5-Minute Marvel: AI-Driven Prototyping from Whiteboard to Web

Hans Brattberg
Hans Brattberg
September 26, 2024
In this article
AI transforms a whiteboard sketch into a functional web app prototype in minutes. Using ChatGPT, this approach dramatically accelerates the design process, allowing rapid iteration and idea exploration. It's a glimpse of AI as the ultimate tool for innovative and efficient product development.

5-Minute Marvel: AI-Driven Prototyping from Whiteboard to Web

Yesterday, we ran a quick design studio[1] for a laundry booking app. We sketched ideas on a whiteboard, and I thought - can we turn this into a prototype quickly? Spoiler alert: We went from photo to clickable prototype in just about 5 minutes!

Our whiteboard sketch - the starting point for everything

I photographed the whiteboard and asked ChatGPT to generate HTML based on the image. Boom! Code in no time. Here's the prompt I used to kick things off:

Initial prompt to ChatGPT for HTML generation

ChatGPT's response was lightning-fast, providing us with the HTML and SVG[2] code for our basic layout. We threw the code into CodePen and voila! We had a working prototype!

First version live in the browser using CodePen

But we weren't done yet. Someone suggested adding a booking function. Back to ChatGPT with a new set of instructions:

Follow-up prompt to ChatGPT for adding booking functionality

With these new instructions, ChatGPT quickly generated an updated version of our app, complete with a calendar view for booking laundry slots.

Updated version with booking function

Fascinating how quickly you can go from idea to prototype with AI assistance!

The entire process, from snapping a photo of our whiteboard to interacting with a clickable prototype, took about 5 minutes! It's worth noting how the AI demonstrated contextual understanding. For instance, it omitted nighttime slots from the booking options without explicit instructions.

To put this rapid prototyping into perspective, creating a similar interactive prototype from scratch using traditional coding methods could easily take a few hours.

Exploring AI and Product Ownership

This rapid prototyping exercise shows how AI is transforming product development. As AI tools get smarter, they’re changing how product owners work—from brainstorming to prototyping and even user research. The reduced time and effort to create functional prototypes means teams can now quickly visualize and test ideas that used to be too costly or time-consuming. This shift allows for more iterations, faster feedback, and opens up new possibilities for innovation.

For those interested in diving deeper into the relationship between AI and Product Ownership, there's an excellent course available :o)

Generative AI för produktägare – 20 & 21 november

This comprehensive two-day course covers everything from the basics of ChatGPT and prompt engineering to practical applications in daily work. It's an excellent opportunity for product owners and managers to gain a competitive edge in using generative AI and ChatGPT in their roles.

[1]Design Studio: A collaborative, fast-paced workshop where team members rapidly sketch and iterate on design ideas. It typically involves rounds of individual ideation, presentation, critique, and refinement, fostering creativity and alignment within the team.

[2]SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics. It works particularly well with ChatGPT because it can be represented as text-based code, making it easy for the AI to generate and manipulate. SVG is ideal for creating responsive, scalable graphics that maintain quality at any size, which is perfect for web-based prototypes.