4 ms·

How to Prototype an App in 1 hour: meet POP

82 points by Wraecca 14y ago

samirahmed 14y ago
At a glance, this is a very creative way to fuse the best of digital prototyping with the spontaneity of hand drawn prototyping. However I believe that digital linking and editing stages would be easier if it were on a browser than an iphone.
- lmirosevic 14y ago
  I use pop a lot and its actually really easy and intuitive. Just my opinion.
  - stravid 14y ago
    Can I use it on an iPad? For non phone app prototypes an iPhone screen seems rather small.
gfodor 14y ago
POP is great and I use it not only for hand-drawn sketches but also for wireframes and comps too. Especially for an iPhone app with clever uses of comps and transitions you can pretty much demo what the final app is going to look like before writing any code.
- fakeer 14y ago
  What such options are the for an Android? Do they generate skeleton code?
  - focuser 14y ago
    You may want to check out this: http://jimulabs.com/ http://jimulabs.com/
    - ManuVollens 14y ago
      Nice! Thx for sharing.
  - dreamerslab 14y ago
    Android version is in private beta, should be ready this month.
rikacomet 14y ago
Hi, a great addition to the HN. I'm currently attending the SW, and since we are a little down on the developer side of things, I would love to check out what you shared above.
seivan 14y ago
Most good software engineers could probably prototype faster with code either html or cocoa.
- jarofgreen 14y ago
  I don't think it's aimed at software engineers
- rpc_was_taken 14y ago
  Really doubt it. And the idea behind paper prototyping is to be able to discard without regret. Once you code, you can get attached to your first ideas and not iterate, or iterate over some arbitrary restriction set by the tools. Paper prototyping makes it easy to "kill your darlings" without regret. More than that, the second and probably more important idea is to avoid the customer to get attached to an un-iterated design, and the "but it's almost done!" effect that can be devastating when negotiating times.
  - WayneDB 14y ago
    I don't doubt it...at least not for desktop or web apps, which are the kind that I build most of the time. Just this past Thursday, we found a new task that our call center would have to perform. I opened Visual Studio, created a new WinForms app and layed out the UI within 20 minutes. I emailed the screenshots to all the principles and got responses back within the hour.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
jayferd 14y ago
This is my new response to anyone who wants their design to "pop".
PAULHANNA84 14y ago
Seems ok but I would stick with Axure for wireframes and prototyping.
bambax 14y ago
1. > During workshops we don’t have time to learn people how to use software "teach" 2. The inventor of the PalmPilot used a prototype made of cardboard for months, to see if it was usable. He would bring it to meetings and "use" it to take notes like it was the real thing! Here's a pic of one of those prototypes in the Computer Museum in Palo Alto http://bambax.smugmug.com/Other/2012-10Californie/27080082_gbQz7C#!i=2272103432&k=v2tqR5s&lb=1&s=A http://bambax.smugmug.com/Other/2012-10Californie/27080082_g...
- ManuVollens 14y ago
  Thx for the feedback and the inspiring example!
dirkdk 14y ago
I personally prefer Prototyper by Appgyver (http://www.appgyver.com/prototyper http://www.appgyver.com/prototyper), editing your mockups from your computer with a mouse and keyboard.
taude 14y ago
On being a maker: Most non-designer/non-technical business types I know can pretty competently use tools like Keynote or Basalmiq Mockups to slap screens and ideas together. I'm not sure that hand drawing sketches out would be any faster for them. And then if you're paying for UI stencils to draw...what's the point? Maybe it's nice to take a break from looking at a computer screen? If learning Keynote or a tool like Basalmiq is too much of a learning curve, I'm not sure someone should even be working in the world of app design? I know non-technical people that downloaded some Keynote templates and were slapping together ideas in less than an hour after reading some quick tutorials. Also, as far as mobile prototyping goes, I'm a strong believer of higher-fidelity mockups since screen real estate is such a premium.
- ams6110 14y ago
  Using drawing software for prototypes has the disadvantage that there is a temptation to start tweaking nonessential details... fonts, shadows, colors, obsessing over alignment of widgets, etc. Pencil and paper doesn't have these problems except for the most anal-retentive of folks.
alok-g 14y ago
See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789281

