Upvote 42

Slow performance of Justinmind Prototype App

Answered Victor Conesa 8 years ago

my JIM prototype app is really slow for some reason, i have updated it to the latest version as well but it still is very slow. annoying and can work properly on the prototype.

Best Answer
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We can try to increase the amount of memory that Justinmind can use, if you have not already done so.

To do this, search for the file Justinmind.ini. Open that file with a text editor, then change the parameter -Xmx512 to -Xmx1024m if using Windows, or -Xmx2000m if using Mac, save the file, and open Justinmind again.

Replies (101)
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Why is your prototype that big? Sometimes, if you have many records in your data masters the prototype can get slow. Try removing records from your data masters if that's the case.

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Hi Victor. I don't have any data masters. Its mainly due to having many screens, dynamic panels, images (optimized), etc.


Simple things like deleting one simple object or moving several items can take a minute, and saving the file takes about 3 minutes. So even though prototyper is great, its very frustrating since it ain't productive when prototypes get heavy.

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I've tried to email it but since its 82 MB it takes too long. Any other way to send it (i.e. upload it to a specific cloud service?)

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What about dropbox?

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sorry--just determined we were dealing with an inordinately large source graphic :/

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In the old days of desktop publishing we had to greek and ungreek images or large text areas when applying layout changes due to RAM and CPU limitations. This should not be the case now. If your graphic is more than half of your RAM then it might be. This is very unlikely and it seems to be how JIM is handling data and objects that is the problem. I have posted a similar problem with a relatively small csv causing JIM to hang when trying to move a control populated with it's data and have not received a satisfactory answer from the JIM team, just a suggestion that it was a RAM issue. I have also noticed that when you select multiple controls with multiple events that moving the control takes ages. Clearly all issues here are related. Possibly also related to the exponential slowdown of JIM as your project grows that has been reported on the forum and has become evident with my work.

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Sorry, I have just realised that you are describing a problem with the simulation whereas my problem is in the JIM GUI. Still might be related though.

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the graphic was way too large for this case, but not outside the realm of possibility either. some optimization throughout would be well received--the application in general could be more "slippery"

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I actually have the same problem. Running on mac with dualcore and 8gb of rams. I even now am planning to switch to a new laptop with 16GB just to keep things speedy. But it seems like prototyper can't handle big files = big projects. I think I have more then 40 screens, with each screen having images, texts, interactions, etc. etc. a big file and project.

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Any resolution to this issuer?

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I end up spending twice as much time working on my prototype. And no it does not have a lot of data master records -- hardly any. This is very frustrating and a hinderance to getting serious prototypes done. If I could export to another program I would. This needs to be taken seriously and not just pasted off as a simple issue.

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You can try to reduce the quality of the images. Also try increasing the memory used by Justinmind Prototyper. In order to do that change, go to your Justinmind installation folder and open the file 'JustinmindPrototyper.ini' with a text editor. Write 1024m next to the parameter -xmx, so it reads -xmx1024m (instead of -xmx512m).

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same here ..I feel I made a mistake using justinmind to do a rapid prototype...it was not rapid at all...very slow ..the file was not up to 6mb....tried to increase memory as suggested here ....but no difference....mind you my pc was 32gb ram....so no problem there ...yet the tool was slow.......


it really delayed the work and at the end i had to abandon days of work and move to axure 7 .....a shame indeed....I posted a complaint about it and i was given the same canned response to go and increase the memory, really!....this is 2014 people.......This is indeed a major bug and if not dealt with quickly will cost justinmind customers ...anyway am cancelling my subscription....this has already cost me enough.

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am having the same issue here... has this been sorted out? thinking of canceling my account...

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if you are having the same issue ....I guess it has not been sorted....I cancelled my account long ago ..when I didnot get any joy from justinmind...I was not going to take any more chances with that issue.

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can you recommend me a good prototyping tool, like justinmind but without this issue? I am working for ios7, thanks!

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I would say axure ...first of it is the industry standard


and has loads of tutorials and users... so no matter your need, somebody else has probably posted about it in their forum

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Hi everyone,


Would you mind downloading the beta version and letting me know if it works any better?


https://www.justinmind.com/usernote/t...


