The Ultimate Guide to Mobile App Prototyping: Why It’s Essential in Development Process

Ever thought about how to draft a mobile application before developing it?

Mobile app prototyping is the solution. It provides developers and designers with a visual, interactive version of their ideas.

Today, understanding mobile app prototyping is essential because it allows you to test your app’s design and features early on, saving time and money.

In this blog post, we will discuss all about mobile app prototyping and its tools. So let’s start this journey.

What is Mobile App Prototyping?

Mobile app prototyping is a process in which before creating an application, a basic version or model of it is created, just like before establishing a building, a proper model is created to determine how it will look like. This is the main goal of the process. Mobile app prototyping is like creating a simple sketch of your app before developing it. It helps everyone involved understand the app's design and flow before building it.

Prototyping provides quick feedback about the app's features, design, and user experience. In creating this app, whatever changes need to be made can be identified in the early stage. You can think of it as a trial version, which is a simple and basic version of the final product, which is tested to make improvements to the final product.

Stages of Mobile App Prototyping

To understand the stages of mobile app prototyping, we can divide the process into 3 parts: Ideation and Concept Development, Designing and Creating the Prototype, Testing and Iterating Based on Feedback. 

Let us understand them.

Stage 1: Ideation and Concept Development

• In this phase, you develop the ideas for your mobile app. First of all, you need to know what will be the main goal of your app, what kind of problems you will be able to solve for your users and what benefits they will get from the app developed by you. 
• Therefore, the key features of the brainstorming card app are defined. Mobile app prototyping allows you to organize related ideas of your application development process and get a clear direction from where to start the development of the app.

Stage 2: Designing and Creating the Prototype

• Now you have created your ideas in visual form. First, create wireframes, which show the basic layout of your app. These wireframes are slowly transformed into detailed mockups, giving the app a clear look and feel.
• Using tools like Figma or Sketch, you can create prototypes that look and work like the final app. It's important to get feedback from developers, designers, and stakeholders during this stage to make sure the prototype is on the right track.

Stage 3: Testing and Iterating Based on Feedback 

• In this last stage, you get your prototype tested by real users. This testing gives you valuable feedback about the usability and functionality of the app. Using tools like InVision or Marvel, users can interact with your prototype and provide their feedback. 
• Based on this feedback, you make necessary changes in the prototype, so that the final product is user-friendly and can achieve the intended goals. Iterative testing means repeatedly testing and refining your app so that your product is ready for the next stage of development.

In this way, the stages of mobile app prototyping can be understood in simple language. Every stage is important and guides you step-by-step to reach the final product.

9 Best Mobile App Prototyping Tools

1. Figma

Figma is a well-liked cloud-based application for designing and developing apps. The primary benefit is in its ability to streamline teamwork. Everyone on the team may view designs, provide feedback, and suggest modifications in real-time when they are working on a project. 

This implies that you can stop circulating prototypes back and forth to get approvals. The entire design process is streamlined, leading to increased speed and efficiency.

Features of Figma

• No-code Prototyping: You can create interactive prototypes without coding. This feature is very helpful for beginners.
• Interactions and Animations: You can add user flows, animations, and transitions to your prototypes, which help mimic the experience of the final app.
• Collaboration: Multiple users in Figma can design together, give feedback, and modify designs, without any delay.
• Widgets and Plugins: Figma offers a plethora of widgets and plugins that streamline and expedite your design process.
• Viewing Prototypes on Mobile Devices: This feature allows you to see how your prototypes will look and feel in the real world.

Pros and Cons of Figma

Pros

• Many plugins and widgets are available.
• Active user community, which gives you a lot of support.
• Drag-and-drop prototyping, which is quite easy for beginners.

Cons

• You can't preview GIFs in a working document, so you have to switch to prototype mode.
• There is limited control over document management, which can be a bit challenging in larger projects.

2. InVision

With the help of InVision, a cloud-based prototyping tool mobile app developers can generate interactive prototypes. The ability to swiftly produce prototypes and distribute them to the team is provided.  

InVision supports collaborative design, where you and your team can meet and provide feedback. This tool allows you to create interactive prototypes that can be tested like a live product.

Features of InVision

• Collaborative Prototyping: Multiple users can design together and give feedback.
• Design Templates: Pre-made templates make the design process fast and easy.
• Whiteboard: An effective tool for brainstorming and idea sharing in groups is the whiteboard.
• Integrations: Jira, Loom, Asana, Azure DevOps, Sketch, Zoom, Adobe XD, Microsoft Word, and so forth.

Pros and Cons of InVision

Pros

• Easy collaboration and interactive interface.
• 200+ templates available.
• Friendly for non-tech-savvy users.

