Rapid prototyping is a design process that allows you to create a prototype of your website before it is built. This allows you to see how the site will look, feel and function before any code has been written.
In this article we will take a look at some of the best prototyping tools on the market today.
What Is Rapid Prototyping?
Rapid prototyping is a method that allows designers to create prototypes for websites before any coding has been done. This means that you can test out different designs, features and functionality before investing in development costs. It also allows you to work with clients who may not be familiar with web development or design processes, allowing them to provide feedback on each iteration of the project without having to understand how code works in order to do so.
Rapid Prototyping Web Design Tools
InVision
Good designers aren’t necessarily great coders. This means that graphic designers and web developers sometimes require less technical tools to bring their ideas to light.
Enter InVision: a rapid prototyping tool that brings all of your design tools into one central environment.
InVision allows you to upload all of your static design files into the app so you can build fully interactive mock-ups. It offers a number of features that let you preview how your app will perform once it’s live, from incorporating hotspots to saving transitions to incorporating hover states.
It also integrates seamlessly with your design software, like Photoshop or Sketch, as it automatically syncs as you update your file.
InVision also has a number of features that makes it ideal for collaboration as well. These include the ability to make comments, version controls, and the ability to make location-specific threads. These remove much of the confusion from the collaborative process so you can focus on staying creative and productive!
The one downside to InVision is that you can’t create assets directly in the app. The seamless integration with other popular design software make this less of an issue, but if you’re looking for a design solution where you can do everything in the box, you might do better to look elsewhere.
Framer
For designers and developers looking for a comprehensive design platform and rapid prototyping tool all rolled into one, Framer’s an ideal solution.
Framer is a powerful rapid prototyping tool as well as a comprehensive design platform in its own regard. Framer features an extensive vector editing toolkit that lets you easily export frames and shapes as bitmaps or vectors.
Framer is even more useful for creating animations and transitions. You can create elaborate UX flows as well as adding animations, gestures, and components, all of which can be exported as .CSS or .SVG files.
Framer’s ability to generate code may be its single most inspiring feature. You can create all of your design elements using Framer’s UI, at which point the app creates and displays the code for your creations. Think of it as an IDE for your design. If you’re a programmer, developer, or designer who’s looking to learn how to code, Framer is an excellent bridge towards reaching that goal.
Adobe XD
Of course, the name Adobe is synonymous with design tools. No list of design resources is going to be complete without an Adobe product, if solely for the name recognition alone. Adobe XD is not just a recognizable logo, however. It’s one of the most comprehensive rapid prototyping suites out there.
Adobe XD, quite frankly, does it all. You can easily do all of your designing and prototyping with only one program. Adobe XD is excellent at creating wireframes, mock-ups, screen layouts, production-ready assets, and fully interactive prototypes. Adobe XD is also excellent for creating, managing, and maintaining interactions and transitions, which can also be easily shared with your design team.
Considering that Adobe creates the most recognized and respected design software in the universe, it should come as no surprise that there is a rich, robust community of designers, developers, and programmers using Adobe XD.
This alone makes XD worth looking into, if only for the wide selection of assets and resources available. There’s also likely to be someone who can answer any questions you might have or troubleshoot any problems you might run into, making Adobe XD an excellent choice for developers and designers who are looking to up their design game.
Origami Studio
If you’re looking for a middle ground between the basic prototyping tools like Adobe XD or InVision and the more technical solutions like Framer, Origami Studios is an excellent choice.
Origami Studios was created by Facebook to help teams design tools for their products. It has a number of features useful for collaboration, as developers are able to easily cut-and-paste layers, animations, and interactions into the platform. Origami Studios is a bit limited in its ability to leave comments. Its Version History can leave a little something to be desired.
Origami Studio’s Canvas alone makes it worth a look, however. Designers and developers can easily experiment with visual layouts, freeform drawing tools, text editing, and other visual components.
