Paper prototype design, as a traditional prototype design method, is simple, fast and cheap, which is favored by most designers. Desktop prototype tool design, as a prototype design method with the development of computer science and technology, fast and comprehensive, efficient fidelity, dynamic effect sensitive, professional quality, once launched, it is favored, rapidly popularized in the designer community. But as a WEB or mobile application UX/UI designer, which of them do you prefer or prefer to use for your UX/UI design? In order to facilitate your choice, here are the advantages and disadvantages of the two prototype design methods for designers, hoping to help you:
First, what is paper prototyping?
In general, paper prototyping refers to the widespread use by UX/UI designers of expressing design ideas through office tools such as paper, pen, scissors, and post-it notes. In other words, it is the process by which designers prototype various web or mobile application components (such as software interfaces, buttons and components) on paper and test their design concepts to see if they are feasible and applicable. So, in this sense, it’s also an important way for designers to create prototypes and get feedback as quickly as possible from real users or designers about the usefulness of their designs.
What is desktop prototyping tool design?
Different from paper prototype design, desktop prototype tool design is a design method based on desktop prototype tool to realize web or mobile software application prototype design. Desktop prototyping is a design tool that can be installed on a desktop to help UX/UI designers create and improve application prototyping individually or as a team. Moreover, software prototypes made by excellent prototyping tools are generally detailed, interactive and diverse, which can show the real interface and interaction of software in a more comprehensive way. As a result, they are typically very close to the final product and play an important role in developing a good user experience for web or mobile applications for designers, product managers and software engineers.
What are the differences between paper prototyping and desktop prototyping tool design?
In fact, both paper prototyping and desktop prototyping have their own pros and cons when it comes to software UX/UI design. For the convenience of everyone to distinguish and choose, a simple comparison of them:
1). Advantages of paper prototyping:
* Easy to quickly implement design ideas change
As a paper-based design approach, paper-based prototyping allows designers to quickly change ideas for application prototypes simply by drawing new components, buttons, and part cards. Where the design is not good, or have a new idea, a new drawing, and then useless or bad design directly into the trash can. Easy and fast, no worries.
* Low cost, low input
All you need to create a paper prototype is an office of paper, pens, scissors, post-it notes and other tools that are cheap and inexpensive.
* accessible
To complete a prototype on paper, designers simply draw the design from their ideas with a paintbrush, without using other complicated tools. Simple, easy to use, and low learning cost.
Disadvantages of paper prototyping:
* Unable to add sensitive interactions and animations
Designers, though, can “interact” with paper prototypes by preparing multiple prototype buttons or part cards in advance. But this interaction is also very limited, and very poor in flexibility and operability. Not to mention, paper prototypes don’t support animation at all.
* Inconvenient feasibility tests
Even with the addition of moving software enclosures, tables, and components, there is a limit to how far a paper prototype can be tested. Moreover, the manual exchange of various parts card back and forth, the operation is not very convenient.
* A paper prototype doesn’t show the full details of an app prototype
Paper prototypes usually require hand-drawn prototype parts by designers, and are more used to show the general process of application prototypes, interface distribution and the design of some important parts. Therefore, it is not suitable and cannot fully present all the details of the software.
* Drawing on paper takes a lot of time and energy
Prototyping on paper also takes time and effort.
2). Advantages of desktop prototyping tool design:
* Show application details in detail
Most of the best desktop prototyping tools today come with a powerful component library and icon library that UX/UI designers can use to drag and drop application prototype components and images to show the software in great detail. Mockplus, for example, which I’ll cover below, encapsulates more than 200 components and 3,000 ICONS for all the components and ICONS you need to design any type of software.
* Quickly add a variety of interactions, animations and transformations
Unlike paper prototypes, desktop prototyping tools allow designers to add various interactions, animations, and transformations directly to web or mobile application prototypes, making them more intuitive and closer to the final product.
* Easy software feasibility and usability testing
Because the software application prototype created by desktop prototyping tool generally has rich dynamic effects and details, it is often used by designers to test the feasibility and practicability of their software prototype scheme. Moreover, because they are so close to the final design of the software, they are often used by designers as a general design of the software in order to get real user or designer feedback as quickly as possible.
