Why prototypes matter
A prototype is a version of your design that people can try. Adverts for UI/UX and product designers commonly ask for prototyping, because a prototype lets the team and real users experience a flow before any code is written. It is also the clearest way to show your work to a manager, a client or an interviewer.
Kinds of prototype
- Paper prototype. Hand drawn screens on cards. You act as the computer: when the person "taps", you swap in the next card. Free, fast, and great for testing in a market or community where a laptop would draw a crowd.
- Clickable prototype. Screens from your design tool linked together, so tapping a button moves to the next screen. You can run it on a phone through the tool's free viewer or mobile app.
- Coded prototype. Built by a developer, or with simple web code. Useful later for testing real performance, but slower to change.
Choose the cheapest prototype that answers your question. To test whether people understand a menu, paper is enough. To test whether a payment flow feels trustworthy, a polished clickable prototype is better.
Focus on one task
A prototype does not need every screen. Build only the path for the task you want to test, such as "buy a data bundle" or "check a school result". Include:
- the starting screen
- each step of the happy path