Demand More For Your Application & Business
Merging Imagination & Technology for your application
Making Digital Platform Eye Pleasing
Proving Easy User Experience
Plan, Launch, Expand
Since every business model is trying to lay a strong foundation on this new platform, any small mistake or defect can prove harmful for the business. Application is the new trend which is here to stay. Businesses first resist the new changes to keep their traditional curve and authenticity alive and then are found embracing these new trends in their own ways. Be it food delivery, grocery shopping, booking medical appointments or even looking for real estate, every service is now a tap away. the knowledge and our day to day activities are shifted into a strange mobile phone but that's what change is.
To build an application is a task. It is a draining job which requires skills, expertise and appropriate technical know-how. It is a journey which takes life when you start to have ideas and jot them down to make something out of it. There are many factors involved that make your application success in the market like, if you want a large number of audience traffic for your mobile application, user experience isn't something you can overlook. Businesses in a digital economy operate well only when they go an extra mile to give consumers, even more, ease and comfort. And to give consumers this amount of convenience through an application requires app prototyping.
John Maeda once said, " If a picture is worth 1000 words, a prototype is worth 1000 meetings."Wikipedia offers such a definition: “A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process, or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.” App prototyping is nothing but a mockup, a demonstration of how the final product will function and look. The process goes through several stages, initially starting with the use of paper interface turning into an interactive one and finally comes through with a finished product. At first, it a just a quick brainstorming session of any kind of creative ideas we can come up with. This is done with the collaboration of both, the client and the developing team. You can literally be open to so many ideas and play with them as during this process, there are no limits to imagination and you can think out of the box. Then comes the interactive session during which, the team of developers build on those ideas. they create a clickable prototype to validate how the application would interact with the consumers, what's the user experience like and work out the UI/UX designs. People hire different UI/UX designers to deliver a finished product which is free of kinks and defects. They make sure that it has been very well tested before being launched. This is one of the most essential stages for building an app since it cuts costs and eliminates the extra costs for fixing shortages. It detects the misunderstandings between both the parties which are definitely a huge relief. With that, it makes it possible to clarify and extract the defects. Also, it helps in determining the future of the application and how well it will perform in the market, as it navigates the app from a users perspective. Since it has various stages, it helps in knowing the most focused and costly areas in that particular app.
There are Several Approaches you can apply to make a Mobile App Prototype: Here's one!
1. Research: Undertaking research never really comprise your authentic ideas. It only offers more insight and knowledge to the whole process. Yes, it comes with a little bit of intimidation at first but that fades away after a while. Research the tools that are available and feasible for you to acquire. It helps address the problems you are trying to solve as well as the services you are trying to provide. Through that you can start building a prototype.
2. Paper Prototype: We'll go old school on this one. Just take a pen and paper and write down, scribble and pen any relevant idea that you think would work on your application. It's a quick job to help visualise the idea. It should have a simple nature without giving details to design, colour or art. This small step will kick start your journey of curating an application. Making a paper prototype can be done almost anywhere and anytime without any requirements other than a pen, paper, working hands and your minds. You don't need any experience to have an idea and give it life. In addition to this, making a prototype on paper is the most cost-effective option in the market.
3. Interactive Digital Prototype: Preparing an interactive digital prototype is the next step in the journey of making a mobile application. It mainly focuses on app architecture. Again, this doesn't require any kind of details. This step is only present to give life to the application and design a wireframe. This gives an image of how the app would look like, digitally. Through making a digital prototype, you can receive relevant feedback from people as to how it looks like to them and also, share it via different mediums, easily. Many tools are equipped with all kinds of technology which can be used to create digital prototypes i.e. POP ( Prototyping On Paper ) by marvel, inVision, Figma, Principle etc.
4. Turning it Into a Wireframe : This is a low key simplified designed which involves boxes, outlines, words and even descriptions. A wireframe can be identified as the skeleton for the application. It focuses on functionality and not let you get lost in the sea of getting the details and aesthetics right. Wireframes are very easy and fast to create. In addition to it, these are rough designs which you can show to anyone and not get criticised for it not being a sophisticated product.
5. Turning wireframes into a prototype: This is one of the crucial steps as it unravels your app and provides a realistic experience. This integrates the wireframes and the element collages ( act as catalysts which edges towards a finished look and feel ). This is the final steps that proceed towards building a prototype that uses HTML 5, JAVASCRIPT or SWIFT etc. languages.
