When do People need to Create an App Prototype?
People need to create an app prototype when developing an app to feel how the app will look like in the end. With an app prototype, you will have a sketch, identify the features that you want. Moreover, prototyping is ideal when you have many users who will interact with the app to detect errors earlier to amend them. When you are going to pitch an idea to investors, it is advisable to work with a prototype app to show them how the app works.
What Should You Have in Mind When You Start Creating an App Prototype?
When you start creating an app, you should have a clear vision of your app. It would help if you had an idea of what you need to have in the app and how it will work. Also, you need to have a prototyping tool at hand that will help you create a prototype app.
What Does an App Prototype Do? What Can It Be Used for?
It is important to have a prototype app because it will help you visualize your app’s final look. In a situation where you have many users interacting with it, you will identify bugs within your app and make changes. Similarly, you can also get new ideas of the features you want to include in your app and stylish widgets. Therefore, a prototype gives you valuable feedback about your app before you eventually set it up; hence you must have an app prototype.
Elements for An App Prototype
So, what are the elements of a good app prototype? A good prototype app should consist of the following elements:
Widgets
One of the essential elements of an app prototype is widgets. Widgets are libraries that contain elements that you will need to use throughout the project to enable you to customize your prototype app. They include shapes and icons.
Screen
Another element of the prototype app is a screen. This will enable you to mirror your project and have a preview of how its UI looks like in different operating systems and the web page. You can add screens, duplicate screens or delete screens, move screens and zoom screens to different percentages.
Interaction
The last element of the app prototype is the interactions. Interactions in a prototype tool allow you to animate your screen. Interactions will enable you to transition between pages, easily create or add screens quickly, and easily drag widgets to your screen and have a prototype preview.
Steps to Create A Prototype
Now, let us look at the steps you need to adhere to create a prototype. Note that these are general steps for prototyping an app.
Step 1: Define Problem
The first step towards creating a prototype app is understanding the problem you want to solve with your app. You need to have a draft of your users, the problem you are solving, strategy, goals, and objectives.
Step 2: Identify Key Functionality Requirements
After that, you can now write down the functionalities that your app should have. Is it an Android or an iOS app? What features should be on the home screen, the layout, user interface, which images and colors will you use? If it is an eCommerce app, what payment modes will you integrate?
Step 3: Sketch App Screen
Next, you can now begin to sketch how different screens looks will appear. Sketch the homepage and design how the homepage dashboard will look like. Determine the number of screens that you will have and add features for each.
Step 4: Convert Sketches into Wireframes
When you now have a sketch of your app, you can now turn the sketch into wireframes to aid a prototype tool or platform. Simply put, a wireframe in design is a blueprint with styles and visual UI details to represent a realistic model of what the final application will look like. You can then give it out for a few users to test it.
Step 5: Turn Wireframes into A Prototype
After testing the wireframe, you can now turn an app prototype. At this point, you can now share with your manager, colleagues, and target audience for feedback.
Step 6. Make the Final App
Lastly, implement the feedback given and finalize the app. You can then make it available on app stores and launch it to the market for use.
Best Prototype Platform for Beginners- Wondershare Mockitt
Well, at this point, you now understand the importance of prototyping and the steps involved in creating an app prototype. The next big question then is, which prototyping platform is best for beginners? Mockitt is there for you. This online prototyping tool allows you to create prototypes, work with widgets, make interactions, add screens, and preview prototypes. Here are some reasons why you should be using the Mockitt prototype platform as a beginner.
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Low-learning curve
Mockit has been designed with a simple user interface that a novice can use. When you sign up on the platform, you get a free guide on the basics of how to create a prototype on the platform. You can learn how to use the platform at your own pace.
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Abundant Widgets and Templates
What stands out with Mockitt is the numerous widgets and templates it has. It has inbuilt widgets and icons and adds more resources from its inbuilt online library.
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Free version
Moreover, Mockitt has a free version that allows you to create prototypes without adding your card details. The free version allows you to create a prototype, collaborate with colleagues, preview and share the prototype, making it a must-have tool for you.
Conclusion
To sum up, we have seen that it is vital to create an app prototype to visualize how your app will look like. This process is essential so that you can include the functionalities in your app without forgetting any. Moreover, you will enable the target audience to test and give you feedback about the app before actually making it live. The best tool to help you with prototyping is the Wondershare Mockitt platform. It is free interactive, and it’s built with numerous templates and widgets. Try it today.
