November 6, 2026. A paper mockup can be a useful way to start a small software experiment. The important second step is deciding what the resulting app should actually do.
Start with the drawing
Google’s November 5 Gemini guide outlines three steps: upload a photo of a sketch, choose Canvas and request an app implementation, then try the preview and ask for adjustments. Its examples include app layouts, habit trackers, and gameboards. This is a summary of Google’s instructions, not our own hands-on test.
Add requirements the sketch leaves out
Before testing, write down three concrete expectations. For a tracker, those might be adding an entry, correcting it, and finding it again after reopening. For a game, define how a round ends and what a restart should clear. A drawing alone may not communicate those rules.
Next, try an empty input, a long label, and an accidental double click. Check the layout on a smaller screen and try keyboard navigation. Report the actual result when requesting a revision: “the entry disappears after reload” is more useful than “make it better.”
Use fictional information during these checks. If the app will hold anything important, establish where data is stored, who can access it, and how to recover or export it before putting it into regular use.
Treat the preview as a way to refine the idea. A responsive button is a good beginning; verified behavior is the next milestone.
Featured photo: Julio Lopez / Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. Stock photograph; not a product screenshot.
