I am often asked what tools I prefer to use in designing user interfaces. I do believe that there isn’t a “best” tool. True, some tools are better at some tasks than others, but it really comes down to what tool works best for you. I’ve seen designers produce excellent interaction designs with Microsoft Powerpoint. If you are fast and comfortable with a tool, use it. And if you want a better tool, you have to weigh the cost of learning something new against the benefits. Personally, I’m an early-adopter, gadget-freak, bleeding-edge, over-70-feeds in my news reader type, so I love to experiment with new tools to study their interaction patterns as well as discover what new capabilities I might pick up.

My current list of design tools:

Concept exploration: CmapTools, MindManager, Pen & Paper

Interaction design: Pen & Paper, Microsoft Visio, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flex/AIR

Prototyping: Adobe Flex/AIR, Adobe Flash, Adobe Dreamweaver

Visual design: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Color Schemer