Cons

• The platform sometimes logs out users for security reasons.
• There may be a lack of basic tools and various import issues.

3. Justinmind

A tool for making realistic web and mobile app prototypes is called Justinmind. It facilitates the creation of prototypes that resemble the finished product. The tool has features for collaboration, interaction, and design, which make teamwork easier. 

Justinmind also includes pre-built UI kits for iOS, Android, and the web, speeding up the design process. These kits are updated regularly, giving you lots of options for prototyping different apps.

Features of Justinmind

• No-Code Prototyping: You can create prototypes without coding.
• Web Interactions: It is easy to add Web-specific interactions.
• Mobile Gestures: You can incorporate mobile gestures like swipe and tap.
• Pre-Built UI Kits: Ready-made UI components are available to complete the design faster.

Pros and Cons of Justinmind

Pros

• A rich web interactions library is available.
• Facility to work offline.
• Creating designs is easy with the drag-and-drop prototyping feature.

Cons

• The search feature is not so specific.
• There may be a slight learning curve.

4. Marvel

Marvel is an incredibly user-friendly cloud-based prototype tool for designers, particularly novices in the industry. You don't need to know how to code to develop interactive prototypes with this tool. Marvel is incredibly user-friendly for novices thanks to its straightforward UI and templates.

Features of Marvel

• No-Code Interactions: You can add interactive actions and transitions without coding.
• User Testing: You can get feedback by sharing your prototypes with developers, testers, and stakeholders.
• Templates and Components: Pre-made templates and UI components are available in Marvel which help in completing the design process faster.
• Collaboration Tools: Collaborative design and feedback collection with team members is easy.

Pros and Cons of Marvel

Pros

• Generous Freemium Plan: A free plan is available which is useful for beginners.
• Variety of Templates: A good variety of templates are available for web app design.
• UI Components Library: You can save time with a library of pre-made UI components.

Cons

• Prototype Duplication: Prototypes can be a little difficult to duplicate.
• Button Visibility: Hiding the buttons on the screen can be a bit challenging.

5. Sketch

Sketch is a popular mobile app prototyping tool designed for Mac users. This is a vector-based tool, which means you can adjust shapes and graphics without quality loss. Sketch is used on Mac devices and handles complex projects efficiently, even with large files. 

There are several plugins available in it that help in making your prototypes unique. This tool is known for its smooth performance and flexible design options.

Features of Sketch

• Smart Layout: This feature allows you to easily adjust design elements.
• Developer Handoff Tools: These tools help developers to easily understand and implement designs.
• Design Mirroring: You can see your design changes in real-time.
• Shared Component Libraries: This feature allows you to reuse common design elements.
• iPhone App for Prototype Testing: With this, you can test your prototypes on an iPhone.
• Integrations: With Sketch you can use tools like Abstract, Flinto, Maze, Overlay, ProtoPie, and Zeplin.

Pros and Cons of Sketch

Pros

• Wide Variety of Plugins: There are many plugins available for your design.
• Works Offline: This tool works even without the internet.
• Short Learning Curve: It is easy to learn its use.

Cons

• Collaboration with Windows Users: Collaboration with Windows users can be a little tricky.
• Exclusive for macOS: It can only run on macOS.

6. Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a powerful tool for app developers that allows to create and generate high-quality prototypes quickly. It is proposed for UX designers to manage design, prototyping, and user experience all on the same platform. It integrates effectively with other Adobe Creative Cloud programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. 

The UI is clear and simple, with convenient drag-and-drop functionality. Adobe XD allows both novices and experts to simply develop interactive prototypes and immediately see their design ideas come to life.

Features of Adobe XD

• Design and Prototype in One Tool: Adobe XD provides both design and prototype functionalities on one platform.
• Seamless Integration: Good integration with Creative Cloud apps, like Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Interactive Prototypes: You can add transitions and animations to make the design interactive.
• Real-time Collaboration: Real-time collaboration and feedback integration with team members.
• Voice Prototyping: Facility to integrate voice interactions and commands into the prototype.

Pros and Cons of Adobe XD

Pros

• User-Friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive design which is easy even for beginners.
• High Performance: High-fidelity prototypes can be created quickly.
• Creative Cloud Integration: You can easily import assets from Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Real-time Collaboration: seamless collaboration and feedback integration with the team.

Cons

• Limited Free Features: Some features are restricted in the free plan, paid subscription is required.
• Learning Curve for Advanced Features: There may be a slight learning curve to fully utilize advanced features.

7. Mockplus

A program called Mockplus aids design teams in producing intricate prototypes rapidly. It is simple to use and compatible with many platforms, making it suitable for both novice users and designers. Design files from Sketch, Adobe XD, and Figma may be easily imported and converted into prototypes. 

