There is a wide variety of tools available for prototyping depending on your needs and approach. Before choosing a tool, here are a few questions to ask:

• How much time would it take to learn how to use this tool?
• Does it support prototypes for the needs of my product (web, software applications, mobile apps, etc.)?
• Does the tool allow me to share my prototypes with others and gather their feedback?
• How easy is it to make changes to the prototype?
• Can I use pre-defined templates and stencils with this tool?

Paper and pencil, Sketch, Figma, Framer, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD are some commonly used Prototyping tools.

Prototyping Best Practices

Do’s:

• Work with users and stakeholders to get the most feedback and engage them in the ownership of the final product
• Set expectations early by making sure the users and stakeholders know that prototyping is a way to get answers to specific questions, and does not represent the finished product.
• Make your high-fidelity realistic (including response delays) so that users and stakeholders are not disappointed when they compare it with the final product.
• Save templates and stencils to reuse on future projects.

Don’ts:

• Don’t prototype features that won’t be in the final product
• Don’t be a perfectionist — Good enough is your friend. The goal of rapid prototyping is to give everyone a common ground.
• Don’t prototype everything!