Digital product creation is a multi-stage process that is extremely complex and involves many specialists. One of the most important stages in the app development process is design prototyping.
The main tools during prototyping are specialized software that helps designers create high-quality prototypes that will form the basis for the design of future applications. We decided to create a list of 11 popular solutions that you can use in your prototyping process in order to improve the overall pipeline and the quality of your prototypes. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
12 Digital Solutions for Design Prototyping
Note: First, it should be said that the places on this top do not reflect the quality of the software product. All places in it are conditional since we have only collected 11 different programs that are worthy of your attention and do not emphasize that one is better than the other.
Table of Contents
#1. Mockplus RP
Mockplus RP is a quicker and simpler prototyping tool. If you're a beginner, Mockplus RP is really easy to use as it offers pre-built static and interactive UI components, and gorgeous icons that are appropriate for any design conditions. It also includes a library of customizable online and mobile application templates. Additionally, Mockplus RP offers a free subscription that gives you unlimited time to develop 3 prototypes.
#2. InVision Studio
For more than ten years, InVision has firmly held its position in the prototyping software market and is not going to give up its positions. This program is constantly evolving, introducing new features and various quality-of-life improvements. A wide range of tools allows you to create complex prototypes, and sharing functions allow you to easily demonstrate them to a client or other colleagues.
Another advantage is the ability to work together on one project through the features of comments and notes, which significantly speeds up the work on prototypes and their approval.
#3. Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a feature-rich tool for creating prototypes of any complexity, from simple wireframes to complex functional prototypes with many animated elements. Adobe XD (like any other product of this company) is merged into a global ecosystem of other Adobe services, such as Illustrator and Photoshop. This allows you to seamlessly edit the prototype all its levels by seamlessly switching between different Adobe editors. The program is constantly improving, and the developers regularly add new features that make the life of designers easier.
#4. Webflow
Webflow is a rather unusual design solution, as it allows designers to kill birds in the air in one shot. During the development of a layout (for example, a website), in addition to a working prototype design, Webflow generates a valid HTML document, a CSS layout, and the necessary JavaScript scripts that are needed for all created elements to work. And this whole process takes place behind the scenes of the program. And it's all wrapped up in an intuitive drag and drop interface.
#5. Axure RP 9
This is another solution that makes the work of both designers and developers easier, as it also knows how to generate code based on the created prototype. Axure RP 9 is a good solution for prototyping of any complexity that helps developers and designers to cooperate more conveniently during the creation process thanks to a convenient documentation system and access rights.
#6. Origami Studio
Even at the dawn of its creation, Origami Studio was a tool for Facebook developers, but after a while, this program was provided to designers from all over the world, and it immediately gained popularity. The main feature of this program is a patch editor for creating the behavior logic of animations and other elements of the prototype. A huge number of patches are already available immediately, which allows you to create really great prototypes of digital products right out of the box.
#7. Justinmind
Justinmind is gaining a growing audience thanks to its large arsenal of features for professional prototyping. The drag-and-drop feature is something that many designers have noted and put on a plus for the platform due to its intuitiveness. In addition, the program has a huge number of user libraries that are full of additional tools for creating more complex and unique designs.
#8. Sketch
Many designers will immediately think of Sketch as one of the most popular tools for prototyping digital product designs. The program has an incredible level of convenience. For example, commonly used design elements can be used across projects using Smart Layout. In addition, Sketch has a convenient set of shortcuts that reduce to a minimum the number of clicks that are required in order to get to the screens of the desired features.
#9. Fluid UI
We also do not forget about the needs of novice designers, and Fluid UI is one of these solutions. This program is full of libraries for material design, iOS and Windows app development, and other useful features that are essential to kick off your design career. In addition, the tool has a simple interface that facilitates faster learning of the program, which is critical for beginners.
#10. Principle
The last place of our top is Principle, which is created to develop interactive design prototypes with complex animations and various interactive elements. The application has an intuitive timeline similar to video editing applications, which allows you to tweak the animation of the prototype frame by frame. In addition, all animation frames can be easily imported into Figma, Principle.
#11. Marvel
Marvel is a solution that allows you to create prototypes of designs for free without feeling any constraints in functionality compared to paid versions. The main feature of this solution is a complete departure from static layouts and a focus on interactive prototypes. Also, in addition to this, the user gets the opportunity to conveniently transfer layouts and code to programmers and features for joint work with notes, comments, and history of changes.
#12. Figma
Figma is the first software that comes to mind when it comes to digital design. All thanks to accessibility on any device. However, these are far from all the advantages of this utility.
Designers praise Figma with incredibly flexible styles that let you create anything, and that can be customized to suit any design need. Apart from that, Figma is great for working with animated elements, thanks to the Figmotion plugin.
Wrapping Up
So, we have brought you 11 great design prototyping solutions that are popular in 2021. Each of them has its own chips that can be key for your choice. You just have to figure out how you want to improve the prototyping process in your company and choose the most suitable solution that will satisfy both you and your design team.
Vitaly Kuprenko is a technical writer at Cleveroad, a web and mobile app development company in Ukraine. He enjoys writing about tech innovations and digital ways to boost businesses.