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Introduction to Balsamiq Cloud


What Is Balsamiq Cloud?

Balsamiq Cloud is a web-based user interface design tool for creating wireframes (sometimes called mockups or low-fidelity prototypes). You can use it to generate digital sketches of your idea or concept for an application or website, and to facilitate discussion and understanding before any code is written. The completed wireframes can be used for user testing, clarifying your vision, getting feedback from stakeholders, or getting approval to start development.

Here's a quick demonstration of how it works.


Quick Start Guide

  1. To get started, you first need to sign up at balsamiq.cloud and then create a new Space or join an existing one by invitation.

  2. Next, create a project by clicking on the dedicated icon in the upper-left corner, or explore Your First Project to get started with the Balsamiq Wireframes editor. A project is a collection of wireframes that belong together and pertain to a specific product or feature.

  1. Depending on how you work (or your role on the project), you can also invite collaborators to edit or review the wireframes as you build them. Balsamiq Cloud supports real-time collaboration and comments, so that multiple people can work on the same project together. Click the "Share Project" icon to add collaborators or get a public link to share.

  1. Once you've created a project, the fun begins when you create your wireframes. Drag and drop, edit, and arrange over 75 user interface control types to create anything you can imagine. Read about adding and arranging and editing controls to learn how to create your wireframes.
  1. Once you are ready to share your wireframes with clients or stakeholders, you can send a private or public link, or exporting to PDF or images.

Transitioning from a Previous Version

If you are transitioning from Balsamiq for Desktop (or another version that uses .bmpr files), you can drag and drop to upload your files or use the dedicated icon in the upper-left corner.


Spaces, Projects and Wireframes

Balsamiq Cloud introduces the concept of Spaces.

If you've used any other Balsamiq product, you'll already be familiar with projects and wireframes. A group of wireframes make up a project and a group of projects make up a Space.

Spaces contain... -> Projects contain... -> Wireframes


Next Steps

The rest of our documentation contains a detailed description of the features and use of Balsamiq Cloud. A good starting point would be People and Permissions, to get familiar with how to add people to your projects, followed by the Editor Overview, to learn about the user interface for navigating and creating your wireframes.

For troubleshooting, frequently-asked questions, and tutorials, head over to our support page. There, you can learn about pricing and payment information, contact us, watch tutorials, and connect with the user community.

Happy Wireframing, from the Balsamiq team!


A Couple of Little Treats for You!

Built-in Background Music

For years we've been suggesting people use headphones when working on wireframes, to help get in the creative zone. So we asked ourselves: why not give our awesome users a built-in, get-in-the-zone-inducing track to listen to? And so we did!

Just go to the Smiley menu, click "Play Background Music", and get to work!

The track is called Ascension, by Dr. Christopher Lloyd Clarke B.Sc, Msc.D. Meditation music composer and founder of Royalty Free Meditation Music.com.

We cut the track down to 25 minutes, added a Zen bell, then added 5 minutes of nature sounds recorded by our own Michael Angeles in his hikes around Marin County, CA. We then made the resulting 30-minute track loop 4 times.

Why the (25 + 5)*4, you ask? Because this way you can use the music to time your Pomodoros, of course!

What Should I Make for Dinner?

We know how it is. It's 5pm, and you've just had a glorious day of work, creating awesome wireframes for your next project.

And then it hits you: what should I make for dinner tonight?

That's where we come in.

From the Smiley menu, select Help and then "What Should I Make for Dinner?". You'll be taken to this page.

Lots and lots of easy, every-day recipes straight from the Balsamiq team's kitchens, in super-quick video format you can watch while you put your jacket on to leave the office.

Just browse through the list of videos, pick one that looks good, jot down the ingredients and run out the door.

Nothing fancy here, this is what we cook for ourselves when we don't know what to make.

Buon appetito! 🙂