HotGloo is an online wireframing and prototyping tool. This solution has been designed for all those engaged in the concept, design and development of web or app projects: project managers, information architects, usability experts, freelancers, concept people, digital agencies, web companies, publishers, web designers, web developers and many more. The vendor’s value proposition is that this solution makes it easy to wireframe web and mobile sites and to collaborate with others due to the…
$13
up to 4 users, 2 active projects, unlimited reviewers
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Optimal Workshop, a company in New Zealand, offers their suite of user research tools on a subscription basis, including the Treejack information architecture tool, OptimalSort card sorting test, Chalkmark first-click testing, and other tools.
$2,388
per year
Pricing
HotGloo
Optimal
Editions & Modules
Group
$13
up to 4 users, 2 active projects, unlimited reviewers
Team
$27
up to 10 users / 6 active projects / unlimited reviewers
Agency
$54
up to 20 users / 15 active projects / unlimited reviewers
Enterprise
150 +
More users and projects, priority support. Get in touch for an individual quote.
Starter
$2388
per year
Enterprise
Custom
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
HotGloo
Optimal
Free Trial
Yes
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
The billing period starts on the day you upgrade from the free trial to a paying plan. If you pay by credit card the service is billed in advance on a monthly basis and is non-refundable. There will be no refunds or credits for partial months of service, upgrade/downgrade refunds, or refunds for months unused with an open account. If you do choose to cancel your account in the future, you will never be charged again, but you are responsible for charges already incurred up until your cancellation. For monthly recurring payments we accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express through our online payment system. You can also prepay any account for 12 months with credit card. In certain cases we also take money transfers – please contact us beforehand if you want to use this option.
HotGloo was extremely intuitive to use, particular for users who were not from a UX background. The wide-ranging widget library and elements available meant little domain knowledge was required to get up and running with the product. The product was supported by a great online …
Being able to export the finished wireframe to HTML was a huge time saver for me and my team. Getting to that next step quickly and seamlessly was a massive help. Not only that, but other tools that do this, we have not as much luck. HotGloo's functionality was a step above the …
HotGloo is tailored to this use case and therefore considers the right user needs. I think one strength is that it focuses on the main aspect. There are other tools, that have more extensive features. However, those are then more complex and not so well made for the specific …
For the price as it is very convenient for first-time beginners, its intuitiveness both for the one who is designing the activities and for those who have to interact with them. The fact that it collects and gathers the data into insights of the overall responses collected by …
Optimal seems a little more friendly in terms of setting up tests. We do use UserTesting as well, but it felt like that experience has more in-depth workflows to blast a test. Optimal Workshop feels like it is easy to quickly set up one test and then launch it immediately.
Optimal Workshop was the best tool that provided just what we needed and not anything more. The price point was also perfect for us as it provided room to try it out and then jump into a bigger package.
HotGloo is well suited to a dispersed team of users who are looking to collaboratively wireframe and prototype their latest web solutions. It's extremely intuitive and comes with a large widget library meaning the newest user can be up and running very quickly. In browser access means it's extremely accessible whether you're working in a room together or across the country at home.
The tools are great for user researchers who have a solid foundation with IA research methods, or are willing to learn them while using the tools. However they don't magically create valid IA studies; someone with no IA research experience may struggle to use the tools and/or run studies resulting in poor quality data.
The recruitment panelists are not professional, nor do they take the tasks seriously. You are going to get a lot of bad data.
They are HQ'd outside the US and must have a small team because the customer service is the absolute WORST I've experienced in their industry.
They pride themselves on documentation, but when they fail to document something they blame the customer for the mistake.
There are way too many limitations with the tool after you launch, limited integrations, and poor survey questionnaire options. The tool itself is far too basic for most sites, especially B2B.
I would rate Optimal Workshop's overall usability 9 out of 10 due to several key factors. Firstly, the platform has a user-friendly interface makes navigation straightforward, even for first-time users. The tools and features are well-organized, ensuring users can quickly find what they need without unnecessary complexity. Secondly, the platform is highly intuitive, meaning users can easily understand how to perform tasks without extensive guidance. This is supported by clear and concise instructions throughout the application, reducing the learning curve significantly.
Additionally, the learnability of Optimal Workshop is exceptional. New users can become proficient in a short amount of time, thanks to its well-thought-out design and helpful onboarding materials. Even more advanced features are presented in a way that feels approachable and manageable. Finally, the platform supports a seamless workflow, allowing users to focus on their research or tasks rather than struggling with the software. These qualities collectively make Optimal Workshop a reliable and efficient tool for many projects, justifying its high usability rating.
We’ve never had to use much of their support services since the platform is very easy to use, we have however needed to transfer ownership between team members due to people leaving or other circumstances. Under those situations, the support offered to us has been been very quick and efficient and we never had to nudge them much to get the job done.
HotGloo is tailored to this use case and therefore considers the right user needs. I think one strength is that it focuses on the main aspect. There are other tools, that have more extensive features. However, those are then more complex and not so well made for the specific work I use it for. Thus, I like HotGloo also because of the element and symbols library. Which has the right depth and detail - no more, no less then needed.
Optimal Workshop was the best tool that provided just what we needed and not anything more. The price point was also perfect for us as it provided room to try it out and then jump into a bigger package
Optimal Workshop has provided a very low-risk, quick testing ground for navigation menus. So while the full impact cannot be determined, we are happy we are using Optimal Workshop, and are gaining benefits from it.