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How I see a lesson from Flash holds a future of prototyping
![A collage of major prototyping tools’ logos placed on a rough timeline from 1987 to 2018.](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1000/1*55xo-WZ654UI-izfZEqxww.jpeg)
Prototyping is critical part of UX process. Obviously, prototyping tools play significant roles, and we have seen various software programs throughout the past decades. Among these tools, I would like to focus on Adobe Flash (now called Animate), and share what I learned from using it for years, and why I think a lesson from Flash holds a future of prototyping. Let me dive in.
History of modern-day prototyping
When we think about the future of prototyping, it’s worth looking back in a history. A chart below shows major prototyping and authoring tools from 1987 to 2020. On the bottom, I added key product/service launches that impacted the world, which provides an overall historical context. The list is not exhaustive, but you get the idea.
![A timeline of each prototyping tool’s launch and discontinuation year. Major product launches were also included for contexts](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1000/1*VRO9N5YFDLCsKVsAYYfIoA.jpeg)
The rise and fall of prototyping tools have always been heavily influenced by the underlying technology trends, which can be divided roughly into 4 eras; 1) Multimedia Era, 2) Flash Era, 3) Web 2.0 Era, and 4) Mobile Era.
Strictly speaking, Microsoft Powerpoint, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, PDF are not prototyping tools. But in…