Best,


Marc

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Thanks Marc, I will give it a try and get back to you.

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hi Mark, I can't publish any versions on usernote and the ios app is not available in any region. Do we have a quick fix to this?

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There is an special usernote for the beta. Open Justinmind and go to Preferences -> Justinmind account and change 'http://23.23.122.164/usernote/


As for the ios app, it seems the people at Apple are having some kind of delay on approving apps, hopefully it will be available this week.

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Hello Marc,


Love the beta version. Can you help me add my colleague? he is a user on the old version and the beta version seems to not recognize his log in credentials. His email is simon.darling@quietriots.com


Thanks,


Andrei

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Hi Andrei,


The new version of usernote has been uploaded to the server. So he should be able to use it now. Wou will both have to switch to the "real usernote" from the test usernote. Below is how you should do it.


Best,


Marc

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You can now switch back from the test usernote to the new version of usernote.


To have all the prototypes from the test usernote in the new usernote please:


1) download the .vp files to your computer.


2)Open Justinmind and go to Preferences -> Justinmind account and change 'https://www.justinmind.com/usernote'


3)Upload the prototypes to the new usernote either from prototyper or from the browser.


Best regards,


Marc

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Our team is having massive problems with the speed of the app. Across all 4 windows laptops, we are seeing extremely slow performance. Dragging and dropping elements, and basically all the interaction in the app is slow. This is impacting us not even for large prototypes, this is for blank projects too.


When we drag a circle onto the canvas, it takes 1.5-2.5seconds for it to appear. When we try to add an event, it can take 5 seconds for the dialog to show.


We've tried the tip above about making the -Xmx1024m instead of -Xmx512m in the ini file and it didn't make a difference.


How is it possible that anyone is using this app?

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We have been reported  by other clients as well that this version's performance was worse than the other one but not as bad as you describe. Anyway, we are working on improving the performance and we'll have an update ready in a month. We've already fix the problem with the events dialog and we're working on the rest of the processes. If you're interested, as soon as we have a release candidate we can send it to you so you can make sure the performance issues are solved.

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I've been working on a single page prototype for the past week, and it seems that as every day goes on its taking longer and longer to share.


It went from taking about 10 seconds to load to over 10 minutes!


Is there some sort of cache or something that the system is uploading, or maybe a dump spot for the images that I have integrated into the prototype that can be cleared?

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That's weird. Could you send the prototype to us please? We will try to figure out what could be going on.

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I can't believe how poor the performance is, it's not even usable so we've had to look at competing options like Invision and Axure.

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Could you check if there are a lot of comments in the comments section? We've detected a bug that make comments get duplicated exponentially.

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Hi,


We are working on an update that fixes some performance issues that we have detected. Would you mind to try a beta version of that update and check if it solves the performance issues you're having please? Make sure you create backup copies of your prototypes before editing them with this beta version, just in case.


Windows:


http://d2ld3he4yll0xl.cloudfront.net/...


Mac:


http://d2ld3he4yll0xl.cloudfront.net/...


Thanks in advance

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Hi,


We are working on an update that fixes some performance issues that we have detected. Would you mind to try a beta version of that update and check if it solves the performance issues you're having please? Make sure you create backup copies of your prototypes before editing them with this beta version, just in case.


Windows:


http://d2ld3he4yll0xl.cloudfront.net/...


Mac:


http://d2ld3he4yll0xl.cloudfront.net/...


Thanks in advance

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Thank you Victor. I am downloading this now, and I will test throughout the day.

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This beta is no better than previous version. I uninstalled previous version, and installed 6.1 fresh.


I started it and created a new web 1024x768 project. It took 30 seconds to even get the BLANK project started.


Dragging a circle widget on the page was 3-4 seconds after I released the object.


This is consistently just as bad as 6.0.

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I am not able to share my prototypes with 6.1... Any way around this so the sharing feature is available again?

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You should. What error message shows up when you try to?

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When clicking Share or Reshare, I get the success message within the app and click "View in my account" Once in the browser I see, " Error publishing the prototype"

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Trevin, could you tell me some details about your computer such as OS version, memory and that kind of stuff please?

