Clickable prototype
Also called interactive prototype.
A set of linked screens you can click through, built to test a design before the real software exists.
Last updated
What it is.
A clickable prototype looks and moves like the finished product: you tap a button and the next screen opens. Behind it there is no real database, no real logins and no real integrations. The data is sample data and the logic is faked, so it can be built and changed quickly.
It sits between a sketch and an MVP. A sketch shows an idea; a prototype shows the flow, the layout and the words on each screen; an MVP is real software people use for real tasks.
Why it matters
Changing a screen in a prototype takes minutes. Changing the same flow after it is built in code takes days, because the database, the API and the tests change with it. A prototype lets users, stakeholders and engineers agree on what to build while change is still cheap, and it gives the engineering team something concrete to estimate against.
Common mistakes.
- 01
Treating the prototype as nearly done software. It has no back end, so the build still has to happen.
- 02
Only showing it to managers. The people who will use it daily find the real problems.
- 03
Prototyping the easy screens and skipping the hard states: errors, empty lists, permissions and edge cases.
Work it out with a tool.
Related terms.
- MVP (minimum viable product)The smallest version of a product that real users can use, built to test whether the core idea works.
- Fixed-price contractA contract where the price for an agreed scope is set up front.
- Technical debtThe future cost of shortcuts taken in code today.
- Time and materials (T&M)A contract where you pay for the hours actually worked, at agreed rates.
Guides and pages
Browse the full glossary or read answers to common questions.
