Are you are a startup company or entrepreneur with app development idea? Do you want to make your app stand out with the competitors? then you should first go with Prototype. This is your best first step in mobile app development because prototype ads life to your idea and communicate your vision clearly and it makes the process move both faster and in a more efficient way.
Developing an app is a time consuming and costly process. There are many points to take into account in mobile app development, especially during the initial stages. Some of the major steps include a conception of the idea, target audience, investment etc. Prototyping bridges the gap between designers and developers, allowing you to move a substantial step ahead of your competitors.
The initial stages of building a skyscraper are a lot like the beginning stages of building software. In the same way, architects create illustrations and draw up blueprints to provide builders and developers with a vision of the end product, designers create sketches, wireframes, and mockups to demonstrate the look and structure of an application.
What is prototype?
Prototype is an act of creating a proof of concept of a product which can be used to validate an idea and tested by the users before creating the actual product. It is essentially an early simulation of the final app product.
A prototype is a collection of UX pieces, animations, interactions and other graphic elements meant to showcase the app’s purpose and functionality.
Prototype communicates the design and navigation of the app to stakeholders in order to maximize the efficiency of the development process.
Prototypes bring ideas to life and transform a creative vision into a reality to align the customers’ needs with the goals of an organization.
How Does an App Prototype Look Like
Below is an example of a Prototype we developed for Social Event booking application
Reasons to Start Prototyping
Concept validation
It is always good to test an idea before investing a lot of time and money. Prototyping allows you to experiment with the idea and reveals whether there is demand for your app idea. You can easily add, modify or remove features based on the feedback received from the users.
Better stakeholder engagement
Stakeholders involved in the development should have a better understanding of the purpose and functionality of the app. An early prototype is an opportunity to present the idea to partners, investors and other stakeholders and further brainstorm together about possible improvements.
Identify potential issues as early as possible
Changes in the requirements and workflow in the later stages of the app development process will consume a lot of time and money as well because it requires complex modifications in the app code. Hence by designing a prototype, you can decide what features to include or skip etc?
Can Streamline Your Onboarding Process
Prototyping helps catch UI and UX problems early so that your customers can be able to readily use the application after launching which helps you in seamlessly onboarding the application to your customers.
Speeds up (and Simplifies) the Mobile App Development Process
Your developers will have many questions for you that a functional prototype could have answered quickly. Prototyping will eliminate a lot of the back and forth that slows down the process. That way developer can fully focus on the coding part.
Gives Tangible Product for Funding
An app prototype is a functional idea of the end product. When presenting the app to prospective investors, a prototype works as a tangible product model that can speak about the product, its potential, and how it would be at the end. This will ensure investors about the value of your product.
Mobile App prototype comprises of following steps
- Ideation and Brainstorming for the App concept and preparing requirement document.
- Wireframes (Blueprint) : A skeletal outline of the flow of the app following requirement document
- Graphic design/Mock up’s: The Look and feel of the user interface with color combinations following Wireframes.
- Prototype: A virtual app which will provide the visual rendition and logic flow of an active mobile app
What are the different prototyping tools?
There are plenty of great prototyping tools that we can use which can quickly turn sketches, images and mockups into fully interactive and high-fidelity prototypes that look and feel like the finished product. Also helps you to quickly share the prototype with teams and clients. Below are a few examples
- Marvel
- Flinto
- Justinmind
- Invisionapp
- Proto.io
- Balsamiq
Here at Krify have good experience in creating mobile app prototypes that feel real. We understand that prototypes plays a critical role in the success of MVP so our designers will work with you to create polished, stylish design tailored to a smooth and well-chosen user experience Prototype.
What are you waiting for? To get your prototype started, Contact us today!