All team members will be able to view these prototypes once they are uploaded to the cloud. Mockplus facilitates better teamwork and streamlines the prototype process.

Features of Mockplus

• Drag-and-Drop Prototyping: You can easily create prototypes by dragging and dropping elements.
• Auto-Generated Style Guides: Design style guides are automatically generated, making development easier.
• Smart Gestures and Animations: You can add gestures and animations for interactive prototypes.
• Full-View Storyboard: A full-view storyboard is available to visualize the flow of your prototype.
• Project Tree: A structured project tree to organize your projects.
• Interaction Cloning: An interaction can be duplicated and used in multiple elements.

Pros and Cons of Mockplus

Pros

• Extensive Library of Tutorial Videos: A library of tutorial videos helps you learn the tool.
• Proactive Support Team: The support team is always available to help.
• Built-in Task Management Feature: The task management feature helps in organizing and tracking projects.

Cons

• Switching Complexity: Switching from the management area to the design area can be a little complex.
• Learning Curve: There may be a slight learning curve in the beginning, but it gradually improves.

8. UXPin

UXPin is a powerful tool that helps designers create everything from simple static designs to fully animated prototypes without writing any code. It improves communication between design and development teams, making the design process faster and more efficient.

Features of UXPin

• No-Code Prototyping: The best feature of UXPin is that it allows you to create interactive prototypes without writing any code, which makes the design as well as development process very easy.
• Real-Time Collaboration: On a single project, You can collaborate in real-time with multiple team members, which you can quickly update based on designs and feedback.
• Automatic Documentation: This tool helps in designing your prototypes. It automatically generates specs and CSS code, providing the development team with the necessary details for implementation.
• Interactive States: UXPin allows you to easily design and prototype interactive states, which helps you accurately model real-world scenarios.
• User Feedback: You can share your prototypes and get user feedback, which helps you improve your designs.

Pros and Cons of UXPin

Pros

• Code and Specs Generation: UXPin automatically generates code snippets and design specs along with your prototypes, which speeds up the development process.
• Desktop Application: This tool is available for both Mac and Windows platforms, so you can work on your favorite device.
• Powerful Interaction Features: UXPin's interaction features are quite advanced, which helps in handling complex animations and transitions.

Cons

• Performance Issues: Sometimes UXPin can be slow with complex prototypes, which can cause lag and interruptions in the design process.
• Learning Curve: Experienced designers may find UXPin's shortcut commands a bit confusing, as they are a bit different from other tools.

9. Framer

Prototyping mobile apps has never been easier with Framer, an all-in-one tool that combines design and prototyping for fast and efficient prototype creation. With Framer, you can quickly and easily add intricate animations and transitions to your designs, providing a more engaging user experience.

Features of Framer

• Interactive Components: Framer provides you with pre-built and customizable components, so you can add easy transitions and interactive elements.
• Animation Library: This tool has a comprehensive animation library, with which you can create seamless animations.
• Freeform Canvas: Your design process becomes even more flexible because this tool provides you with a freeform canvas.
• Breakpoints: This feature helps you create responsive layouts for different screen sizes.
• SEO & Performance Tools: Framer also offers SEO and performance optimization tools, which improve your final product.
• Integrations: Framer integrates with popular tools like Formspark, Google Optimize, HubSpot, Intercom, Mailchimp, and Typeform. These integrations make your workflow even smoother.

Pros and Cons of Framer

Pros

• Easy Interactions: Prototyping makes interactions fun and simple, making the design process enjoyable.
• All-in-One Tool: You can design, draw, prototype, and publish all with one tool.
• Great Tutorials: Framer has excellent video tutorials that are helpful for beginners.

Cons

• Small Community: Framer has a small community, so if you have any problems, you can get help from the support team.
• Limited Grid Support: This tool does not support simultaneous grids, which may be problematic for some designers.

How to Select the Best Mobile App Prototyping Tools

Ease of Use

• The app's user-friendly UI is the initial consideration. You need a tool that is simple to use and learn if you are a newbie. When drag-and-drop functionality and pre-made templates are available, these tools are more beneficial.

Collaboration Features

• If your team has multiple members who are working together, then it is important to select a tool that facilitates real-time collaboration. This feature allows you and your team to work on designs at the same time, provide feedback, and easily track changes.

Integration with Design Tools

• Many projects use different design tools like Adobe XD, Sketch, or Figma. Therefore, you should select a mobile prototyping app that can easily integrate with these design tools. This integration will help you easily import your design assets and convert them into prototypes.

Interactive Prototyping Capabilities

• Interactivity is an important aspect of mobile apps. You need a tool that lets you add interactive elements to your prototype, like buttons, transitions, animations, etc. These features give your clients or stakeholders a better understanding of how the final app will look and function.

