Prototype

What is a Prototype in Product Design?

Prototype is the fourth stage in the Design Thinking process. This is when the ideas you generated in the Ideate step begin to be realized into versions that can be “touched, seen, and felt”, to validate and gather feedback.

In simple terms, a Prototype is like a “draft you can try out” of the product – it doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be good enough to simulate the user experience.

Goals of a Prototype

• Test the feasibility of the idea

• Explore how users interact with the product

• Identify strengths and weaknesses before full deployment

• Save time, effort, and development costs

Common types of prototypes

1. Low-fidelity prototype: Quick sketches, paper and pencil, static wireframe
   → Easy to edit, used in the early stages

2. High-fidelity prototype: Interface that closely simulates the real thing (using tools like Figma, Framer…)
   → Simulates interaction flow, tests usability

For example

You are designing an app for booking online medical appointments. After the Ideate stage, your team selects a few solutions on how to choose a doctor and schedule an appointment.

In the Prototype step, you use Figma to create a prototype that allows clicking through each step:

• Select specialty

• Filter doctors by available schedule

• Select time and confirm appointment

This prototype is not connected to the backend, does not handle real data, but is enough for you to test whether users understand how to operate, and if they get “stuck” at any step.

A Prototype is not the final product

Many designers confuse Prototypes with “making UI look good”. In reality, a prototype is a tool to realize ideas and test them, not to showcase something “pretty”. It is used to answer questions like:

• Do users understand this flow?

• Do they find the interaction easy?

• Does this layout presentation cause any confusion?

A Prototype is the bridge between ideas and reality. It helps you learn a lot before “spending money” on real development. An effective prototype doesn’t need to be flashy – it just needs to meet the goal: help you learn quickly and fix early.