiency, allow us to create prototypes faster and better, but also It also makes the prototypes we create easier to maintain, manage and reuse.
Next, I will share some practical skills that I have summarized in my daily work. If there is any content that you do not understand, you can leave a message at the bottom of the article.
1. Rational use of Style to simplify the widgets to reduce maintenance and management costs
The fewer widgets, the simpler your page structure, and the easier it is to adjust the content of the page.
More complex widgets, especially list items, are more recommended to do this.
2. Reasonably use dynamic panel to facilitate hierarchical management of page structure
The dynamic panel is a container component with a hierarchical structure, which can manage the components in the page hierarchically.
At the same time, the coordinate values of widgets located inside it will not be affected by the external coordinate axis, and with the specific interaction event: Pin to Browser, it will make the layout of the page or the display of the dynamic panel easier.
3. Reasonable use of Component to reduce repetitive works
Components are suitable for structurally consistent and repetitive widgets, such as list cells, but in fact, everything from a button to a fully functional composite widget module can be converted into a component according to the usage scenario.
Axure 9, 10 has the feature of overwriting, which can directly modify the text and replace the image on the component. It should be noted that:
- The overwritten text is not auto-adaptive and will depend on the style settings of the internal widget of the component; if there is text with different styles in a rectangle or text, the overwritten text style will be based on the style of the first character (including spaces), if the overwrite feature of the component is used, the design of internal widgets is not recommended to be simplified;
- Rectangle without text or image cannot be overwritten;
- When the master with overwritten data is detached from the master, the internal widgets will be replaced with overwritten text or images.
When the structure, style, or content of the widgets in the master changes, all pages that reference the master will change ( if text or images are overwritten, they will not be changed).
4. Reasonable use of Repeater for typesetting to improve work efficiency
In short, the repeater is a composite widget that integrates interface, logic and small database. While improving and customizing the interface and user interaction, there is no need to rewrite the business logic. Interested people can learn about the MVC framework.
Many product managers are not very fond of using repeaters, either finding it complicated or unnecessary (the existing widgets is sufficient).
However, if you put aside complex interactive operations on data sets and only apply them to typesetting and page design, this widget is not very complex, and you will greatly improve your work efficiency after mastering it.
The reasonable use of repeaters will simplify a large number of repetitive widgets in the page, making it easier to maintain, manage and modify prototypes.
If you are interested in operations such as data addition, deletion, modification and searching, you can also learn about the repeater in depth, and you can simply cultivate your own technical thinking.
5. Reasonably set Interactions to improve the reusability of widgets
In fact, apart from the commonly used click to jumps, other interactions are rarely used. For newcomers, learning and implementing some special interactive events through Axure is a good way to exercise logical thinking.
When we design interactive prototypes, some widgets will be hidden and shown after a specific interaction action is triggered. Our common method is to hide the component directly, but this method is not convenient for us to maintain and manage it, so we can handle it as follows.
In the setting of interaction events, it is best to have a clear structure, and also consider how to create interaction events that are easy to expand.
The above two methods can achieve the desired effect. Why is the latter recommended? Interested people can try the following examples to see which method is simpler. However, the interaction settings are mainly based on personal habits.
6. Use Inline Frame reasonably to reduce the interference of fixed widgets on page structure
Many people like to add elements unrelated to the prototype or documentation, such as the mockup of the phone or the status bar. This is not recommended.
If you want to enhance the effect of the presentation by adding a mobile phone appearance, you can use the inline frame so that the design and presentation will not affect each other.
7. Points to pay attention to
Components, repeaters, and interactive events must be avoided from abuse, and you can try more when learning software or practicing use skills; but in actual work, you need to use it with restraint according to your personal mastery of the software and work scenarios.
If you have any questions and suggestions, please leave a message.
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Well Joe @AxureBoutique, a technology writer and teacher, focuses on Axure prototype design and product design.
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