Coding an idea you haven’t tested is one of the most expensive ways to get it wrong. A prototype lets you see, click through and evaluate an app or website before writing a single line of code, while changes are still quick and cheap.<\/p>\n
A prototype is a clickable version of the product used to validate the experience with real users and align the team before development.<\/strong><\/p>\n It isn’t a loose sketch or the final product. It’s a simulation with the key screens linked together: you can tap buttons, move through a flow and understand how it will feel to use. It’s built in tools such as Figma and can have different levels of detail.<\/p>\n Mobile apps, web platforms, customer portals, checkout flows, long forms, internal dashboards and complete websites. The more complex or expensive the development, the more it’s worth prototyping first.<\/p>\n1. What a prototype is (and what it isn’t)<\/h2>\n
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\n \nLevel<\/th>\n What it’s for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Wireframes<\/td>\n Defining structure, content and hierarchy without getting distracted by colors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Low-fidelity prototype<\/td>\n Testing complete flows quickly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n High-fidelity prototype<\/td>\n Validating the final design, interactions and micro-animations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n 2. Why it pays to test before coding<\/h2>\n
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3. How to test a prototype with users<\/h2>\n
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4. What you can prototype<\/h2>\n
5. From prototype to development<\/h2>\n