Benefits of App Prototyping
1. Short development time: Without proving to be a significant risk to the budget, prototyping takes very short development time. It helps the developer to think on quick feet and develop ideas fast, jot them down and come up with a design. This is a haven for the developers who have creative ideas giving them a medium to express it.
2. Doesn't require specific skills: It takes the least amount of energy and gives out maximum output. The process has the least amount of complications involved which is very easy to learn and use. You can either be a professional programmer or an amateur who just have great ideas and wants to channel them, a rough design can be prepared by almost anyone.
3. Low Prices: This is probably the most cost-effective way to create something you can be proud of. These are a great way to experiment and play around with ideas through which something worth attention comes out.
4. Involves everyone in the design: The making of an application only involves those experts who have the technical know-how of how tools can be used to make an app. But during the design process i.e. when people are in the initial stages, you can involve any person and bounce ideas off of each other. The client, as well as developers, if communicate well during this stage, the app can actually do wonders.
5. Bridge the gap between Designers and Developers: As every single job profile has become more and more complex over the years, there are different experts for every single profile. The designers have deep skills in creating the kind of art which interacts and conveys the message while the developers are experts in providing a space where your designs can work and also, to create an app without any defects. These professional residing in different fields play with their strengths and bring the finest results. Whenever a design is made, it is passed down to the developer who inserts it well in the app and sees how it can work efficiently.
6. More Predictability: Whenever a prototype is completed, it is shared among different social media platforms or groups who give their feedbacks. This provides an idea to the developers as to how an app would perform in the market. It helps identify its strong points and the factors causing any kind of setback. Also, it helps predict the amount of money and time required to build the entire application.
7. Clarity & Vision: To understand what the needs of the application are and tools required to weave those needs into it requires clarity and vision. This can only be realized by creating a prototype for your application. To make sure that the finished product is neither surprising nor disappointing to the stakeholders, it is best to show them the rough ideas and getting the validation.
Tested Apps Heighten user Experience :
1. App prototyping ensures that the finished product gives out the kind of user experience which was initially intended for the public. The functional aspect and easy navigation are crucial for the success and the prototype rules out any kind of glitches or errors.
2. In the process of making an app, it helps to get the feedback at that time only and all the changes are made according to those comments. This proves advantageous as it uses up less and less amount of costs and time.
3. During the app prototyping, it allows the developer to try out and experiment with different tools and designs to see which functions most efficiently.
4. App prototyping explores all kinds of functions of the app to see if there are any errors and fix them in the initial stages only because once the app is finished, it is difficult to go back and fix it.
5. These are the best option to decide the kind of detailing and specifications one wants in an application. The option of app prototyping provides that.
It is important to use good and quality tools for quality results. Prototyping isn't as easy as this sounds. This is one of the initial steps towards a successful app. Since, everyone says that it starts with an idea, even making an application first starts with an idea. If every step is carried out well, after the app launch, it attracts more and more crowd towards it. The idea is the main source of all the benefits which comes in future and app prototyping is all about bouncing and playing around with different ideas until that productive one comes and hits you in the head. During this process, you are not trapped with limitations.
Without creating a prototype, the idea might seem good but when you start developing the app based on that, it might not be feasible or even possible. This results in sheer wastage of time and resources. Whereas, if you create an app prototype, it sets a clear image of how the app will look, the resources required, if the idea is possible and also brings a level of certainty which is a huge relief for both the developer as well as the client.
During the process of prototyping, the users might have some insights when you show them a rough sketch. Basically, through this particular approach, it only results in improvement as it is a rough stage and the developer is open to ideas. It gives the exact amount of time frame and the money required including miscellaneous expenses which are needed when the application is actually developed. Prototyping even goes on to clarify and show how much the developers are devoted and ' sure ' about their idea. This somehow helps to convince the investor to give out his money for good and something meaningful. Through this, you can actually channel your imagination and creativity towards a product which can actually come to life and not just remain in your head.
Spider India is a recognized firm working in Chennai, India. It is a mobile app development company which would answer to your all kinds of application needs. We have a dedicated team for design as well as development for the app. Communicate with us, tell us your requirements and we will come up with the right solutions. Making specialized apps for your company and providing unforgettable services is our motive. We help make your digital aspirations a reality. From developing an application, communicating and implementing your own creativity and providing the best marketing strategies for the success of your application is what we strive to give.
When every aspect of the business is already a risk, why take one more and remain ambiguous?
