What are the tools for creating interactive prototypes on windows?

Question

User interface

I think everyone understands that drawing the interface of an application or website is only half the battle. You need to convey all your ideas in your head to the developer, namely how all this will work, interact. So that the programmer does not then think out how certain buttons interact, and there is no misunderstanding.
I know very well such services as Invision , Marvel app , Webflow , Pixate , Facebook Origami , Framer.js and other similar things.
But problems arise when viewing their capabilities in detail, some lack the necessary functionality, namely the ability to insert more complex animation (Invision, Marvel app). In some of them it is impossible to prototype applications, or if there is such an opportunity, then there is nothing for the web (Webflow, Pixate).
Framer.js and Origami are great, but only available for mac os. I don’t have a Mac, unfortunately, I can’t give 65,000 - 80,000 rubles for a laptop yet.
Naturally, I googled, looked at various designer blogs on medium , but did not find a clear alternative on Windows. Some people make prototypes on Windows in After Effects , but in the end it is not convenient to work with such prototypes, since they are not interactive.
Also haveEdge Animate , briefly examined it, it seems to be almost there. Does anyone have experience creating prototypes in this program, or is it better to pass by?
Well, here comes the main question that has been tormenting me for a week now, since I got to watching lectures with Dribbble Meetup .
Is everything with Windows so bad and there is no decent alternative for prototyping, like Framer.js and Facebook Origami?

Answer 1

As a matter of fact, I propose to stop hammering nails with a microscope. An attempt to assemble a coherent interactive prototype with an ax on the knee from other people's controls inevitably runs into inevitable dances with a tambourine in fruitless attempts to make other people's controls behave the way you need and / or write your own controls. On the other hand, manual assembly of an interactive prototype from lo-fi statics collected in some Microsoft Visio will take a normal coder much less time than fiddling with other people's controls. This is in addition to the fact that the time of the designer is more expensive than the coder.
Sobs-but, why even try to make lo-fi? No, I understand the justification in the form of a desire to eradicate misunderstandings on the part of the developers, but why do double work? You still can't avoid assembling a normal prototype from mockups drawn according to your lo-fi.
EDIT: However, there is another option. I don’t know about you, but personally, at the mere sight of “masterpieces” coming from the same Axure, my eye twitches. It's not even about what is shown in the prototype, but how this prototype looks. Showing customers such a nightmare is not a good idea. As a result, in order to get on the Christmas tree and not peel anything off, you have to devote time to the appearance of the prototype itself - to draw pleasant, highly detailed warframes. The task is the simplest, it takes just nothing in time, and even a trained monkey can cope with the implementation. This is how things like the one I attached to the post are born.
It is obvious that not a single design shell can be compared in its capabilities with a full-fledged graphic editor, especially if a pair of not very crooked hands is attached to this editor. In the end, everything returns to what it should have been. Quickly rendered "aesthetically acceptable" warframes are made up, from which a suitable interactive prototype is assembled, which the project manager will present to the client. Well, a copy to programmers, understanding for.

Answer 2

I have been using Balsamiq Mockups for many years and have not found a better tool. This is true Agile!

Answer 3

Axure RP - beta is free now.
Indigo Studio - free trial for 30 days
In addition, you need to draw and build a microsite and code.

Answer 4

They will throw tomatoes at me, but I still would suggest installing a hackintosh if the PC resources allow. And there you can soon take a laptop. It's just an experience, and for him it's better to take the best

Answer 5

Python + PyQt. It allows you to assemble something working on your knee in a day. PyQt is more about desktop, but it has CSS. Accordingly, once we write CSS that sharpens GUI elements for the web and forget.

Answer 6

sketch flow

Answer 7

I can custom make an interactive prototype of a web application