A Beginner’s Guide on The Role of Prototyping in Website Development
Most people think of website development as writing code only. When in reality, developing a website is way more than merely writing the code. The first step is to plan and then create a demo of the website. This demo, or more technically known as the prototype, is the website's first look and shows how it should be.
Think of it this way. You are going to open a restaurant. You have everything planned up and have even hired a chef. Will you start serving food right away? No, right?
You will firstly master the recipes. To do this, the chef will create sample food that will be up for testing. The recipe that is up to the mark and tastes the best will be selected and added to the menu.
Similarly, websites are not (and should not be) developed directly. They are prototyped firstly to get hold of how the design will look like in the final version. Whether small-scale or large scale, the web development company always prefers to prototype the web design first.
Why Prototyping?
Now you might be thinking, why prototype the design first? Why not go with the flow and observe the result at the end?
1. Your website design, if not prototyped, will be all over the place.
Let me give you an example. You are going to cook dinner tonight. If you don't check for the availability of ingredients you need to make the dinner beforehand, you will be in for a disaster while cooking. You might keep looking for a particular ingredient and open every possible cabinet in the prospect of finding it. In doing so, you might ruin your dinner.
Likewise, prototyping will save you the hassle of fumbling around with possible scenarios while working on the website's final layout. In the pursuit of exploring all the possible elements, the website might lose its essence and purpose.
Prototyping is an efficient way to pinpoint any mistakes before website development. Even the most expert website developer might miss something. The website might not be functional because of that little "miss." Prototyping eliminates the chance of any future errors. So, you can be sure that the structure is error-free, and once you are done with the development, the website will run smoothly.
2. Not even a single website development company works without prototypes.
The designers prototype the design first, and then the website is developed. Prototyping is part of the standard procedure. Most companies follow this protocol. Sometimes prototypes are run by the client to give them an idea of what they might want. Having prototypes at hand will save you the hassle of explaining everything by word to the client.
3. If you prototype the website, you can get an idea about what changes you might need to make.
Sometimes in the excitement of website building, developers cramp up the website with unwanted or useless elements. These elements can make the website bulky and unattractive. These days the minimalistic approach is the best one. Hence, any such blunders can be avoided by prototyping.
NOW COMES THE QUESTION OF HOW TO MAKE A PROTOTYPE?
1. The classic approach
Some people use the simple approach of sketching a rough prototype of a website on paper. As easy as this method might sound, it has its cons. The first is that you can't get a clear idea about a website design outlook on paper. Can you judge a fabric by its picture? Obviously, no. Similarly, web design can only be contemplated on an electronic device.
2. Prototyping Software
The best and easiest way is to use software to create a prototype before web application development. In this case, you don't have to look any further. Wondershare Mockitt is here to solve the problem. It is a prototyping software that is the solution to your prototyping problems. Not only is Mockitt an efficient prototyping software, but it also provides you with the ultimate user experience. It gives one of its kind web development services.
What Does Mockitt Offer?
- Mockitt gives you the freedom to work on your canvas with a variety of widgets and icons. The most famous "drag and drop" option makes this whole process even more fun. You can play around with the options and widgets and design a prototype.
- For beginners, the point of attraction is the templates. Yes, you read it right. Mockitt has a wide range of readily available templates to use as a prototype for your website. If you are a beginner or just feeling lazy, templates are your go-to option. These templates can then easily be tweaked as per your desire.
- Another exciting feature offered by Mockitt is that you can create a prototype according to your target environment. For example, if you are working on a web application development prototype for android, it gives you the option to choose your desired platform (android, iOS, desktop, etc.)
- Most of the time, a team of developers and designers is working on a website. In such a scenario, collaboration with the team and keeping up with the project's demands becomes even more difficult. Mockitt offers a collaborative teamwork option where you can create teams to work together and share updates about your latest projects. With the ongoing "work from home" scenario, this teamwork feature makes it even easier to work and collaborate at the same time.
- The best thing is that unlike some other software, Mockitt caters to the needs of both types of designers: experts and beginners. The web development services offered by Mockitt can easily be understood and used by a beginner to create a basic level prototype. At the same time, expert-level developers can use their expertise to design prototypes of their caliber on this software. Hence, if a team consists of members of varying expertise levels, they can easily collaborate to create the website's prototypes.
So, what are you waiting for? Now you know what a prototype is and where you can create one. So, start working on your website's prototype right away!
