Test your app idea on a real phone before you pay for the build
A clickable prototype in about two weeks that you can put in front of customers, then an MVP with only the features that earn their place. The prototype fee is credited against the build. From €1,900.
Trim the scope
Sort each feature into Must, Should or Later. The core loop for this sample idea is: browse the menu, order, pay, staff see the order. With a card's button focused, press 1, 2 or 3, or the left and right arrow keys.
The two-week prototype path
Ten working days from kick-off to a decision. You spend about six hours of your own time across the two weeks, and you see something new every few days.
- 1day 1
Kick-off
A two-hour call: who the app is for, the one job it must do, and what it connects to.
you getA one-page brief and the core loop in one sentence. - 2days 2 to 3
Flows
Every step from opening the app to finishing the core job, drawn as boxes and arrows.
you getUser flows to comment on before any pixels. - 3days 4 to 6
Screens
Screens in your colours with realistic sample content, sized for real phones.
you getScreens on a shared board with your comments answered. - 4days 7 to 8
Clickable build
Screens linked into a prototype that runs full-screen on a phone.
you getA link you open on your own iPhone or Android phone. - 5day 9
Five user tests
You invite five customers; I run 20-minute sessions while you watch.
you getRecordings, with consent, and a list of where people got stuck. - 6day 10
Decision
Keep, change or stop, based on what the five sessions showed.
you getA Must, Should and Later list and a fixed MVP price, with the €1,900 credited.
Prototype first, then the smallest app worth launching
Proposed prices in euros, excluding VAT. Store fees are paid by you: Apple Developer Program $99 a year, Google Play a one-off $25 registration. Check current fees on the stores' own pages.
Clickable prototype
- Flows and screens for the core loop
- Runs on your own phone from a link
- Five user test sessions, notes and recordings
- Credited in full against the build
Simple app MVP
- Flutter build for iOS and Android
- Connected to your store, site or server
- Store listings, privacy labels and review
- Test builds every two weeks
Cross-platform MVP
- Flutter or React Native, one codebase
- Accounts with in-app deletion
- Payments through your own provider
- Analytics on the core loop from day one
If the test says no, you stop. You keep the prototype, the flows and the test notes, and owe nothing more. Larger builds may be delivered with a vetted partner developer, under one contract and one point of contact owner to confirm.
Two weeks from now, your idea could be on five customers' phones.
Book a prototypeWhen a prototype is the wrong first step
A prototype tests whether people want something. Sometimes that is not the open question.
- 01You already have paying users of a web version asking for an app. Go straight to a scoped build; the demand is proven.
- 02The idea depends on a technical unknown, such as a hardware connection or a recognition feature. Test that with a short technical spike first; a clickable prototype cannot fake it honestly.
- 03You only need to know whether anyone will pay. A landing page and a small ad budget answer that faster and cheaper.
Questions about prototypes and MVPs
What is the difference between a prototype and an MVP?
A prototype is a clickable model of the app with sample data: it looks real on your phone, but nothing is stored or sold. An MVP is a working app in the stores with only the features the core loop needs. The prototype tests whether people want it; the MVP tests whether they keep using it.
What if testing shows the idea does not work?
Then you have saved the cost of the build. You stop after the prototype, keep the screens, flows and test notes, and owe nothing more. Often the tests point to a smaller or different idea; I can rework the prototype for a fixed fee, or you park it until you are ready.
Can I raise money with a prototype?
It can help, but it is not a promise. A clickable prototype and notes from five real user tests show investors and grant reviewers what you mean and what customers said. They will still judge the team, the market and the numbers, so treat the prototype as evidence, not as the pitch itself.
Book a prototype
Describe the idea in two lines and who it is for. You get a written fixed price and a start date within one working day.
From the trimmer: Café pre-order sample: 5 Must, 2 Should, 2 Later, about 12.5 weeks
Pikselipolku is an independent studio and is not affiliated with Apple, Google or any other company named here.
Or email [email protected]