Complete the lesson quiz and earn 250 XP.
In the famous adage from IDEO, "A prototype is worth a thousand meetings."
Static mockups can never communicate the tactile experience of using software. A prototype transforms abstract verbal arguments about whether a feature will work into an empirical artifact that can be touched, tested, and validated.
Prototypes serve different validation goals depending on fidelity:
In modern interactive prototyping, components are modeled as finite state machines:
Every button or input must transition smoothly between discrete states:
Tab).Figma prototypes have inherent boundaries: they cannot store real input state or calculate dynamic mathematical formulas.
Be clear about the primary objective of your prototype:
In history, Grigory Potemkin erected elaborate fake painted village facades along Catherine the Great's travel route to create a false impression of prosperity.
In software design, a Potemkin Village prototype is an illusion that only works if the user clicks the exact single button the designer intended. The moment a test participant clicks anywhere else, the prototype freezes or breaks.
To conduct valid usability tests, prototypes must provide sufficient functional depth that users can explore naturally without crashing into dead ends.