In this competitive world, every month, there are thousands of apps being added to the app store, from which only 41% of the apps generate revenue, which can recover the investment. With this type of ratio, the biggest challenge to successfully launch a mobile app is getting proper investment.
On the other hand, if we talk about mobile app investors, they meet a plethora of pitches every day in their inboxes. Therefore, getting investment for a new app is tough. But if one has a proper understanding of creating a mobile app and launching a prototype for a mobile app, then that can help differentiate your startup from the rest.
There are many ways to maximize the chances of investment for your mobile app, and one of them is mobile app prototyping. Today, we will have a look at how to prototype an app to impress the investors.
Mobile App Wireframe (App Prototyping) – A Step by Step Guide
1. Define Your Mobile App
The first step is to write down a definition of the mobile app. A definition must explain the problems the mobile app aims to solve.
This first step of defining the mobile app must explain the What? Why? Of the app.
Mobile prototyping must get correct to make users install the app and use it daily. For instance, if your mobile app aims to join local bakers with the people who want to buy freshly baked cookies and cakes. Then this can be a simple P2P app that connects consumers and bakes. This can work at the starting phase to make everyone understand about your app.
Besides this, one must consider its unique selling point while thinking about how to prototype a mobile app. For example, the USP of your app can be that it gives a chance to small local bakers to grow their businesses, and people can get homemade like bakery products.
2. Research
When one has an idea of a new app, the next part is not to directly open the best free wireframe tools but to understand whether the concept is viable. Therefore, research is one of the most critical steps while prototyping a mobile app.
Research can help in understanding the end-users perspective. This can reduce the risk of app failure.
3. Create User Personas
With the help of the research, you can understand the market and make sure that where your app is likely to fit.
Creating personas is a practice that can help you contextualize your app and visualize your key audience. This type of practice is used in mobile app design to represent a major group of the mobile app. It can express the needs & expectations of the users and help in knowing the universal features of mobile applications.
4. Wire framing the Interface of Mobile App
After carrying out the research and understanding the users’ needs, the next step in prototyping a mobile application is app wireframing. The wireframe is an essential part of a mobile app.
The best way of designing a mobile app is by using simple drag and drop in prototyping tools. This fully functional mobile app wireframe can be whipped up in no time. The most important thing about interactive wireframing is that it can instantly change the structure to ensure great usability.
Wireframe helps in gaining clarity when it comes to new functionality in the mobile app prototyping process.
5. App Testing
The next step after redefining the wireframe is to put the mobile app prototype to the test. This step of the mobile app development process offers opportunities to learn and tweak the app.
One of the most common mobile app testing methods is usability testing. It determines how usable the app is and whether the user likes the app or not.
6. Refining the Mobile App Prototype
After gathering the information from the usability test, one can discover the unnoticed points in their app.
Usability testing might make the navigation flow of your app more clear than before. So after collecting the feedback from the stakeholders and users, you can decide which changes can make the most significant impact.
Benefits of Mobile App Prototyping
- Instant Feedback: Feedback is one of the most important parts when it comes to the app development process. By prototyping your mobile app, mobile app developers can understand their users and their needs.
- Bugs Prevention: One of the reasons for apps failing is that the app developers understand too late that they passed over something important in the development process. Therefore, to avoid any problems or bugs, it is essential to create a mobile app prototype for different devices.
- Client & Stakeholder Involvement: In the process of app prototyping, involving important stakeholders is beneficial for planning. They might have something in mind that can help be a long-term strategy for the app. Similarly, when top clients get to try the app for the first time, they might have suggestions that would make the app more user friendly.
- Money-Saving: The mobile app development process can be costly. Therefore, planning the future project and prototyping, it can help in avoiding bad results.
Conclusion
The mobile app wireframe process demonstrates how a product will function. Prototyping can protect the project from failure. By creating an interactive prototype, one can get feedback from the users before the mobile app development team starts coding and initiates the testing process. The above-listed point on how to prototype a mobile app can be helpful to you if you are planning for a new project and want to impress the investors.