Import Balsamiq Mockups into Axure

#1

Hi Axure Friends,

I’m building a case for a large organization to make the switch from Balsamiq to wonderful Axure.

Is there any method of importing Balsamiq mockups into Axure?

This would help my pitch to my boss.

Thank you.

#2

Hi! There isn’t currently a way to import Balsamiq files directly into Axure RP, but you may be able to get your work into Axure RP depending on how you export it from Balsamiq. Axure RP currently allows importing from other Axure RP file types, but also allows you to import from Sketch using the Sketch plugin as well as import images in the formats of PNG, JPEG, GIF, Bitmap, and SVG. If you’re able to export your Balsamiq prototype to an image then you should be able to import that image into Axure RP and then use the slice/crop tools and hot spots to add interactivity to the existing image as needed. Hopefully that helps a bit!

#3

The use case behind these two tools is pretty different, and certainly not mutually-excluding. Unless you must have only one tool, you might keep both around for their strengths.
Balsamiq is easy to use quite quickly. The nature of it’s “sketchy” look promotes conversation at high levels. It has a bunch of pre-built ‘things’ that can be simply dragged onto a page.
It takes more time to produce an Axure wireframe than it does to create a Balsamiq sketch. But Axure can model interactions in more complex ways and you needn’t make and link multiple versions of a single page just to show how a user flows through an interaction. It can use and manipulate realistic data sets as well as store user input and even make logic decisions based on input. It can—albeit with effort—be made to look quite polished.
I use both and would have a very difficult time if I had to give up one in order to exclusively use the other.

closed #4

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