82 points by Wraecca 14y ago

At a glance, this is a very creative way to fuse the best of digital prototyping with the spontaneity of hand drawn prototyping. However I believe that digital linking and editing stages would be easier if it were on a browser than an iphone.

lmirosevic 14y ago
I use pop a lot and its actually really easy and intuitive. Just my opinion.
- stravid 14y ago
  Can I use it on an iPad? For non phone app prototypes an iPhone screen seems rather small.

gfodor 14y ago

POP is great and I use it not only for hand-drawn sketches but also for wireframes and comps too. Especially for an iPhone app with clever uses of comps and transitions you can pretty much demo what the final app is going to look like before writing any code.

fakeer 14y ago
What such options are the for an Android? Do they generate skeleton code?
- focuser 14y ago
  You may want to check out this: http://jimulabs.com/ http://jimulabs.com/
  - ManuVollens 14y ago
    Nice! Thx for sharing.
- dreamerslab 14y ago
  Android version is in private beta, should be ready this month.

rikacomet 14y ago

Hi, a great addition to the HN. I'm currently attending the SW, and since we are a little down on the developer side of things, I would love to check out what you shared above.

seivan 14y ago

Most good software engineers could probably prototype faster with code either html or cocoa.

jarofgreen 14y ago
I don't think it's aimed at software engineers
rpc_was_taken 14y ago
Really doubt it. And the idea behind paper prototyping is to be able to discard without regret. Once you code, you can get attached to your first ideas and not iterate, or iterate over some arbitrary restriction set by the tools. Paper prototyping makes it easy to "kill your darlings" without regret. More than that, the second and probably more important idea is to avoid the customer to get attached to an un-iterated design, and the "but it's almost done!" effect that can be devastating when negotiating times.
- WayneDB 14y ago
  I don't doubt it...at least not for desktop or web apps, which are the kind that I build most of the time. Just this past Thursday, we found a new task that our call center would have to perform. I opened Visual Studio, created a new WinForms app and layed out the UI within 20 minutes. I emailed the screenshots to all the principles and got responses back within the hour.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

jayferd 14y ago

This is my new response to anyone who wants their design to "pop".

PAULHANNA84 14y ago

Seems ok but I would stick with Axure for wireframes and prototyping.

bambax 14y ago

1. > During workshops we don’t have time to learn people how to use software "teach" 2. The inventor of the PalmPilot used a prototype made of cardboard for months, to see if it was usable. He would bring it to meetings and "use" it to take notes like it was the real thing! Here's a pic of one of those prototypes in the Computer Museum in Palo Alto http://bambax.smugmug.com/Other/2012-10Californie/27080082_gbQz7C#!i=2272103432&k=v2tqR5s&lb=1&s=A http://bambax.smugmug.com/Other/2012-10Californie/27080082_g...

ManuVollens 14y ago
Thx for the feedback and the inspiring example!

dirkdk 14y ago

I personally prefer Prototyper by Appgyver (http://www.appgyver.com/prototyper http://www.appgyver.com/prototyper), editing your mockups from your computer with a mouse and keyboard.

taude 14y ago

On being a maker: Most non-designer/non-technical business types I know can pretty competently use tools like Keynote or Basalmiq Mockups to slap screens and ideas together. I'm not sure that hand drawing sketches out would be any faster for them. And then if you're paying for UI stencils to draw...what's the point? Maybe it's nice to take a break from looking at a computer screen? If learning Keynote or a tool like Basalmiq is too much of a learning curve, I'm not sure someone should even be working in the world of app design? I know non-technical people that downloaded some Keynote templates and were slapping together ideas in less than an hour after reading some quick tutorials. Also, as far as mobile prototyping goes, I'm a strong believer of higher-fidelity mockups since screen real estate is such a premium.

ams6110 14y ago
Using drawing software for prototypes has the disadvantage that there is a temptation to start tweaking nonessential details... fonts, shadows, colors, obsessing over alignment of widgets, etc. Pencil and paper doesn't have these problems except for the most anal-retentive of folks.

alok-g 14y ago

See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789281