Tools for Android and iOS Prototyping

Application prototyping has always been a great pain for designers and developers. Creating application interface with responsive mobile technologies is not effective and mostly demands hundreds of lines of a JavaScript code and depicting touch gestures with annotations.

It is not intuitive. It is really chaotic when you are pitching your application in front of the public and say something like “imagine how the toolbar is now swooshing in from the top of the screen” while desperately waving your hands and trying to imitate the gestures of a touch.

When we were high school students, such presentations were funny. However, now you probably want to strive for something a bit higher.

Fortunately, there are tools that allow an easy way of creating mobile prototyping app. In this article, we will consider some of them and their main features.

Making a prototype app with Proto.io

Proto.io is a platform designed for app prototyping. It was developed by Labs Division of SNQ Digital and launched in 2011. Initially designed for mobile devices prototyping, Proto.io has extended to provide prototype applications for every item with a screen interface like digital camera interfaces, Smart TV’s, airplanes, cars, and gaming consoles. This service does not require coding and utilizes a convenient user interface.

For several years, Proto.io has been creating tools for prototyping mobile apps and solutions. Recently they have introduced a new item that enables to view prototypes for iOS and Android apps in a more realistic way.

Proto.io player allows users to test application prototypes for iOS and Android. It is a helpful tool that can improve the way you present an application.

For an average user, it means that they have an opportunity to edit a prototype quickly and view it as a mobile app. Other similar tools allow doing this on a mobile browser only.

The other great thing about Proto is that its tools are easy to use. Even if you are not a Photoshop designer, you will be able to create nice prototypes with it. The elements could be easily dragged and dropped onto the screen. You can add images, buttons, and text, as well as links to the other screens.

If this is not enough for you and you want to have your design under a full control, you can customize your mobile app prototype. You can start with a blank template or project and create your way to a final version of a prototype.

Interface is rather simple and intuitive. In fact, you can easily learn it by just fiddling around than following tutorials. Take some time to explore interface, the rest will depend on your ideas and creativity.

Creating a mobile prototype with Fluid UI

Fluid UI is another alternative for creating prototype mobile apps. It is a browser-based prototyping and wire framing tool created by Fluid Software. It is used to craft easy and fast design of mobile touch interfaces. Fluid UI can be used for dynamic mobile application prototypes for iOS and Android. Fluid UI has prestigious clients like Samsung, Google, eBay and NASA and offers great features that differentiate these services from others.

Fluid is a great HTML5 interface prototyping service that allows users to create prototypes rapidly by using pre-built widgets and arranging them into a drag-and-drop editor. The first great thing about it is that it enables collaboration and iteration between the members of the team. This service allows building multi-screen prototypes connected to each other. It helps to export the screen flows, share and collaborate with the other people.

Fluid UI is an editor that allows you construct the elements and mix them the way you like. It seems a little bit more “unfinished” than Proto.io. However, it is not a bad thing because most applications don’t need any overloaded and overdone features at the stage of prototyping.

It allows you to create screens at the first onset. Its features for prototyping apps are pretty comfortable, and it has more drag and drop functions than any other tool.

There are many interface elements available with Fluid UI. With this service, you will easily create your Android, W8 or iOS prototype.

The right way of prototyping: summing it up

Fluid UI and Proto.io have different approaches to providing prototyping services. Noticeably, the main difference is in the User Experience. Personally, we cannot say that one is better than another because their approaches and philosophies are different. In fact, Fluid UI and Proto.io are both worth your consideration.

The best decision is to try the one and the other and determine which one is the most relevant to your specific needs. Try both of them and write us about your experience and thoughts. If you know any other helpful services that suit to the topic, let us know and leave your comment below.