Origami Studios is only available for OS X, however, so if you’re designing on a PC or Android device, you’re out of luck at the time of this writing.
Marvel
Marvel is an excellent rapid prototyping tool for developers looking to simplify and streamline the design process.
It offers all of the features you need for prototyping, from wireframes to mock-ups to transitions, without writing a line of code. You simply need to upload graphics you create in your design software, like Sketch or Photoshop.
The ease with which Marvel integrates with other design solutions makes it worth investigating for your design workflow. It functions seamlessly with third-party software like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Marvel makes it easy to bring your ideas from sketch to prototype, no matter what device you’re developing for. Marvel offers up to 8 different prototypes, so your designs can be quickly implemented for any device. This makes Marvel ideal for preparing presentations, where an interactive mock-up is so much more effective than a static image.
Finally, Marvel’s companion app may be its most striking feature. The app lets you integrate your sketches into your design simply by taking a photo.
These photos are synced with your Marvel account automatically. If you’re a designer or developer who still works with paper, pen, and pencil, this feature alone makes Marvel worth looking into. The ability to do User Testing within the app, as well, makes it indispensable.
Axure
A number of the rapid prototyping tools on our list are either for apps or OS X. If you’re looking for a design tool that will run on any platform you can imagine, and easily create prototypes for each, Axure is worth taking a look at.
It has a reputation among high-end companies thanks to the level of visual details that can be incorporated into the prototypes.
Axure is another design tool for creating prototypes without having to write code. There are a number of common features necessary for development built into the software, like dynamic content for hover functions, flow statements, or math functions which can be used for eCommerce.
Sharing is also immediate and intuitive using Axure, making it ideal for designers and developers working as part of a design team. Axure publishes high-fidelity prototypes, as well as diagrams and digital sketches with the simple push of a button.
Webflow
For designers and developers primarily working with the web, Webflow is worthy of your consideration. First and foremost, Webflow is geared towards creating high-end web animations, interactions, and responsive web design.
At surface level, Webflow might appear to be just another site builder. This, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing. Like a number of the best rapid prototyping tools we’ve already discussed, Webflow also offers a code-free interface. This is excellent news if you’re simply wanting to create sharp, striking websites without having to pursue a Computer Science degree.
Webflow’s code-free web platform, alone, isn’t enough to qualify it among the top rapid prototyping programs, however. There are numerous content management systems (CMS) out there, like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. The Webflow site designer is merely the tip of the iceberg, however.
Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll discover Webflow’s other features that truly make it stand out and shine, even in a crowded marketplace. Its eCommerce features alone make Webflow enticing for developers looking to build slick, modern shopping websites or web apps.
If you’re looking to develop an eCommerce business that stands out against other boilerplate business websites built using Squarespace or Shopify, you should check out Webflow for this reason alone.
With the ability to publish and host websites, as well, Webflow is an all-in-one web publishing platform. You can even generate your website as code, as Webflow generates clean, efficient HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code effortlessly.
Conclusion
It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Whether you’re a developer, a coder, a graphic designer, or simply someone with a business idea you want to present, rapid prototyping helps you come prepared for a meeting or business proposal, so you can show your clients rather than simply telling them how amazing your product’s going to be.
Creating prototypes and mock-ups also helps to get everybody on your team on the same page. It can be challenging to get creatively-minded designers, technically-minded programmers, and financially-oriented investors talking the same language.
Rapid prototyping creates an open environment of sharing and collaboration, rather than competition and in-fighting.
rapid prototyping tools free
Whether you’re designing website or apps, prototyping is a vital part of the design phase that enables you and your clients to get an idea of what you’re building and how it feels to use. A good prototype can save you countless hours of explaining features and gathering feedback, and with the right tools you can quickly iterate and fix any potential problems before moving to production and user testing.
