Inspired by my colleagues, I thought signing up to the official ProtoPie 101 Crash Course would be a good preparation when it comes to the work piece in my master’s thesis. Since I possibly want to use sensor technology and the visual as well as auditory level of communication, ProtoPie promises to emulate what feels like a programmed app due to its advanced prototyping capabilities.
Getting started
Every chapter of the ProtoPie 101 Crash Course begins with a clear outline of „What you’ll need“ and „What you’ll learn.“ This approach helps set expectations and ensures users are prepared with the necessary tools and mindset before diving in.
Unit 1: Introduction to ProtoPie
ProtoPie introduces a unique conceptual model based on object + trigger + response. The logic is simple: If I tap the square layer, then it will move. This principle extends to multiple micro-interactions, like carousels.
The prototyping process in ProtoPie involves three key platforms:
- Studio for creating prototypes
- Player for displaying prototypes on mobile devices
- Cloud for sharing and collaboration
To get started, ProtoPie outlines four essential steps:
- Add assets
- Make interactions
- Test & share
- Collaborate
The structure is intuitive, making the onboarding process smooth and easy to follow.
Step 1: Add assets
This step introduces knowledge tests with multiple-choice questions. For instance, I encountered this question:
„When you export an entire frame or artboard from your design tool, how does this get imported into ProtoPie?“
The answer options were:
- Object in Scene
- Scene
- New Pie
- Frame
At first, it was unclear what exactly constituted a scene, a frame, or an object in a scene. However, the narrator clarified these distinctions after the first question, making it much easier to understand.
Importing assets from Figma was incredibly smooth. Everything transferred seamlessly, making the process highly efficient.
Step 2: Make interactions
My task in this step was to create an interaction where an icon on a home screen wiggles after a long press, allowing position edits, and stops wiggling when exiting edit mode. To achieve this, I used:
- Long press and tap as triggers
- Rotate and stop as responses
Some standout features during this step included:
- Duplicating triggers and responses, which made iteration much faster
- The timeline feature, which allows responses to occur sequentially – this was an excellent addition
- The reset response, which makes it easy to revert an interaction back to its initial state
Overall, creating interactions in ProtoPie felt logical, intuitive, and efficient.
Step 3: Test & share
Now came the phase of installing the ProtoPie Player app. Prototypes can be displayed by:
- Connecting a mobile device to a computer via USB
- Scanning a QR code when both devices are on the same WiFi network
The display experience was just as seamless as in Figma. Sharing prototypes was also straightforward. A link can be distributed with controlled access settings, determining:
- Who can view the prototype
- Who can download the file for further editing
- What UI elements are visible when opening the link
This flexibility ensures that collaboration remains secure and structured.
Step 4: Collaborate
The course then introduced interaction recordings (formerly known as „interaction recipes“). Unlike other prototyping tools that attempt to generate code – often unsuccessfully – ProtoPie focuses on providing accurate interaction values for developers.
With interaction recordings, developers can:
- Play and scroll through the timeline at different speed levels to fully understand the interaction
- Share single recorded interactions via individual sub-links
Additionally, ProtoPie allows elements with interactions to be transformed into reusable components, similar to Figma. Once inside a component, interactions move with it. Components can also be uploaded to a team library, enabling:
- Cloud-based collaboration
- Editing in library mode with cloud-synced updates
- Easy pasting of components from local files to the cloud team library (though changes need to be published before others see them)
Knowledge test & learning progress
The first chapter concludes with a knowledge test, designed to help measure comprehension. If results indicate gaps in understanding, the system suggests to do the chapter again before proceeding. I found this to be an excellent learning reinforcement tool. Additionally, test results can be downloaded for documentation, making it a useful feature for employer verification.
After completing this first chapter, I had reached 20% progress in the overall crash course. This made me eager to continue and explore the advanced capabilities of ProtoPie.
Final thoughts
My experience with the ProtoPie 101 Crash Course so far has been extremely positive. The course is structured in a way that makes learning both engaging and practical. The hands-on approach, combined with well-integrated knowledge tests, ensures that users truly get the concepts before moving forward.
ProtoPie’s approach to prototyping – focusing on visual interaction recordings instead of auto-generated code – stands out as a particularly developer-friendly and intuitive method. It eliminates ambiguity and allows for precise handoff between designers and engineers.
With 20% of the course completed, I am excited to see what’s next! Stay tuned for further insights as I continue my ProtoPie learning journey.
Resources
https://learn.protopie.io/start
