Creating Convincing App Prototypes
I got access to the private beta of the Invision Craft tools other day and figured I’d show you some of what it can do. Craft is a set of tools that work inside Sketch.
Thoughts on Prototyping
As a designer and programmer I want to:
not just build the product right but also build the right product.
To do that I create prototypes and test them with my users. Unconvincing prototypes can distract the users with the risk of skewing the feedback I get. But 🕰 = 💰 and creating convincing prototypes used to take a lot of time. With the upcoming features of Craft this isn’t the case any more which is why I am really excited about it.
Features
I don’t know the exact features planed but I’d like to highlight a few currently available:
- Simple shortcut + drag’n’drop interface.
- Works within you Sketch design file (no extra file required).
- No coding.
- Access to native iOS stuff such as e.g. segues, camera, keyboards and email.
- Changes you make are live-synced to your prototype.
- Your prototypes are stored inside InVision Viewer for “offline” testing.
In short: Craft enables you to create a prototype in minutes that your test users will think is a real app.
Get Access
It is still in private beta and you can 📝 on silverflows.com. It crashes every now and then when creating a prototype but the actual prototype — the user facing part — seems production ready.
Demo Time:
I 🎥 this in two non-stop takes so please bear with me😊. Fullscreen video doesn’t seem to work on Medium so watch it on youtu.be/V4MXY7now54 and remember to set the quality to 1080p🤓.
PS: Feel free to ask me anything here below or on twitter.
My Setup
Apart from the apps already mentioned I’m using Reflector 2 to wirelessly mirror my iPhone for easy screen recording and keycastr to show what keys I press.
