Prototype
01 Definition
Prototype meaning: An interactive or clickable model of a product used to test flows before building.
A prototype is a working model of a design that people can click through to simulate real use. It can be low or high fidelity and links screens to show flows. A prototype imitates behavior but usually lacks real data and backend logic, so it cannot fully prove technical feasibility.
Why it matters
How Prototype fits the work
Prototypes let teams test and demo an experience before development, catching flow and interaction problems while they are still fast and cheap to change.
In context
The team built a clickable prototype of the booking flow and tested it with users before writing any code, catching a confusing date picker.
Practical note
Match fidelity to your question: rough prototypes test flow and concepts, detailed ones test visual and interaction details; do not treat a prototype as final production behavior.