Established studios will already be set up with one or more of the top prototyping tools, but if you’re just getting started and cash flow is a problem, you might be reluctant to spend money that could be used elsewhere in your business. Thankfully there are some great free options out there, from free versions of paid services through to completely free prototyping tools that do much of what premium services offer. Here are six of the best to try out.
01. Origami Studio
Developed at Facebook as a tool for building and designing products, Origami is available free for Mac users. You need to be a registered Apple developer to get started, with Xcode and Quartz Composer installed, but once you’ve jumped through the necessary hoops you’ll find that it’s easy to start creating with Origami, thanks to a wealth of online documentation, tutorials and ready made prototypes.
You can import designs from Sketch and Photoshop with project layers preserved, and create concepts with simulated scrolling, taps, swipes and page links. As well as mobile apps you can also use Origami to create responsive websites with features such as text input and drag and drop, and once you’re finished it’s easy to export prototypes to be added to projects.RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU…CLOSEErik Ly – digital sketchinghttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.516.0_en.html#goog_4563852151 second of 15 secondsVolume 0%This video will resume in 12 seconds PLAY SOUND
02. Webflow
Webflow has plenty of paid plans on offer for all team sizes, but if you’re looking for a taster then there’s a free option that will do a great job of getting you started, allowing you two projects, client billing and free staging, but no code export or project transfer option.
With a visual CMS you can create dynamic, responsive prototypes without having to write any code, and it comes with a library of templates and components to make it even easier to build your projects. Prototypes can be connected to over 400 services including Slack, Google Drive and MailChimp, and if you get stuck there’s a wealth of online documentation to help you out.
03. Vectr
Built as a free cross-platform vector design app, Vectr also works very well as a free prototyping tool. While it’s maybe a little slim on features compared with other vector apps, it’s designed to be easy to pick up and play with, and after following a few tutorials (there are plenty to get stuck into on the Vectr site) you’ll be ready to start designing.
One really useful collaboration function is its link sharing option; with that you can send a link to others and they’ll be able to watch you edit in real-time and provide quick feedback. And once you’re done, your finished design can be exported as a JPG, PNG or SVG.
04. Justinmind
Justinmind’s powerful prototyping tool is available to download for free, but to get the full set of features you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription. However, for more basic projects Justinmind also provides a wireframing tool that’s free forever and allows you to create unlimited prototypes, pages and users for both web and mobile apps.
During your 15-day trial period you’ll get access to more advanced functionality, such as advanced web interactions and mobile gestures, plus effects, transitions and animations, so you might feel inclined to pay up for the full feature set once the trial period runs out. By then, though, you’ll have got an idea of whether Justinmind will pay for itself as a prototyping tool.
05. Figma
For anyone wanting to work collaboratively on their prototypes, Figma is a brilliant solution. It enables designers to work together in real-time and also makes it easy to share works-in-progress with clients and stakeholders, and crucially it enables you to build prototypes that feel like the real deal, complete with interactions, animations and dynamic content overlays.
While the professional versions of Figma are paid-only, there’s a free starter version that’s ideal for getting up to speed with its tools. It allows for up to two editors and three projects, with unlimited cloud storage and a 30-day version history, making it perfect for getting up and running. If you’re a student, though, it’s worth knowing that you should qualify for free access to Figma’s professional plan, giving you unlimited project and much more.
06. InVision
InVision offers a variety of tools for creating engaging interactive prototypes, and like many of the platforms covered here it operates on a paid basis but with a free version. In this case, the free version of InVision restricts you to just one prototype, but as is the case with Figma, there are free upgrades available for students.
Turning static designs into clickable prototypes is nicely straightforward with InVision; you can click and drag hotspots onto your creations to simulate click or hover actions, add links to other screens in your prototype, and simulate real-life interactivity by using gestures for transitions. And it’s similarly easy to share your work; prototypes can be opened in the browser or on mobile, and InVision’s LiveShare feature means that you can also present prototypes in real-time.
Conclusion
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