If you design, flowchart, or doodle out ideas for layout or user experiences while you’re working out a new project idea, then POP is definitely for you. Prototyping On Paper is an iPhone app that lets you doodle out what you’d normally put on a napkin or in a notebook onto your phone instead.
Of course, that description is way too simplistic, but it’s a good start towards explaining this app. You can doodle out the ideas on actual paper or on-screen and then the app recalls them as photographs, which you can then use POP to organize as a storyboard.
For example, looking at the attached graphic, you’ll see a singular idea for a Twitter app with a portion highlighted. Clicking on any of the highlighted (green) areas takes you to other prototypes you’ve drawn out according to what was chosen. At center is the whole group of drawings in this POP.
What you’re seeing is the ability to not only draw out your ideas, but to then simulate them (roughly) to show how the user interface might flow in real life. Those who use design software like Dreamweaver will be familiar with this concept. The difference here?
POP is on your iPhone and requires little knowledge to use – most everything is drag-drop, point-click and easy to understand, so no complicated tools are required to make the job happen. On top of that, it’s far cheaper than Dreamweaver or Fireworks.
Once a POP is made, it can be shared with friends and colleagues via their iPhone or iPad or any Web browser, so that they can comment and participate in the process.
