Frustrated with the static PDF presentations and very little prototyping in the design industry, I questioned how it could be made easier to create and share click-prototypes for digital projects.
My answer as a weekend project was HotspotNinja, a website that allows designers to create click-prototypes.
Easily. Without typing any code.
Viewable in browsers. Desktop or mobile.
While many prototyping tools require designers to use their platform to design, HotspotNinja allows designers to use their favorite applications.
When ready, designers can simply export and upload the screens (or wireframes) as JPEG.
As easy as dragging and dropping hotspots on interactive elements such as buttons and links, designers can turn their static images into clickable prototypes, ready for user testing or presentations.
Short URLs make it easy to share the prototypes with clients and colleagues. They open in browsers or as web-app just like a native website or mobile app.
“Wow. My mind. Blown!”
- said no one ever -
Well, I wasn’t the only one thinking of this idea.
While I was working on the MVP version in 2011, InvisionApp was launched with a very similar idea and interface. Seeing such a well-backed competitor, I brought the idea to KBS+, the agency I was employed by at the time. It got a lot of interest and support internally, but we failed to agree on the contract, therefore HotspotNinja found itself in the limbo of cyberspace.