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Flinto for Mac(flinto.com)
over 8 years ago from Juozas Zobernis, UI Designer
Courtney ⭐️, over 8 years ago
You can prototype for whichever platform you want. There's a handy built in previewer that allows you to interact with your prototypes on the Mac (aka you don't technically need the iOS counterpart).
Shawn Borsky, over 8 years ago
That is not at all the same thing. It doesn't even have presets for Android phones like it does for iOS. I already have plenty of tools I can use to interact with prototypes on the Mac but that doesn't help me hand someone a prototype in a native environment.
So far, Pixate is the only tool I have seen that offers cursory cross-platform support. I really like Flinto but Android is a significant part of the market and I think any "mobile" prototyping tool should support both for serious usage.
Thibault Maekelbergh, over 8 years ago
Framer has presets for Android I think. I've been using Atomic and it just works with artboards, so you could use that too if you know the resolution.
Jorn van Dijk, over 8 years ago Yup, Framer offers a Nexus 5 template to work on locally, runs in Chrome and comes with a companion preview app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.framerjs.android&hl=en).
Daniel Schutzsmith, over 8 years ago
Same thing I've been thinking!
Weston Vierregger, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )
Unfortunately, you are too correct. Pixate is still the only tool that has even a semblance of Android support. Frustrating to say the least (although Pixate is a terrific tool itself).
I love seeing new tools like this come out, since prototyping interactions and motion/transition elements are incredibly key to my workflow.
Ix Techau, over 8 years ago
Ask yourself why, and you'll get the answer.
Unfortunately, I think the answer is that much of the design community in North America believes they live in a world where everyone uses iPhones and Macbooks.
I think this tool and many like it are great advancements but its frustrating to me that if I think of the top 5 "mobile" prototyping tools: only 1 has minimal Android support. Android accounts for 50% of the market nationally and over 75% internationally, that is a large chunk of customers that are getting underserved.
I don't think they believe that, they're not stupid. I do, however, think they prefer designing for iOS. It's not as fragmented, and the quality of applications is generally higher. It's simply more fun to design for iOS.
I'm not saying the community is stupid. I think its more of a tunnel vision. We can get so caught up in making a beautiful, super high-quality iOS apps that we simple forget that there are a lot of people who can't afford Apple tech and don't use the app ecosystem like we do.
I agree that its more fun to design for iOS but doing this for living usually means that I can't make decisions based on how fun or easy it is to execute.
I think with all these apps coming out with only Sketch support and only iOS support is a symptom of the same tunnel vision.
"doing this for living usually means that I can't make decisions based on how fun or easy it is to execute"
That's the only way I would want to work or live. Why spend your life doing things you don't think is fun? You only have one shot at this, make it count.
Just because I make decisions based on the customers I design for doesn't mean that I don't have fun designing it. I enjoy making things that people can use and that often means that I need to put it on the platform they have which for a lot of people who deserve good experiences, not iOS.
Its more of a point for me because there are SO many tools that aim to improve iOS prototyping but almost none for Android.
Ben Bonney, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )
fragmentation dude… which startup can shows off with an android app ? As someone could come up with an average android device, with the app runnning slow, being laggy, giving a poor experience ?
you're at least pretty sure your prototype will be accurate when developing for iOS — e.g. you do your job, then let those android developers devaluate it. You take a risk telling people you animations will be that smooth on "android"
Lost my iPhone some weeks ago, bought an android to give it a try… not the best one, not a bad one. But globally, the UX feels so fragile.
It's like flash vs. the web before the mobile era. No agencies/designers would sell an html website, never, ever. You would be laught at by the 90% market share of IE8 users. But this 90% market share would still pay a lot for your glittering flash one
Nathan Manousos, over 8 years ago
Bingo! I'm a big Apple nerd. I waited in line overnight to attend the original introduction of the iPhone. I waited in line overnight behind Steve Wozniak to get my first iPhone. We just really love iPhones, Macs, and iOS. We're building what's fun and useful for us. It's not meant as a disrespect to anyone else. We'll of course continue to consider what other platforms make sense for us. We're also a very small team so we need to be REALLY focused with what we build. You'd be amazed how much stuff we say no to during the design process.
Seriously, no disrespect. I was actually a Flinto web subscriber before and I really like what you have done so far. But for me to invest in paying for, learning and ultimately dedicating my team to use a product, it has to support 50% of our user-base among other things.
I figured, from a business perspective, that you would want to know why I am not going to be using your product. ( read: paying for) .
Much appreciated. And that kind of feedback will guide the decisions we make in the future :)
Jeff Couturier, over 8 years ago
Seconding this (even after reading the rest of the replies below). Flinto is great, but I can't really use a tool that only applies to half (or less) of my user base.
Mariana Silva, over 8 years ago
What confused me the most was this blog post, yet no Nexus presets on the actual tool?
That blog post refers to Flinto.com, our subscription web-based prototyping tool.
Looks really cool but yet again with most prototyping tools : Android is left out in the cold. Its over 75% of the worldwide market!