Prototype
A prototype is an interactive, throwaway simulation of a product, something you can actually click through, built to test flows, usability, and ideas before committing to real development. Fidelity varies: from paper cards you shuffle by hand to a fully clickable Figma file that feels like the finished app. What defines it is behavior: unlike a Mockup, a prototype responds to input.
Prototyping exists to answer questions cheaply: Does this flow make sense? Can users find the button? Is this idea worth building? (before the expensive work of engineering it for real).
Also known as
proto · clickable prototype · interactive prototype · (as an activity) software prototyping
Don't confuse with: the fidelity spectrum and its cousins
Within the design trio:
Mnemonic: wireframe = skeleton, mockup = skin, prototype = it moves.
Two frequently-confused cousins that are not prototypes:
- Proof of concept (PoC): tests whether something is technically feasible (“can we even do X?”). A prototype tests the user experience/design. Different question.
- Minimum viable product (MVP): a real, shippable product with just enough features to learn from real customers. A prototype is a throwaway used before building; an MVP is the first slice of the actual thing.
In plain English
A fake-but-clickable version of the app you let people try, to catch problems before writing the real code.
What one looks like
A prototype is defined by flow, not looks, so a static picture can only hint at it. Prototyping tools show it as screens wired together: tap a hotspot on one screen, land on the next. Here, tapping Get started on the Home screen navigates to the Sign up form. The interactive path is drawn in accent color; everything else is just screen content.
Kinds of prototyping
- Throwaway (rapid) prototyping: build it to learn, then discard it. Most UX prototypes.
- Evolutionary prototyping: keep refining the prototype until it becomes the product.
- Fidelity ranges from low-fi (paper, rough) to high-fi (looks and behaves like the real app).
Where it fits
Prototyping spans the requirements and design phases of the SDLC, and gives its name to a whole plan-driven relative. Building risky parts first is central to the Spiral model. Common tools: Figma, ProtoPie, or coded prototypes.
See also
- Wireframe · Mockup: the rest of the fidelity spectrum
- Software development life cycle
References
- Wikipedia, Software prototyping. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_prototyping