POP: Paper Sketch to Mobile Prototype

POP (Prototyping on Paper) was a mobile app that turned paper sketches into interactive prototypes. You drew screens on paper, photographed them with your phone, and linked hotspots to create clickable flows that felt like real apps. It was brilliant for early-stage ideation when you wanted to test concepts without opening design software. Marvel acquired POP in 2016, and the standalone app was effectively discontinued in 2020 when the development team moved on.

Key Specs

How Designers Used POP

For Ultra-Fast Ideation

Sketch three or four screens on paper in under 10 minutes. Photograph them with POP. Tap to add hotspots (buttons, links, menu items) and connect them to other screens. Within 15 minutes total, you have a tappable prototype running on your phone. This speed made POP perfect for workshops, client meetings, and early concept validation.

For Testing with Users

Hand your phone to a user and watch them navigate your paper prototype. Because the screens were hand-drawn, users understood it was a rough concept and gave more honest feedback. High-fidelity prototypes sometimes intimidate users into thinking the design is “done.” Paper prototypes invite critique and iteration.

For Client Presentations

Show clients how an app would flow before investing in visual design. POP prototypes looked intentionally rough, setting expectations that this was exploratory work. Clients could request changes to navigation or screen order without feeling like they were wasting expensive design time.

POP vs. Current Alternatives

Choose Marvel App if: You want the closest replacement for POP from the same company. Marvel handles paper sketch imports and offers a full prototyping platform for when you move beyond paper.

Choose Figma if: You’re already using Figma for design work. Import sketch photos, place them in frames, and prototype the flow. Figma’s prototype mode is more powerful than POP ever was, with transitions and overlays.

Choose Adobe XD if: You’re in the Adobe ecosystem. XD handles image import and prototyping similarly to Figma, with good mobile preview via the XD app.

Getting Started with Paper Prototyping (Without POP)

POP is gone, but the paper prototyping workflow lives on. Here’s how to do it in 2025:

Step 1: Sketch screens on paper

Use plain white paper or sketch paper. Draw one screen per sheet. Don’t worry about perfect proportions. Focus on layout, content hierarchy, and navigation elements. Draw buttons clearly so you’ll remember where they are when adding hotspots later.

Step 2: Photograph sketches in good lighting

Use your phone camera. Natural light works best. Position the camera directly above the paper to avoid distortion. Take multiple shots and pick the clearest one. You can use your phone’s built-in photo editor to increase brightness and contrast, making pencil lines easier to see.

Step 3: Import to Figma or Marvel and add interactions

In Figma: drag photos into your file, place each in a frame (press F), switch to Prototype mode, and drag connections from buttons to the next screen. In Marvel: create a project, upload images, and add hotspots that link to other screens. Both apps let you preview on your phone to test the flow.

Paper Prototyping in Your Design Workflow

Paper prototyping happens early, before committing to specific visual treatments or component libraries.

• Before paper prototyping: User research, competitive analysis, rough flow diagrams on a whiteboard
• During paper prototyping: Sketch, photograph, link hotspots, test with users, iterate quickly on paper
• After paper prototyping: Move to digital tools (Figma, Sketch) for high-fidelity design, reusing insights from paper tests

Common tool pairings:

• Paper + Figma for transitioning from sketches to polished designs once the flow is validated
• Paper + Marvel for teams that want to stay in one ecosystem from paper to final prototype
• Paper + Miro/FigJam for documenting paper prototype test results and user feedback
• Paper + Notion for keeping photo archives of sketch iterations alongside project documentation

Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)

“My paper sketches look too messy when photographed”

Use thick markers (Sharpies) instead of pencil. Markers photograph better with higher contrast. If you’ve already drawn in pencil, use your phone’s photo editor to increase contrast and brightness. Or redraw the screens quickly with markers. Paper prototypes are disposable by design.

“I can’t find POP on the App Store anymore”

The app may still be listed but is no longer supported by Marvel. Instead of searching for POP, download the main Marvel App or use Figma. Both handle paper sketch imports. Marvel’s interface is similar to POP’s original design, so the transition is smooth.

“Users don’t understand how to interact with my paper prototype”

Add visible touch targets. Draw buttons with clear labels and outlines. Use arrows or icons to indicate swipe gestures. In your prototyping tool (Figma or Marvel), make hotspot areas generous so users don’t miss them. Consider adding a brief intro screen explaining “tap buttons to navigate.”

“I want the automatic photo brightening that POP had”

Use a photo editing app before importing to Figma or Marvel. On iPhone, use the built-in Photos app: open the image, tap Edit, and adjust Brilliance and Contrast. On Android, use Snapseed (free) or Google Photos editor. Alternatively, use a scanning app like Adobe Scan that auto-corrects lighting and perspective.

“Paper prototyping feels outdated in 2025”

Paper is still the fastest tool for exploring ideas. Figma is powerful but has a learning curve. Paper has zero friction: grab a pen and start drawing. The best designers use paper early (to explore many ideas quickly) and digital tools later (to refine the winner). Don’t skip paper just because it’s low-tech. Speed matters more than fidelity in the first 48 hours of a project.