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PROCESS MAP TOOL REVIEW: DRAW.IO VS LUCIDCHART VS AXURE

There are lots really affordable tools for Business Analysts to create process
maps, flow charts and even story maps diagrams. I thought I’d share my thoughts
on just a few: Draw.io, Lucidchart and Axure (RP 9).

Disclaimer: there are so many that it is impossible to try them all. Some worthy
mentions not reviewed here today are:

My shortlist is based on a number of factors including perceived online (search)
popularity, positive reviews and feedback from my immediate Business Analyst
community.

I have road tested and evaluated each using these criteria:

 * Getting set-up
 * File management
 * Creating a diagram
 * Styling
 * Collaborating and sharing
 * Integration with Jira
 * Pricing

Each are scored on non-functional requirements (intuitive and delightful to use)
for each criteria.

Key findings for each and overall scores are wrapped up in the Summary.


GETTING SET-UP

My approach for this test was to assume that the tools were being used for the
first time and without any prior learning or online tutorials on how to use
them. In other words, how intuitive were they to get up and running and drawing
your first diagram?

Set-up

All three tools offer free trials (well, draw.io is free anyway) and they have
differing degrees of simplicity in set-up.

All three tools offer free trials (well, draw.io is free anyway) and they have
differing degrees of simplicity in set-up.

What makes draw.io stand out in this group is that you can choose to host your
own drawings or save them on your computer. So the first thing you are asked
after simply clicking on Start using draw.io is where do you wish to store your
diagrams. This is super easy as long as you know the login details to your
preferred storage.

draw.io first asks for your preferred file storage

To get started with Lucidchart you need to provide your email address and click
a big blue button (for a free trial). You can either complete your registration
now or later (to be able to save your work). Then after you select Start your
free trial (again), which is at the bottom of the pricing page, you are asked to
provide some more info about yourself over a couple of screens (which feels a
little invasive).

Lucidchart gets to know you during set-up

You can trial Axure for 30 days (free) but you must first download the software
and register it to do the usual DMG file install thang. This of course means
that Axure will also need updates downloaded and installed from time-to-time.

Axure download screen for a free trial

And, this is what sets Axure apart from draw.io and Lucidchart – both of which
are cloud based and require no downloading nor upgrading. So far I have not
noticed any speed advantage with Axure which is often the case for downloaded
software.

Templates

Both draw.io and Lucidchart prompt you to start from an existing template (or
from scratch with a blank document). There is a good selection of templates on
both.

Axure provide no upfront templates as far as I can tell.

I found that draw.io had a simpler and more direct UI for this (which also
included an easy option to name your file, upfront).

draw.io simple template selection
Lucidchart template previews

First impressions

The first thing you love about draw.io is that the interface is really simple,
light and seems dedicated for drawing diagrams easily.

> POWERTIP: You can change the look of the draw.io UI in Extras > Theme.
> I recommend Minimal theme as it is best at hiding the sidebars and giving you
> a clean look at what you are making.

To start drawing simply drag and drop shapes from the lefthand sidebar.

draw.io simple interface

The Lucidchart interface is similar to draw.io but is just a little bit “bolder”
in look and feel. A big PLUS for Lucidchart in the first impression department
is the default display of some handy animated tips right there in front of you
to help you get started – nice!

Lucidchart has handy tips to get you started

Being a more multi-purpose app, Axure does not automatically display its Flow
diagram toolbox on the lefthand sidebar. So, you’ll need to change from Default
to Flow in the list.

The right hand sidebar not really needed for mapping and the top menu had a lot
more to offer which I found all a bit distracting for diagram creation.

Axure’s multi-purpose interface


SCORED OUT OF 5…

Getting set-upplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive4/53/52/5Delightful4/53/52/5


FILE MANAGEMENT

Storage

Renaming files from the draw.io and Lucidchart browsers is as simple as clicking
on the name and editing it.

Being a desktop app, to rename files in Axure is via File > Save as in the top
menu which is familiar but whilst, not as easy, may feel more familiar if you
are used to using desktop software (and like having control of your file
storage).