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Lenovo X1 Carbon Ultrabook with 8GB RAM, Core i7 Processor on an SSD disk. 10GB disk free space and latest version of Java. Running Windows 8.1 x64.


However, as mentioned before, we are seeing this across all different types of laptops on my team, all on Windows 8.1 x64.

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Can you try something else for me please? Could you follow the instructions described in this thread to increase the memory allocation for Justinmind and tell me if it goes faster? https://www.justinmind.com/community...

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Victor: I've previously tried that, and it didn't help. We tried it on multiple PCs as well.

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Since the update to the beta version it's super slow!


I am working on a mac with a 630kb file.


Every step is so slow and unlucky me - I have 4 wires which I did with the older version which was great!


Now looking for a new prototyper -I thought i finally find paradise...

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Working on it

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Hi,


6.1.1 no news. Drag an edit field to the prototype takes 15 seconds. Close the application take 45 second until the dialog ask if I want to save the prototype.


We will not start any new projects in this prototyper and hopefully manage to end the remaining without to much effort.


Did not anyone test/beta test this product at all before the launch?


Best


Anders

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We didn't include any improvements on the performance for this update. We will probably add some in the next one.

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Ok I presumed that this release note was from you guys? "This release fixes numerous bugs and crashes in v6.1, including font size in retina displays, the order of buttons in dialogs, and paste inside groups. We ́ve also added the “Font Awesome” library, an auto-scroll feature in palettes, and we have made some adjustments to improve performance..."

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Has 6.2.0 solve any of your issues guys? because I am working on a prototype, of around 3,5 MB which takes around 1 minute to load the interactions popup each time I click on "add event", and takes around 20 seconds to delete or cut an element.

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I've been doing some testing today. It seems the slowness (in my case) is always related with the number and size of resources. So being obessive about the size of each picture inside the prototype and also trying to simplify the amount of elements I have on it most of the slowness and crazyness is gone.


My big issue was that the popup to add/modify events took really long to load (about 1 minute and one CPU core at 100%) and deleting an element also took too long. Most of the other things were ok but you can't afford to wait one minute everytime you need to change an event!


I fixed it but I still feel that this software needs a lot of optimization in this. You can't be obessive about each resource size and it shouldn't behave like this even if the size of some pictures is big.


Hope this helps!

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Exported to customer support portal.

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I experienced this problem the other day and managed to solve it by:


- Start a new JIM project


- Goto File > Import Prototype


You will need to locate your .VP file. Once you have, choose it.


All the assets contained within the project will be imported into your new project. It works a treat. Certainly speeded things up for me. Not sure why.


Hope it helps.


Rob

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My problem: I have two datamasters representing a 1:n data relation. Table A has 100 records of test datasets, table B ~450. Opening the data masters for editing is incredible slow with rising numbers of datasets (after importing them). It takes minutes and windows reports Justinmind crashing due to missing communication with the application. Still, it is running, but it takes ages. Are there any restrictions on the number of datasets in a data master to work properly? Is this a bug? I need the amount of data for testing to represent different scenarios. This is frustrating.


I am using 6.8.0 on Windows 7, 64 bit.

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Hi Kit,


We've answered you in our support portal.


Best,


Danielle

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No you haven't. I'm still having the problem.

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Hi Samia,


Thanks for reporting this. We're working on improving application performance. However, a few things can affect performance on your end - do you have many high resolution images, data masters, or comments? Try reducing these if possible and see if application performance improves.


Best,


Danielle

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Hi Kit,


We're sorry that we haven't been as quick to respond on this issue - it is quite complex. Hopefully we'll have a resolution soon.


Thank you for your patience.


Best,


Sonia Durán

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Hi! I have been dealing with these kind of issues myself every time a prototype gets complex. I will tell you my experience with my last big prototype and let me know if it helps you figuring out what your cause might be:


- I was designing a big iOS prototype, with just a login screen a tutorial screen and then a complex screen containing everything else. Every time the user changes from one screen to another, every information on what panels were selected, what was the scroll position in some panels, etc, is lost. This is sometimes convenient, but some other many times not. In the old web users were use to navigate through independent web pages, nowadays one-page sites are very common so you want all panels state to remain as they are (and even more if it is a prototype of a mobile app).


