Prototype

An early, often throwaway version of a product or feature built to test an idea, a clickable mockup, a rough demo, before investing in the real thing.

Why it matters

Prototypes let you get feedback and find flaws for almost nothing, before code is written. The faster and cheaper you can prototype, the more ideas you can test and the fewer expensive mistakes you make.

For example

A designer builds a clickable Figma prototype of the new flow and tests it with five users in an afternoon, before any code is written.

Related terms

Wireframe Minimum Viable Product Design Sprint

Go deeper

See how founders actually handle this on Building the product, part of the Starting Up hub.

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