Depending on your preference, draw.io files are stored in your Google Drive,
GitHub, DropBox, OneDrive or device meaning that deleting or organising diagrams
into folders is best done directly in your storage browser. You can also rename
files from here. Note: you can only see file names but no fancy thumbnail
previews.

As a desktop app, Axure saves your files to your device (by default) which you
may have synced to cloud storage. So in that regard, Axure and draw.io are
similar in how files are managed overall.

What makes Lucidchart different is that files are cloud hosted by Lucidchart.
Files can be deleted and organised into folders inside of the Lucidchart
dashboard which also features thumbnail previews to make it even that little bit
sweeter.

Lucidchart’s dashboard feature template categories

Access

Being internet browser based, you’ll probably need a bookmark in your browser to
quickly access both Lucidchart and draw.io

Lucidchart takes you to your online dashboard for easy access to files and
folders.

On returning to use draw.io again you are asked whether you wish to create a new
OR open an existing diagram (where it asks you to select one from your storage
directory folders – which is pretty easy). It’s not the prettiest interface –
but it is probably the simplest. Note: double-clicking a .drawio file on your
cloud folder browser will open it in your browser but will not when clicked on
your desktop.

draw.io create or open diagram window

Axure files can be opened by double-clicking a .rp file on your device directory
or via File > Open (or Open recent) in Axure itself.


SCORED OUT OF 5…

File managementplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive3/55/54/5Delightful4/55/53/5


CREATING A DIAGRAM

Adding shapes and text

For all three, to get started creating your first diagram was a case of simply
dragging and dropping the shapes that I needed and were easy to find from the
lefthand sidebar.

Adding floating text is easy in draw.io and Lucidchart by a double click
anywhere on the page but in Axure is a bit disjointed via the topbar + Insert >
Text tool.

Adding text inside a shape on all platforms is as simple as clicking inside the
shape and typing.

Working with shapes

Editing

A Manual Input shape was used but I wanted to create more space for the text.

In Axure it was easy to double click on the shape to adjust one of the handles
to tweak its shape. Draw.io displays an orange dot which I initially thought was
a connector point but ended up being a handle to slide the long side up or down
as desired. Lucidchart provided no way of adjusting this dimension.

Whilst not widely needed, both draw.io and Lucidchart made it easy to freely
rotate objects whereas Axure requires manual up and down arrows or numerical
entry.

draw.io shape editing

Changing shape type

Probably more useful is being able to change the shape type of a previously
placed object (say, from a Process to Manual Input). This is especially so if it
is already linked to other shapes and contains text.

In draw.io this is super cool: just grab the preferred shape type from the
sidebar and drag it over the old shape until the refresh symbol appears… voila!

This requires more work in Axure and Lucidchart: found by right-clicking and
then Select shape… and Change Shape (respectively) from the pop-up menu to
select another shape type.

Duplicating shapes

Option + dragging made duplicating feel intuitive in Axure and Lucidchart.

By contrast I found myself getting frustrated trying to option + dragging in
draw.io to no avail. Instead I had to remember to open a right-click pop-up menu
to find Duplicate. However, even then, it was not duplicated in the same
position so I ended up copy-and-pasting instead with keyboard commands).

Alignment

Object smart guides made aligning and spacing objects a breeze in every
platform. However, in Axure, smart guides did not work to align the objects in
relation to the swimlanes whereas draw.io and Lucidchart did.

Connector lines

Connector arrows connecting shapes are rudimentary in Process Maps. In draw.io
and Lucidchart these are as simple as as hovering over where you want the arrow
to start on the first object and then dragging and dropping where you want the
arrow to connect to the other shape. For all platforms, the default connector
points on objects are made visible on mouse hover (as long as Axure was in
connector mode).

I loved how Lucidchart automatically added Yes (to the first) and No (to the
second) connector on a Decision shape.

