Native Prototyping

Native Prototyping At the core prototyping are stories about the future, they are used by mobile application development companies for creating a shared sense of our current state, future vision and the path we are going to take to get there.

When we use Native prototyping, it calls for getting your hands dirty, meaning writing some code, this can mean writing android application with Java, iOS app development with swift, and HTML, CSS & Java Script for the Browser.

As much as possible this is done using real devices, real data and real users. The goal is to leverage technology to really bring your ideas to life. This will let you start testing in real world scenarios and start pitching your idea to users and stakeholders.

When you prototype natively you will start building and testing your design ideas on real devices.

Think of this as an extension of you design process. All this technology will become your new canvas and the code you write becomes your new paint brush.

We all know that building an experience for our phone is important, but how does the experience of your product change if the user interact with it using a watch, in the home, on the TV or in a virtual world. Thinking about how your product is experienced in the real world is the primary purpose of native prototyping.

This type of prototyping requires strong technical proficiency, you will also need to be proficient in the eco-system and SDKs of whatever platform you are building on, it can be android, iOS, web browser or even hardware platforms like Arduino.

Nowadays our devices are loaded with technology like gyroscope, accelerometers, speakers, cameras, microphones, and the GPS. All of these are important part of the technology that helps shape the experience the users have with the product.

And they all are hard to prototype using traditional design tools such as sketch and photoshop, or even digital prototyping tools from before. So sometimes the best way of prototyping an experience is by writing code.

But when you prototype you have a much different intent, this is referred to as the “hacker’s mentality”. You will be exploring, taking a lot of risk, and probably a lot of short-cuts in your code. As you explore, this is a great opportunity to try out specific libraries and frameworks and access weather they are a good fit for your product.

It is important to remember that prototyping is meant to be low commitment, so feel free to dispose of code whenever deemed necessary.

Now that you have got a solid baseline on all the technologies you use for your app, you need to consider how the user will respond to your new features. One of the main benefits of native prototyping is that you’ll have a realistic experience that you can put in the hands of your users to collect valuable feedback because a good user experience is much more than just the look and feel of your application.

Designing for your target market means making an investment in understanding how your users will react to the layout, animation, and input characteristics of the experience. Seeking validation earlier 1

in the product lifecycle will help you identify the features that most resonate with your users and focus your design and development efforts in that direction.

Integrating the simple process of design, prototype, test, validate, and then back to design in your workflow will afford you the opportunity to craft more delightful moments into your app and hit the sweet spot with your audience.

When seeking feedback from your users be direct with the questions you hope to answer using the prototype. Ask for specific actionable assessments on the important elements of your core journey, you may be surprised to learn that the features that are important to you might not be as important to your users. This helps building on the technological choices made along the way and you can gain better understanding of the whole experience.

Pitching your Idea Once you are done its time for putting your idea out there. It’s one thing to explain your vision to someone but what if you can hand it to them and have them feel and experience it all for themselves.

Prototypes are used to tell stories of your ideas, you can start pitching at any time but when you have invested time into exploring and validating with prototyping you can tell a very compelling story. Because you can prove through the feedback and data that you have accumulated that your idea has a strong value proposition.

Therefore, it’s advised to invest in native prototyping before getting locked heavily into the engineering phase. Use the process to build strong arguments why your products will succeed and let the prototypes be the proof.

Native prototyping can be used any time in the product lifecycle whether it’s a new product or an upgrade to an existing feature. Prototyping with real devices, real data and users will help you find your place in the market.

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