What tools are we missing? Let us know:

http://bit.ly/rapid-prototyping-resources

Website / Landing-page Creation

  1. LaunchRock – Get a landing page online fast; build an email list.
  2. Wix – Get a website up and going fast. You’ll pay for custom domains, eCommerce and other communications features.
  3. WordPress – Build and launch websites that are functional, customizable and intuitive.
  4. SquareSpace – Elegant and easy to setup website development tool. More pricey than other options.
  5. Adobe Muse – Design and build websites without coding.
  6. Heroku – Dynamic website hosting platform (for highly-customized production web / mobile applications).

Software Pretotyping Tools (low-tech)

  1. SmartPad TM – a quick flip pad / notepad where you can quickly draw UI / UX screens for use in a PoP App project or just with target customers, stakeholders, etc.
  2. Crazy 8s Methodology – From the Google Sprints book, a handy method to quickly get a low-low-fidelity software app, video storyboard or otherwise sketched out. Just remember to time bin the activity (< 5 min) and use blunt- / fat-tipped pens / markers like sharpies (keep it low fi)
  3. Keynotopia – “Use Keynote and PowerPoint to Prototype Web and Mobile Apps”.
  4. Paper – Draw app screens with a pen and paper
  5. Brain – Thought experiments – channel your inner Einstein.

Software Prototyping Apps

  1. PoP – Prototyping on Paper – Mobile app prototyping
  2. Adobe XD – Quick and easy iPhone app prototyping/wireframing
  3. Figma – Quick and easy online wireframing (Lo-Fi to Hi-Fi)
  4. Principle – Mobile Prototyping software that enables animation, gestures and more.
  5. Invision – High-fidelity website design / prototyping.
  6. Justinmind – Desktop and mobile software prototyping
  7. Sketch – “Create, Prototype, Collaborate”. Layout design software that works with Invision App.
  8. Thunkable – functional Mobile app prototyping
  9. Adobe PhoneGap – Mobile prototyping
  10. Appcelerator – Mobile prototyping
  11. Fluid UI – Mobile prototyping
  12. Proto.io – Mobile prototyping
  13. Marvel – Mobile prototyping
  14. UXPin – Mobile prototyping

Testing / Optimization

  1. Intercom – In-app customer messaging tool (premium product)
  2. Olark – In-app chat tool (freemium)
  3. Usertesting – Hire outsourced users to test the experience of your website for whatever you want
  4. Amazon Mechanical Turk – Hire users for tests and surveys
  5. Loom – “Video recording, simplified.” Quick and easy screen sharing for debugging UI / UX issues.
  6. Crazyegg – Optimization, heatmaps and A/B testing
  7. Optimizely – A/B testing for websites / landing pages.

Software Developers

  1. Upwork – marketplace for freelancers.
  2. Fiverr – marketplace for freelancers with gigs starting at $5 USD.
  3. Gigster – marketplace for software projects.
  4. Toptal – marketplace for software projects / talent.

Other tools

  1. Google Compute Engine – Outsource computationally intensive algorithms to Google’s servers
  2. 99designs – Branding/logos
  3. Canva – Branding/logos
  4. Unsplash – Free high quality images
  5. Dimensions Guide – Search and find dimensions for common products / items (good for digital fabrication of various products, e.g. iPhone)