* Simple prototype preview, cloud synchronization and sharing
Today, many of the most useful desktop prototyping tools come with prototype project previews, cloud syncing and sharing, making it easy for designers or product managers to share prototyping resources and designs.
* Achieve teamwork
Desktop prototyping tools can also help designers work together to edit and improve a team prototyping project.
Disadvantages of desktop prototyping tool design:
It takes time to learn prototyping tools
As one of many desktop tools, prototyping takes time to learn. It’s not as simple as a prototype on a piece of paper.
* Relatively higher costs and inputs
Instead of using inexpensive office tools like paper, pens, and scissors, prototyping often requires the designer to purchase prototyping tools. Therefore, relatively speaking, the cost and input will be higher.
3). Which method should be used to better complete the prototype design?
In fact, I’m more of a proponent of using both approaches to create better application prototypes. For example, in the early days of prototyping, a quick and concise paper prototype makes it easier for designers to hone and change their design ideas as quickly as possible. Then, when the idea is more mature, and discussed with the relevant designer or product manager, using a more comprehensive desktop prototyping tool design, it is easier for the designer to create and present a professional, high-fidelity, dynamic rich, beautiful interface of the website or mobile application prototype.
Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable prototyping on paper or by hand, you can always use desktop prototyping tools.
It is important to choose a desktop prototyping tool that is useful and appropriate for you.
What are some great free prototyping tools worth trying out?
After learning more about the differences between paper prototyping and desktop prototyping, can’t resist the temptation to try desktop prototyping? Here are two great free prototyping tools:
1). Mockplus
Supported platforms: Windows and Mac OS
Mockplus is a free, simple and quick desktop prototyping tool. It provides many powerful features for designer users:
* It’s a simple, fast, user-centric prototyping tool
Mockplus designs every action, button, option, and function of the tool as simple and fast as possible to meet the various UI/UX design needs of both novice and veteran designers. For example, prototyping software with Mockplus allows designers and product managers to quickly create, delete, save, sync in the cloud, preview, and share individual or team projects with one click. And by simple drag and drop, realize the flexible interaction between components, components and web pages as well as between web pages.
* Encapsulates a powerful component and icon library
Mockplus provides more than 200 components and 3,000 icon libraries that make it easy to add software prototype parts by dragging and dropping.
There are 8 ways to preview and share prototypes
To make it easy for designers to preview and share various prototype projects, Mockplus offers eight ways to preview and share. For example, direct export prototype image preview, export demo package preview, export HTML preview, direct export project tree preview and quick scan preview.
* Support team work
Mockplus allows multiple designers to create team projects that work together to edit and promote the same prototype project. Designers working on team projects can also review, comment on, and add comments to team projects.
* Provides a variety of project examples and template support
Mockplus encapsulates numerous project examples and templates for designers to import, edit, and create new application prototypes.
* Achieve batch replication
Its new individual functionality allows designers to directly bulk copy the desired component or group of parts.
* Support automatic filling of pictures and text
Mockplus provides auto-fill functionality that supports bulk filling of text and images.
* Low learning cost, Mockplus can be played in 10 minutes
As a simple and quick prototyping tool, Mockplus is also one of the cheapest prototyping apps to learn, with just 10 minutes to play.
No matter what type of application you need to prototype, Mockplus is simple, quick and comprehensive.
2). Balsamiq
Supported platforms: Windows and Mac OS
Balsamiq is a simple wire-frame prototyping tool with a unique hand-drawn style. It aims to provide designers with the experience of drawing a prototype directly on paper with a pencil. Therefore, it is deeply loved by some designers who love hand-painted prototypes. Balsamiq also supports online teamwork on wireframing projects.
So if you like to hand-draw various wireframes in pencil or need to work together online, Balsamiq is a great choice.
Conclusion:
There are a variety of ways to prototype web or mobile software, whether it’s on paper or desktop prototyping tools, but the ones that are right for you are the most useful. Therefore, you need to choose the design method according to your own design requirements. For example, if you just want to choose a design approach that allows you to quickly change prototyping ideas, paper prototyping is a good choice. If you’re looking for a quick way to take an idea and turn it into a high-fidelity, dynamic, and professional-looking prototype, a desktop prototyping tool like Mockplus, which is simple and quick, is a great choice.