Anyway, so for all these reasons I used to just have one complex screen and use dynamic panels for everything, dynamic panels are the most awesome feature of JIM in my opinion.


- With time it got really slow every time I (as a user) accessed to this complex screen. So slow that I had to present a popup for the user saying "loading items" which would last about 15 seconds on my iPhone 6.


- The big issue in my case were the datamasters and datagrids. I had 3 datamasters, with not many entries (just 15, 5 and 10 entries respectively). When I deleted 2 of those datamasters and datagrids it suddenly loaded in a very decent time. I tried then to leave the datamasters, created a new screen and use the datagrids related to those datamasters but in this new screen. Now the complex screen I talked about before loaded in the same decent time, so the issue was not having many datamasters, but using serveral datagrids, related to different datamasters in the same screen.


- With a bit of work I divided the whole project in different screens in a way that each screen would use just one datagrid/datamaster. In one screen it was impossible and I used two of them (so its the screen that takes more to load). I still left the "getting items" popup cause it helps the user understand that it didn't hang and its just loading stuff. Doing this the whole prototype became finally useful!


- Of course I had to use many more variables to pass some states of one screen to the next screen.


- If instead of having 3 datamasters, I had a large datamaster of 30 entries, the loading time would be more or less the same. Its just JIM having a hard time loading info from the datamasters into the datagrids. Its also true that my datamasters have 6-10 columns. It might also be related. But anyway, its still a tiny database. I guess they need to optimize this in the future.


This is just my last experience and how I fixed, in your case, it could be any other thing, any of the causes Danielle mentioned.


Regards,


Diego.

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Thanks for all that info Diego, it's helpful to know how users interact with prototyper as well as how they find workarounds for any limitations in the application.

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I am using Justinmind 7.0 — on a Mac Pro, with two six core (64bit) processors, and 128 GB of RAM (you read that right), two 8 GB K5000 video card(s) (one for each of the two 4k monitors), and a separate 4 GB video card for my Wacom HD 24 Touch. Not, a machine on which I am accustomed to waiting... Oh, I also have CoxFiber, and a full gigabit of that shared between just four developers on an internal 10 Gb network.


I am a Chief Scientist, and Software Architect (with 30 years of software engineering under my belt), and I have been relentlessly searching for a prototyping tool. It seems as though heftier tools like Justinmind and Axure straddle web-and-mobile too much — losing usability, and more importantly performance in the process. I have a prototype with 32 mobile screens (the prototype is now 77 MB). Now it takes so long to cope with, I feel like developers of old — who would hit compile, and go get a cup of coffee (at Dunkin' Donuts down the street)! As for lighter tools like Flinto for Mac, which probably should be referred to as "almost" for Mac are missing some very basic things, like being able to transition from portrait to landscape — really? One of the most basic features of any SmartPhone, and the most popular prototyping tool on the web can't do it?


Justinmind can deal with that transition (spectacularly badly in execution), and good luck once you've uploaded it. Just try to test it on your iOS device! If you thought the prototype development was frustrating, try waiting for all of the gestures, and the all of the other things for which a prototype should show functionality to load, and then observe it work, well, underwhelmingly. And also with delays that actually make you miss the gesture(s) if you have ANY timed transitions on hero screens...


It seems as though someone should be able to figure out a screens-and-layers prototyping tool, not in a browser, that can easily link-and-install functional prototypes on any device using an e-mail, or text message link — that also has every conceivable gesture, function, touch, and transition available for the most popular mobile devices without having to employ an army of support/retention agents to simply get through a prototype. If IFTTT can figure out pseudo-scripting to the extent my nine-year-old niece can create recipes to turn on lights/music/check-in messages on her iPod touch — then why are we having so much trouble with all of this! It's almost faster to do it in Xcode...


I wonder, how many people here, have tried at least three other prototype platforms with something that you liked in each, but nothing that comes close to having it all/most/some of what we really need to save time-and-money before we go to code!

