Protopie is one of many tools for prototyping, but it has some unique features which make it very suited to UX prototyping (i.e. much more than just UI prototyping).
First and foremost amongst its powerful features is the ability to run multiple prototypes at the same time, sending messages back and forth. Indeed it is even possible to run multiple copies of the same prototype at the same time, sending messages to and from itself.
Such a capability means that, for example, one can build a prototype for a clinical receptionist and have three receptionists using it at the same time and seeing the results of each other’s work. There aren’t many other prototyping platforms that put this kind of power into a designer’s hands. The end result is that it is possible to then have more authentic conversations with those three receptionists about whether the experience offered really meets their needs.
On this page there are links to more general articles about experience prototyping and Protopie, whereas on the following pages there are specifically tips, tricks and pitfalls described for those actively using Protopie.
There are many prototyping tools out there (Origami, Figma, Adobe XD, Axure, UX Pin, Proto to name just a few) and they all have their devotees. And in most cases it is hard to be expert in one of them, let alone multiple.
I have been building UI and UX prototypes for many years – first in HyperCard and SuperCard and then in RunRev (which became LiveCode).
Here I want to run through a few of the reasons why I have found Protopie to be compelling. Many of these issues are, of course, being addressed by the other tools, but I think it is fair to say that Protopie was built to solve these issues, where the other tools are bolting on extras to try and solve them.
Two important differences first ...
Most of UI prototyping tools came about to able designers to demonstrate precise visual design, and in most cases this is really important as good visual design is what many stakeholders think the UX designer is paid to deliver.
However, Protopie is fundamentally a tool for prototyping interactions, not visuals. It is possible to import visuals from Sketch or from Figma, but Protopie probably isn’t the tool for trying to perfect the visual design.
Secondly, the background for most prototyping tools is the world of animation and moving through artboards to follow some storyline or script. Although you can use Protopie in this way, its power lies in its ability to create a complete UI that one or more users can use as though they were in the real application. Protopie is much much closer to real UI programming than it is to animation and my sense is that trying to impose an animation frame of mind on it will frustrate you
So ... no script; no spaghetti
Thus, the first and strongest benefit of Protopie is that it does not require you to script a path through the prototype. You can, if you want to, but it is not the basis of the underlying model – having a sense of the script may sometimes help, but it can also lead one into the feeling of programming the script, instead of building the interface.
Likewise, Protopie doesn’t rely on a set of hardwired links between one button and another scene, but is based on programmatic connections between actions using variables, components, messages and animations to create a much more free-form interaction in which the user can follow whichever path they want.
That said, using Protopie doesn’t by itself provide this – the designer needs to use the tools provided to create it. UX designers coming from a Figma, Adobe or similar tool may find it hard to adapt to this new way of thinking.
Multiple prototypes
Protopie Connect enables the designer to create prototypes that represent multi-person interactions – maybe both using the same prototype, or maybe using two different prototypes (two receptionists, for example, of one receptionist and one therapist).
These are key to enabling a more realistic simulation of the intended experience than most other tools enable. For example, with Protopie one can prototype the handoff between desktop and mobile (and vice versa) by using two different prototypes that are able to communicate with each other.
Integrated (or Prototyped) Hardware
Protopie Connect also enables external connections to be established – to hardware connections (an Arduino for example) or to external software API connections – enabling real world (and varied) data to enter into the experience prototype.
One can also simulate a hardware interface on a tablet or mobile phone, enabling hardware interactions to be a part of the prototyped experience.
Finally ...
Protoypes need to be easy to build, rebuild and throw away. In choosing the right tool for yourself or your team don’t just look at the tools key capabilities, look carefully at the ease of responding to user feedback that requires the layout or the interactions to be slightly different.