Into the Piggy Bank of Prototyping Tools: Make My App

    Prototyping has long been one of the key stages of application development. The introduction of visual samples into the discussion of the product reduces risks and eliminates uncertainty, thereby saving time and money that would be spent on developing unverified solutions. Prototypes can be used with advantage at different stages of work on a product - in particular, this is an excellent tool to accurately formulate the terms of reference.



    If you briefly summarize all the benefits, prototyping allows you to:

    - see the future application in action;
    - familiarize all participants in the workflow with the general concept;
    - check how convenient, easy to use interface;
    - solve potential problems in advance, while the project is not yet completed;
    - establish communication between the developer and the user of the application - eliminate misunderstandings and inaccuracies in the interpretation of requirements and evaluation of functionality.

    Today, the market has such an abundance of solutions for prototyping all kinds of software that it’s not easy to navigate among them. On Habré you can find reviews about a lot of similar programs. Like many other developers, we have long held on to a proven solution - the notorious Moqups- sparing time to test numerous alternatives. We came to Make My App, the tool that will be discussed in the review, by chance, thanks to a recommendation from the side: we did not find this product in the lists. Below we present a small overview by which you can get a general idea about the functionality of the application.

    Make My App is a utility that allows you to create interface layouts, UI concepts, wireframe of your own application circuits. The product is available in free and paid versions; the impressions given here were mainly based on experience with a free one, although later we forked out for full functionality.

    So, let's begin. Before us is the start screen of the application. For prototyping various tools are presented (horizontally) and interface components - diagrams, tables, windows, shapes, buttons, menus, etc. (vertically on the left). The workspace in the center provides the ability to work with several templates simultaneously.



    A collection of Make My App templates allows you to create sketches for different types of devices (iPhone, Apple Watch, Android smartphones, Apple TV) - just select the type you want when you start working with the project.



    The program has a well-thought-out interface: the whole set of UI elements for various platforms are grouped by tabs for easy navigation.

    A set of editing tools allows you to:

    - set parameters for the text;
    - adjust the zoom;
    - fix the position of the elements;
    - change the size, position of the elements;
    - change the location of the layers;
    - Discard changes to the project.




    You can also add your own controls and pictures to created projects for their subsequent use in work. All downloaded items are easily editable.

    When the project is perfected, it can be exported to a picture or saved to a file.

    In general, the application has shown itself to be a competitive, low-cost analogue to more popular products. In the process of working on our first project in Make My App, we noted for ourselves the following strengths of the functional:

    - templates are presented for a wide range of devices;
    - even in the free version there are no restrictions on the number of elements in the project (in Moqups, for example, there is a limit of 300 components);
    - also in the free version of Make My App, in contrast to the same Moqups with their single sheet policy, an infinite number of projects are available;
    - more affordable pricing policy - the paid version requires a one-time payment, rather than monthly installments;
    - Well, and from the most obvious - you can work with projects offline, which greatly facilitates the process.

    Of the minuses , we can distinguish the following:

    - there is no possibility of grouping elements;
    - flaws in the control system - you have to constantly save the project when editing elements, it is impossible to move elements using the arrows;
    - restrictions in font size;
    - Not all running elements are available in the free version: the most interesting elements are offered to be purchased.

    Just the other day, a new version of the application was released on the AppStore , available, however, only for a fee. Judging by the description, the upgrade eliminated some of the minuses we listed (supports grouping of elements, for example) - let's see how this will affect our assessment. What software do you use for prototyping interfaces? We will be glad to hear options in the comments.

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