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Hi MDOT,


Thank you for taking the time to report the issues you are experiencing and helping to make Justinmind better. I will transfer this information to our development team so they can take into account for future updates.


Best,


Sonia Durán

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Hi there,


You can increase prototype efficiency by reducing the amount of data masters, high resolution images, or comments on the prototype.


Hope this helps.


Best,


Danielle

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I cant split application on more master than one or more screens.


Images i have used 1:1 scale. And no comments.


My main issue is about event functionality. If its possible to do that functionality inside script or its neccessary to do events in that gui? Quesstion about performance of app its not main problem. But can be nice to have some tutorial how to use JustInMind for large scale projects.

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Hi there,


Splitting events is not possible - they must be added through the events panel.


In that case, we recommend splitting the prototype into two separate prototypes if possible. We're always working on finding ways to better application performance for larger prototypes, but a tutorial on how to handle larger prototypes would surely be helpful. Thank you for your suggestions.


Best,


Danielle

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I would like to sent you some composed screenshot from my prototype.


Maybe it will give better view on what i try to achieve.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/n88wybu3xqm...


Functionality of writing of a event is something planned of absolutely not ? I think it can dramaticaly made working quicker and more precise.


As you can see On the bottom of image. Thats my event manager. And for example i have problem with resizing of one element on screen in that event manager is not possible to hit right box which made that functionality without click on each box.

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Hi there,


We do not recommend creating that many dynamic panels - that is most likely why your prototype is slow. If possible, can you consolidate some of them as well as the events in them?


Writing events is not planned right now - this would likely create issues with scripting, though we recognize that would help with prototyping speed.


Best,


Danielle

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Than i dont know if i can longer using a justinmind as a prototyping platform. After longes usage i start to have more cons nad workflow is not fully flexible as i expect.


Question is:


If Its possible to made very accurate prototype of justinmind application? For example if i want to copy whole program with all responds in program. Can I do that?


( I dont want to do that, its just question :) ).


Not functional just to represent design and usability. Inside one prototype. I mean left panel with switches and presets. Selecting part of screen. Because i cant imagine can be possible to test just one panel if affect other panels.


Also i am very interested how can be that workflow splited and adjusted or in which program you made a prototypes for JustInMind Application. I made a research about prototyping tools and justinmind is really great. Best competitors like origami, principle, framer, protoshare, webflow, solidfy, indigo, ux pin and also Axure are far away behind. Axure to compare to justinmind look like a old slow turtle. Also is interesting a new Adobe Comet. Which will sadly offer less functionality then justinmind but will works well with cloud.


Which can be right tool for prototyping interactions for responsive enterprise applications, nor small websites or mobile app? Which tool is best for designing adobe product like premier pro, photoshop nad also lot of mobile applications. If it necessary optimalization on more platforms and sizes ?

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Hi there,


You probably could - though we don't recommend it.


Any prototyping platform will become slower when the prototype is very big and requires a lot of functionality. We do, however, believe that Justinmind is the best tool among prototypers.


It is necessary to optimize for any prototype if you would like performance to be as smooth as possible.


Best,


Danielle

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Hi Pisces,


Which Justinmind version are you using? The installer of our last 7.1.1 version has


a shortcut to the High DPI version. Look for and launch this file:


C:Program Files (x86)JustinmindJustinmind Prototyper 7.1.1JustinmindPrototyperHiDPI.exe


Kindly let me know how it goes.


Best,


Sonia Durán

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ok,I'll try...But,what's the solution of the efficiency of the software(lag?slow?)?

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Same Issue here. I recently found Justinmind and felt very good about it and same time it is very effective to work with. But once I published the prototype it's response time is not acceptable as is become comparatively very slow. I tried changing many things within the prototype project but avail no better performance. Feel very disappointment after completing the project.


73000e90b5baea0b49216ad31d80d2ab

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40 screens and timing problems ? So if I would like to build up a business app prototype with about 500 screens it would ruin my work ?


Avg screen will contain 30-50 controls, tabs, buttons and grid elements.

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