Building an app or website without testing a prototype is like manufacturing a car without a test drive. I build low, medium and high-fidelity, clickable prototypes that simulate the real product experience, allowing you to validate ideas, pitch investors, and test usability before writing a single line of code.
What is interactive prototyping?
Interactive prototyping is the process of linking design screens together using clickable hotspots (and often transitions and animations) to mimic a fully functional website or mobile application. Instead of looking at static images, stakeholders and users can physically click buttons, open menus, and navigate through the experience exactly as they would on a live app.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand meetings
Tom Kelley, IDEO
How interactive prototyping will benefit your product
Prototypes bring your ideas to life instantly. They bridge the communication gap between designers, developers, and stakeholders, saving massive amounts of engineering time and money by catching usability issues early.
- Eliminates development rework
- Attracts investor funding
- Validates product ideas fast
- Identifies usability issues early
- Provides realistic user testing
- Streamlines stakeholder sign-off
- Lowers overall engineering costs
Interactive prototyping services
Here are a few of the main prototyping services I offer. Every project is different though, so I make sure I suggest and use the right tools for every project:
Low-fidelity prototypes
Early on in a project, I link basic digital wireframes together to test the core logic and navigation of a concept. This keeps the focus entirely on structural usability rather than visual aesthetics.
High-fidelity prototypes
Using advanced prototyping features in Figma, I build pixel-perfect prototypes complete with realistic micro-interactions, responsive behaviors, and smooth transitions that look and feel like a real code-built application.
Investor & pitch deck prototypes
If you are raising capital or pitching to internal stakeholders, a an interactive, functional prototype can bring your product’s features to life for potential investors.
Usability testing prototypes
To get the most out of user testing, your prototype needs to mimic reality. I create dedicated, airtight testing prototypes that allow users to navigate naturally while I observe where they struggle.
Project example
Uncovering user problems through interactive prototyping
Example to appear shortly
Interactive prototyping steps
Define user flows & key interactions
I help you establish the exact user pathways, critical features, and key animations we want to simulate within the prototype.
Wireframe or style the design screens
Depending on the project phase and scope, I ensure all required screens, states (hover, active, error), and UI components are fully designed and ready to be connected.
Map connections and micro-interactions
I build out the interactive architecture, utilising smart-animates, overlays, and transitions to create a seamless, realistic application experience.
Test, refine, and hand off
I stress-test the prototype to ensure no broken links exist, use it for user validation, and then hand it off to your development team alongside clear interaction specs.
What software do you use to create interactive prototypes?
As a freelance UX UI designer, my primary tool is Figma. Its native prototyping engine is incredibly powerful, allowing me to build everything from simple web click-throughs to highly complex, dynamic mobile app simulations.
Do your prototypes contain actual working code?
No, prototypes are visual simulations. However, because I build them cleanly in Figma using component libraries and auto layout, developers can inspect the design files to extract exact CSS parameters, spacing rules, and animation timings, making their coding process much faster.