Prototyping: Testing Ideas Before Building Them
A prototype is a simulation of a product or feature — built to test ideas and gather feedback before committing to full development. Prototyping is one of the most cost-effective practices in product development.
Types of Prototypes
- Paper prototypes: Hand-drawn sketches of screens, used for very early concept validation. Fast to produce, fast to discard. Best for initial ideation.
- Low-fidelity digital prototypes: Simple wireframes linked together to simulate navigation. No visual design. Tests structure and flow.
- High-fidelity prototypes: Near-final visual designs with interactive links, animations, and realistic content. Used for usability testing and stakeholder sign-off.
- Coded prototypes: Working code that simulates key functionality. Used when interaction fidelity cannot be achieved in design tools, or for technical feasibility testing.
What Prototypes Test
- Navigation and information architecture
- User flows and task completion
- Content hierarchy and label clarity
- Overall visual direction
- Technical feasibility of specific interactions
Our Prototyping Tool
We use Figma for design prototypes — it supports interactive links, overlays, animations, and smart animate transitions. Prototypes can be shared via a link and accessed on any device without software installation.
What Prototypes Are Not
Prototypes are not production code. They are disposable tools for learning. The value is in what you learn from testing, not in the prototype itself.