Shaping the prototype
Change the screens before anything is built. What each control does, and how long each kind of edit takes.
The prototype exists so you can disagree cheaply. Nothing has been built yet, so rearranging screens costs seconds instead of a rebuild.
Whatever the prototype looks like when you press Make it real is what gets built. It is the specification, not a sketch that gets reinterpreted.
What you can change
Say what you want in the chat next to the screens:
Make the streak the biggest thing on the home screen
Rename "Sessions" to "Workouts"
Add a screen for past orders
Move the profile tab to the end
Warmer colours, softer cornersEvery edit reports back honestly whether anything changed. If you ask for something the prototype cannot express, it declines rather than claiming success.
How long each edit takes
| Kind of edit | Examples | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Styling and naming | Restyle, rename the app, set the tone | Instant |
| Structure | Reorder, rename or drop a screen | Instant |
| Content | Add a screen, duplicate one, change what is on it, relay out | A few seconds |
There is a floor on dropping screens, two for a phone app and one for a console, so you cannot shape an app down to nothing.
Undo
Every edit is undoable, ten deep, for a week. If an edit goes somewhere you did not want, revert instead of trying to describe your way back.
If two tabs are open
The prototype tracks revisions. If you edit the same prototype in two tabs, the second one is told the prototype changed elsewhere rather than silently overwriting. Reload and continue.
When you are done
Press Make it real. What carries into the build:
- The screens as they stand
- Every alternative you tapped
- The app name, colours, and typography
- The starter content shown on screen
- The owner console, if you opened one
What does not carry: anything you dropped.
Read Make it real for what happens next.
Describing your app
How to write the description so the prototype comes back close to what you meant, and how to correct it when it does not.
Make it real
What happens between pressing the button and having an app you can open, including the questions you are asked and why builds take as long as they do.