A: Welcome to an exciting journey! Digital prototypers come from many different paths. You can go to school (there are several great programs), or go the self-taught route (which is just as valid). If you're going the self-taught way, here's some things I'd look at:

* Online resources: Explore and read voraciously. There are a ton like
** http://www.boxesandarrows.com/
** http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
** http://www.adaptivepath.com/
** http://www.alistapart.com/
** http://uxsuccess.com/

* UX communities:
** http://www.facebook.com/pages/PDX-UX-Show-and-Tell/328047055817
** http://www.ixda.org/
** http://www.upassoc.org/

* Tools: We use iRise.
** http://irise.com/

The best way is to just get started. Read up. Download the iRise demo and get going! Start by recreating existing sites, then looking for ways to improve them. Also check out other peoples' portfolios.

We hope this helps! It's an exciting new world, so please let me know if there's anything we can do to help.

A: What's the best tool to build a house? Like the old cliche goes, "If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Here's what's in our toolbox for building digital prototypes: Microsoft Office and Google Apps (for specs and communication), Adobe CreativeSuite and Pixelmator (for visuals), Awesome Screenshot and Skitch (screenshots and annotation), GoToMeeting and iChat (for reviews and remote workers), Coda and Text Editors (for coding), and a bunch that we're forgetting.
There are a ton of great prototype design tools (Azure, Balsamiq, Justinmind, ProtoShare, iRise, and others). We've tested them all (look for an upcoming review), but our main axe is iRise. It offers the most comprehensive blend of functionality, fidelity, and extensibility.

A: What's the best tool to build a house? Like the old cliche goes, "If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Here's what's in our toolbox for building digital prototypes: Microsoft Office and Google Apps (for specs and communication), Adobe CreativeSuite and Pixelmator (for visuals), Awesome Screenshot and Skitch (screenshots and annotation), GoToMeeting and iChat (for reviews and remote workers), Coda and Text Editors (for coding), and a bunch that we're forgetting.
There are a ton of great prototype design tools (Azure, Balsamiq, Justinmind, ProtoShare, iRise, and others). We've tested them all (look for an upcoming review), but our main axe is iRise. It offers the most comprehensive blend of functionality, fidelity, and extensibility.