Dribbble
A showcase site where designers share their work.
Dribbble works as a cheap source of app icons and visual references. Steve Young says he paid about $100 to $200 for a designer's icon, adapted for a camera app, and calls ugly icons a common critical mistake. Lazar uses its designs as screenshots for his parallel prototypes. Lesson: browse by theme, message designers, and treat the icon as a low-cost fix.
- 1Start 4-5 prototypesBuilt in parallel on every project
- 2Vary the starting inputVoice, typed, code snippet, Dribbble screenshot
- 3Compare the conceptsClarity just keeps coming
- 4Keep the clear winnerSaves hundreds of credits and days
From Lazar Jovanovic interview
What was said about Dribbble
Use Dribbble screenshots as references in one of several parallel prototypes. Lazar Jovanovic starts each project with four or five prototypes built in parallel. One of them is a prompt paired with a reference screenshot from Mobbin or Dribbble. He compares the results and keeps the clear winner.
The other versions are a voice brain dump, a typed and thought-through prompt, and a prompt with a code snippet or template from a library like 21st.dev. He says he has tested the framework with many people, each calling it an eye opener, and that it saves hundreds of credits and days compared with fixing a weak first build. In his words: "You're going to get three, four, five, six different concepts that you can compare. As you're comparing them, clarity just keeps coming."
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Its designs serve as reference screenshots for the second of the parallel prototypes Lazar starts each project with.
Use Dribbble screenshots as references in one of several parallel prototypes. Lazar Jovanovic starts each project with four or five prototypes built in parallel. One of them is a prompt paired with a reference screenshot from Mobbin or Dribbble. He compares the results and keeps the clear winner.
The other versions are a voice brain dump, a typed and thought-through prompt, and a prompt with a code snippet or template from a library like 21st.dev. He says he has tested the framework with many people, each calling it an eye opener, and that it saves hundreds of credits and days compared with fixing a weak first build. In his words: "You're going to get three, four, five, six different concepts that you can compare. As you're comparing them, clarity just keeps coming."
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Searching for something like "word game icon" gives inspiration. You can contact a designer, ask to adapt an icon, and pay about $100 to $200.
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A place to browse icon ideas in your category and buy icons cheaply from designers. Young sees ugly icons as a common critical mistake.
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A good icon can cost about $100 there. Search by theme, message the designer, and ask whether it has been sold before; Steve got a 3D camera icon this way.
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