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The key moment of every digital product creation process I’ve ever worked on occurs while prototyping. If you have to define new product features, sell your idea or raise funds, you need a prototype. In this article, I’ll break down four prototyping tools that are making my life easier.
When you are an entrepreneur –or are working with one– and want to build a digital product, you need to build a prototype first. That’s a golden rule. I’ve been working on the creation of digital products for a while now and I am 100% sure that a good prototype can make or break a startup.There’s a lot of risk in launching new product and no time or money to waste so you need to make sure you have the best tools, the right team and streamlined processes if you expect to succeed.
When building a mobile app prototype you need to produce something that’s usable and doesn’t look awful. Prototypes are just a way of translating your ideas into something people can test. You put a working wireframe in front of a user and you will quickly learn if they like (or know how to use) something.
Prototyping is an invaluable and pretty simple way of identifying and filling missing gaps in your idea. Every maker can make mistakes but prototyping is how you can make cheaper ones before making further investments in time and money.
I chose 4 no-code tools I discovered not long ago that help me build high-quality prototypes faster without depending on developers.
If you are building a mobile app prototype, need to save time and don’t have a team of developers working for you, Bravo Studio is a game changer.
It’s a new no code app builder that’s super easy to use and is specifically designed to help makers test their app ideas. It still lacks several features but it is the right way to go when you need to test a prototype really quickly without writing a single line of code. There’s a learning curve but it’s not that steep and once you get through it and learn how it works, there’s design flexibility and lots of features.
You can get started for free and you can access tutorials, resources, crash courses and videos here.
Here are some examples of apps built with Bravo Studio: WePlant, Cafe Barcelona, NextLive, Today.
Watch Femke review about Bravo Studio
Bubble is a powerful and fully customizable platform for creating web apps. If you are looking to create interactive, multi-user app prototypes for desktop and mobile web browsers, Bubble is just what you need.
The free plan enables you to learn how the platform works and build your web app prototype. Plus, it has its own Academy where they cover everything you need to get started from navigating the interface to expert features.
Once you test your prototype you can continue building your product on Bubble to release an MVP.
Here are some examples of web apps built with Bubble: Qoins, Equina, Messly, Uneebo, Teeming.
Carrd is a tool to create simple, free and fully responsive one-page sites. If you want to prototype a service idea, a marketing page, a product landing or anything that fits in a one-page site, choose Carrd. You can start with one of dozens of templates (or a blank canvas) and make it your own. It’s really fast and user friendly.
There’s also a pro version where you can add custom domains, forms, widget, embeds and analytics. Plus, you can learn tips and tricks about Carrd here.
Here are some examples of one-page sites built with Carrd: Disney+ Rebuild, Nocolo, Really Good Questions, Doggie Dreams.
You may also want to test something else such as an interactive experience or a game you are planning to release. One tool that’s interesting is GameFroot. I’ve used it to test a learning game prototype and believe it’s pretty cool and innovative.
It's a cloud based online platform for making 2D games. They combine a visual drag & drop coding interface and an easy level editor to democratize game development. There are game kits and templates that will help you out.
These are 4 apps that I find really interesting but I’d love to hear more especially if they are no-code. Please remember to prototype and test before investing time and money in something you don’t know if it’s going to work. Lower the risk, learn from your audience, choose the right tools and do it quickly!
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