Connector lines in Axure is not that intuitive and requires going into connector
mode via the topbar Connector icon. And just as you need to enter connector mode
you also need to exit it to be able to continue moving or resizing shapes again.
In connector mode, Axure is probably the easiest to add, auto-bend and edit
lines around shapes. I also loved how Axure automatically added crossover
bridges to overlapping lines.

Close in second place for ease of use is draw.io but I feel that Lucidchart adds
too many bends/corners when connecting around shapes which also makes them
harder to edit.

Only Lucidchart allows you to start a connector point wherever you like. Whilst
creating alternative connector points is not needed that often, draw.io does not
allow it and Axure makes it hard to find through the right-clicking of the shape
and then a selection of Transform Shape > Edit Connector Points from the pop-up
menu.

Swimlanes

Swimlanes shapes are native in draw.io but are difficult to edit. By default
they come with an extra Pool heading which is difficult to delete and then
adding, deleting or resizing lanes is not intuitive at all. I found it easier
using a Container shape (which had a header) and duplicating it (Right click >
Duplicate), positioning them side-by-side and grouping together. However, once
created everything snapped and auto-aligned together nicely.

Swimlanes are awesome in Lucidchart! A single column lane is used as a starting
point and, when selected, clear options for column numbers and orientation are
displayed.

Swimlanes are awesome in Lucidchart

In Lucidchart, objects then become attached to and move with the swimlane
container if you need to resize or reposition your pool. This was also the case
with draw.io but I found it a bit buggy.

Swimlanes are not native in Axure. Instead you need to copy a rough table (with
the column headings) in Excel or Google Sheet and then right-click Paste Special
(as Table) to add to your diagram. Once a table is created this way, extra rows
and columns can be easily added and styled to resemble swimlanes. On the
downside though, objects did not auto-align with the table columns.

Pages

Adding or duplicating a new page is a primary feature of Axure and features
clearly at the top of the lefthand sidebar. However knowing where your diagram
is in relation to the page is not intuitive as the right and bottom edges of the
canvas (page) are not defined by the interface. So laying out the “page” is
difficult and ends up being a bit of trial and error.

> draw.io and Lucidchart both use clearly indicated pages and have the bonus of
> organically adding and displaying extra pages to accomodate elements that
> leave the boundaries of the existing canvas.

Navigating around

Scroll navigating around the drawing canvas is via intuitive SPACE BAR +
Clicking on all platforms but only draw.io and Lucidchart features vertical and
horizontal scroll bars (if these are preferred).


SCORED OUT OF 5…

Creating a diagramplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive4/54/53/5Delightful3/54/53/5


STYLING

To road test all three, I created a simple Process Map for:

> John is using the subscriber form to subscribe to the newsletter
> 
> Given John is on the website subscriber form
> When he submits his name and email address
> And he confirms his email address
> And his email address is confirmed as valid
> Then he will receive a confirmation to his email address
> And his name and email address will be sent to the database

I decided to use a swimlane for Website and CRM to show activities in each.
Styling was kept as default however styling the look and feel of Process Maps is
possible.

Styling is achieved by simply clicking on objects and then using style variables
in the topbar (draw.io and Lucidchart) or righthand sidebar (Axure).
Shift+clicking allows you to bulk style multiple objects. Global styling or
creating library of shape styles was not easy to find.

In Lucidchart it is possible to change the overall look and feel of your diagram
through Theme (in the righthand sidebar). Rolling over the preset themes shows
you how it will look in real time, is very intuitive and, most significantly, is
not available at all in draw.io or Axure.

Saving styles

Lucidchart also allows you to save an entire diagram as a template to re-use as
a stating point for future work. You can also add customised shapes to your own
Custom list in the lefthand sidebar (by right-clicking Add to Custom Shape
Library).

This is even easier in draw.io and is done by dragging the shape into the
sketchpad in the top of the lefthand sidebar.

Axure uses Master page elements but this is really best used for things
consistent page elements such as website headers and navigation in UX drawings.

