Prototype
A prototype is a clickable mockup that behaves like the real product without being fully built. You can tap through screens and feel the flow, which surfaces problems while they are still cheap to fix — before any production code exists.
Why does a prototype matter when hiring a studio?
Reading a spec and using a flow are very different experiences. A prototype lets everyone feel the product before the expensive part — development — begins, so misunderstandings surface early. That protects both budget and timeline.
At Nabee, prototyping fits between scoping and build. Because the same team designs the prototype and writes the code, what you approve in the prototype is what gets built, with no translation loss between an agency and a separate dev shop.
A concrete example
Before Metro X's "Visual Rhythm + SYNC" became a shipped feature used by 2,500+ musicians, the interaction had to feel right in the hand. Prototyping a novel interaction like that is how you learn whether it actually helps before committing to build it fully. A screenshot cannot tell you whether a rhythm feels steady; only tapping through a working simulation can.
How much detail should a prototype have?
It depends on the question you are trying to answer. A rough clickable prototype is enough to test whether a flow makes sense, while a higher-fidelity one is worth it when you need to feel a specific interaction or show stakeholders something close to the real thing. The point is to build only as much as the decision requires, then stop. Over-polishing a prototype wastes the time it was meant to save, so we match fidelity to the question rather than gold-plating throwaway work.
Related terms
Common questions
- Is a prototype the same as an MVP?
- No. A prototype simulates the product and is usually thrown away or rebuilt. An MVP is a real, shippable first version that users actually use.
- Why prototype instead of just building?
- Because fixing a flow in a prototype takes minutes, while fixing it after development takes days. Prototyping catches expensive mistakes early.
- Does every project need a prototype?
- Simple sites may not; products with novel or multi-step flows usually benefit. We decide what is worth prototyping during scoping.