Platform Compatibility

• It is important to check whether the tool you are choosing is compatible with your desired platforms (like Android, and iOS). Many tools are limited to just one or two platforms, so ensure that your selected tool offers multi-platform support.

Cost and Licensing

• Budget is also a big factor. Many mobile prototyping tools are free or offer a free trial, but you may have to take a paid subscription for advanced features. You should choose the tool according to your budget and project requirements.

Step-by-step Process of Mobile App Prototyping

To understand the process of mobile application prototyping, we follow a step-by-step approach. 

so let's start:

Step 1: Define Your App’s Purpose

• First of all, you need to be clear about the purpose of your app, which means you need to understand what your app will be developed to achieve and who are your target users. In this step market research and analysis of user needs is done. This stage gives you a clear vision of what problem your app will solve and how it will be implemented.

Step 2: Sketching and Wireframing

• In this step, you create the basic design of your app. First of all, make rough sketches in which you outline the basic layout and features. This can start with pen and paper or use digital tools. In this stage, you create wireframes which are the blueprint of your app.

Step 3: Choose a Prototyping Tool

• Once your sketches are done, it's time to choose the right prototyping tool as per your needs and requirements. For beginners, tools like Adobe XD or Marvel are good, while experienced designers prefer advanced tools like Figma or InVision. These tools help you turn your sketches into an interactive digital prototype.

Step 4: Create a Digital Prototype

• In this step, you convert your sketches into digital form. Here you can design the screens of the app and add buttons, text, images, and other elements to them. This prototype is a working model of your app that is visual and interactive.

Step 5: Add Interactivity

• Now you have added interactivity to your prototype. This means that you create links between different screens to simulate user actions (e.g. clicking, scrolling). This step is necessary so that your prototype gets a realistic feel.

Step 6: Initial Testing and Iteration

• When your prototype is ready, you start testing it. During testing, you find flaws in usability and design. Then you make changes based on feedback and make the prototype even better. This process is repeated again and again until you get your desired results.

Step 7: Final Refinement

• Finally, you have given the final touch to your prototype. Here you give a professional look to your design by polishing colours, fonts, images, and details. This stage brings the prototype closer to the final product.

These steps simplify the process of mobile app prototyping and ensure that your final product is user-friendly and according to the market needs.

Build the Solutions of the Future with Mobile App Prototyping Tools

Using mobile app prototyping tools is a very important step in today's digital world, especially when you need to present your ideas visually. These tools help your design team effectively showcase their concepts, so you can develop a clear idea of ​​the final product before creating it. The biggest benefit of these tools is that you can get real-time feedback, making it easier to change your design as needed.

As of July 2024, mobile devices were responsible for 59.7% of the global web traffic. So when choosing good Prototyping tools, you must first understand the requirements of your project. Every project is different and its demands are also different. If you need high-fidelity prototypes or focus on animations, there are a few tools that are best for these features. On the other hand, if basic wireframes or low-fidelity prototypes are needed, choose tools that are simple and easy to use.

It is important to pay attention to user interface and usability while choosing a mobile app prototyping tool. The experience level of team members may be different, so it would be better to choose user-friendly tools. Complex tools can delay the project timeline.  For more information, about Mobile Application Development Framework you can check out our blog.

The Mobile App Prototype Examples

Verification Page Prototype

Suppose, you are designing the verification page of a mobile app where the user has to verify his identity. First of all, the prototype has a login screen, in which the user has to submit their Aadhaar card and PAN card details. The design of the verification page is simple and clear so that the user can easily understand what they have to do. In this prototype, placeholder text is given for each field, such as "Enter Aadhaar Number", "Upload Aadhaar Front and Back Side Photo", “Enter Pan Number” and “Enter Pan Card Photo”.

In the prototype of this page, we have ensured that all the required fields are properly marked, where the user does not have the option to proceed without Aadhaar and PAN details. In the prototype, we see that if the user does not enter the Aadhaar number or PAN details, the submit button will remain disabled. Additionally, a validation message is also shown in the prototype that prompts the user to fill in the missing information.

When the user enters all the details correctly and clicks the submit button, the next screen is loaded in the prototype showing the success message. If any information is incorrect or incomplete, the prototype also represents our error state, where the user is given the option to fill in the correct information.

This type of prototype visualizes how the app's verification process will work, and gives the developer or stakeholder a clear idea of ​​how the final product will look and function.

Conclusion

Mobile app prototyping tools are a powerful way to turn your ideas into reality. These tools help you gather early-stage feedback, detect design flaws, and refine the final product. By choosing the right tool, you can improve both the quality and efficiency of your project.

We hope that you will find this information useful. In the future also we will continue to meet with such valuable insights. Take care, and see you soon!