Aesthetics out of the box

So which diagrams look the best out of draw.io, Lucidchart and Axure? Beauty is
in the eyes of the beholder but apart from Axure’s bolder blue connector arrows,
it is hard to differentiate the default styling of all three platforms.

draw.io default flow chart styling
Lucidchart default flow chart styling
Axure default flow chart styling


SCORED OUT OF 5…

Stylingplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive4/54/54/5Delightful4/54/53/5


COLLABORATING AND SHARING

So, it’s all well and good to create a snazzy process map diagram – but usually
you want others to use it or provide feedback. Unless you are using a team tool
like Jira to communicate, you are likely to want to email it or show someone a
print out.

So how well do draw.io, Lucidchart and Axure make it to share your diagrams with
your team?

Sharing online

Diagrams can be shared online on all platforms by generating a unique URL .

With draw.io sharing is done via the share options of your preferred storage
type (eg Google Drive) where you can choose permissions (eg can edit, view
and/or comment) for or directly to a specific email addresses or anyone with the
link. You are able to include a message with your file share.

Sharing in Lucidchart and Axure is a lot easier. A unique weblink is generated
and shared within the platform by clicking share in the top righthand corner.
Lucidchart allows you to send directly to an email address and include a message
with the share.

Sharing a diagram in Lucidchart

In Axure the generated link of the diagram is to be copied and then pasted and
emailed by you outside of the platform which is not as slick as Lucidchart.
However Axure provides you intuitive options for sharing (eg in this case we
wanted to provide page 2 (for comments) by sharing the link created).

Sharing options in Axure

Being created online, any changes to a diagram are automatically made to the
online shared diagrams in draw.io and Lucidchart. The shared URL version of the
desktop Axure file can be updated with any changes made by clicking Share >
Update.

Viewing and commenting

Receiving and viewing shared diagrams is where these platforms really differ.

The user experience for viewing a shared draw.io link depends on your file
storage type (eg this is how it looks in Google Drive)…

Viewing draw.io in Google Drive

Whilst not pretty it does the job and the comments icon in the righthand side of
the topbar makes it intuitive for collaborators to add comments to a draw.io
diagram. Collaborators can communicate to each this way. However the comment
threads do not specifically annotate a particular part of the the diagram.

Comments and Sharing in draw.io

Lucidchart requires the person receiving the URL to create a login which, let’s
face it, is annoying. But once in in it is easy to add comments.

Commenting in Lucidchart is intuitive

In Axure it’s actually a pleasure to view the online link of a shared diagram.

Viewing diagrams is a pleasure in Axure

It’s also super easy to make, view or reply to comments on the online version of
your Axure diagram which are annotated to specific parts of your diagram.

Comments in Axure

Printing

Printing your diagram from draw.io is very easy with a simple print dialogue box
and a Preview.

Printing dialogue box from draw.io

Printing from Lucidchart is a dream with a built in preview and simple options
in the print dialogue screen.

Printing is simple from Lucidchart

By contrast, getting your diagram to display as you want on a sheet of paper is
a bit hit-and-miss in Axure as the print interface does not provide a preview
and the wording is not as clear.

Printing from Axure


SCORED OUT OF 5…

Sharingplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive3/53/54/5Delightful3/52/54/5


INTEGRATION WITH JIRA

Does your team use Jira for project management? How easy is it to include your
Process Maps, Story Maps and other diagrams within your Issues?

draw.io diagrams can be created and edited from inside Jira Issues by installing
the draw.io Diagrams for Jira app add-on. For as little as $1 per month your
diagrams can be easily viewed by other team members.

But there are some drawbacks. New diagrams created this way are not saved in
your preferred storage nor are able to be shared outside of Jira. It is also not
possible to easily open or link existing draw.io diagrams created outside of the
Jira environment.



There is a free Jira app add-on Lucidchart Diagrams Connector for Jira to open,
create, edit and view new and existing Lucidchart diagrams inside of Jira
Issues.

There is no Jira app add-on for Axure RP but it is easy to copy and paste and
then view existing Axure’s online share links in the Description or Comments of
a Jira Issue.


SCORED OUT OF 5…

With Jiraplain.ioLucidchartAxureIntuitive4/54/52/5Delightful4/54/52/5Additional
costs$1 pmFree but requires
Team accountna


PRICING

Apart from draw.io, pricing scales depending on the number users. For seamless
Jira integration, Lucidchart requires a Team account with a minimum of 3 users
otherwise single users only pay $7pm.

Pricingplain.ioLucidchartAxureMy rating (out of 5)5/54/52/5Free trialUnlimited7
days30 daysMinimum monthly
(per user)Free$7 (or $10
for Team)$29


SUMMARY


DRAW.IO

As the only free tool in this review, draw.io is perfect for Business Analyst
working as single practitioners or in large businesses – especially if you
already use existing cloud storage for your file management.

There is a good range of templates and creating diagrams from scratch is easy.
Being able to switch a shape type with a drag and drop is sweet.

Something that annoyed me was not being able to duplicate shapes by
option+dragging them but the workaround of saving them into the scratchpad is
nice. Swimlanes were also awkward to edit.

The auto-paging feature is handy too for diagrams that get too big.

Sharing is not a draw.io strength as it is done via your existing cloud storage
interface and only delivers a basic online preview for commenting. Printing is
intuitive and assisted by a preview.

If your team use Jira you’ll love creating, editing and sharing your Process
Maps inside of Jira but it is a bit of a pain trying to open pre-existing
diagrams created outside of this environment.

Getting set-up4/5 File management3.5/5Creating a
diagram3.5/5Styling4/5Collaborating and sharing3/5Integration with
Jira4/5Pricing5/5Total27/35


LUCIDCHART

For only $7 per month Lucidchart is also perfect for Business Analyst working as
single practitioners or in large businesses but will require a $30 per month, 3
user, Team license if you wish to open, create, edit of view diagrams inside of
Jira.

Sharing via Jira is definitely recommended because receiving a share diagram
normally through Lucidchart is difficult for non-registered users.

There is a great range of templates and creating diagrams from scratch is easy.
Using set style themes is a handy way of creating consistency across your work.

Swimlanes were the best in its class.

The auto-paging feature is handy too for diagrams that get too big and printing
is the easiest in its class with the built in preview.

If your team use Jira you’ll love creating, editing and sharing your Process
Maps inside of Jira but it is a bit of a pain trying to open pre-existing
diagrams created outside of this environment.

Getting set-up3/5 File management5/5Creating a diagram4/5Styling4/5Collaborating
and sharing2.5/5Integration with Jira4/5Pricing4/5Total26.5/35


AXURE

For $29 per month Axure is best for businesses using Axure for other uses (eg UI
wireframing, prototyping and testing).

Axure provides the best online sharing and collaboration experience (especially
for the receiver) and whilst you will not see thumbnails, you can include a
preview’s short URLs in your Jira Issues as a substitute for not having app
integration.

There are no native diagram templates but starting a diagram from scratch is
easy and intuitive (unless you require swimlanes which requires a workaround).

One drawback was laying out to fit diagrams nicely on a printed page with no
print previews nor edge of page canvas visualisation.

Getting set-up2/5 File management3.5/5Creating a
diagram3/5Styling3.5/5Collaborating and sharing4/5Integration with
Jira2/5Pricing2/5Total20/35


SO WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

If budget is not an issue and Jira is not part of your workflow then Axure may
be right for you – particularly if a UI design tool is also something that you
need.

If you are a heavy Jira user and are unlikely to share diagrams outside of that
environment then Lucidchart is probably best – particularly if you love
swimlanes.

If you are on a budget and wish to share diagrams within and outside of Jira
then draw.io is worth trying (for free).

So, what are your thoughts? Have you used these tools? Is there one you reckon I
definitely should have reviewed here? Was this review useful? Let me know in the
comments below.

Posted byGavinMay 7, 2019May 14, 2019Posted inProcess Map, ReviewLeave a comment
on Process Map Tool Review: draw.io vs Lucidchart vs Axure
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