Prototype Fidelity: Low, Medium or High? Learn About the Types

Prototype fidelity classifications

During the planning stage of a digital project, whether it’s an e-commerce store, app or website, creating a prototype to evaluate features and interactions is very important. There are different levels of prototype fidelity, and we can highlight three main types:

• Low fidelity;
• Medium fidelity;
• High fidelity;

Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Low-fidelity prototypes, also called drafts or sketches.

In the early days of project planning, these were drawn by hand using paper, pencils and erasers. Today, there are software tools that help with this activity. However, what truly defines a low-fidelity prototype is its superficial way of conveying the project idea.

A low-fidelity prototype aims to simply show how users would interact with the project, without any concern for design elements.

It is often used to help define the project and identify the necessary requirements.

Medium-Fidelity Prototypes

Medium-fidelity prototypes, usually called wireframes, are often used in work involving information architecture.

They use prototyping software, such as Balsamiq or Axure, and have the following main objectives:

• Define the interface’s content structure;
• Define the weight, relevance and relationship between elements;
• Create a basic layout (with placeholder content and images);
• Create simple usage simulations (e.g., clicking a button);
• Make the prototype navigable, so users can move between the project’s different sections.

In other words, medium-fidelity prototypes do not use advanced design features such as colors and images, and they do not include complex usage simulations.

High-Fidelity Prototypes

A high-fidelity prototype (mockup) is a much closer representation of the project to be created. In most cases, it’s possible to simulate the complete flow of all features to measure user interaction as if it were the final product, without, of course, retrieving or saving anything in a database.

Visually, it looks much closer to the final layout. The creative team is often needed to produce graphic assets and give the prototype a more attractive design.

Mockup, wireframe or sketch?

There is no established convention for these names. Some people call a mockup a wireframe, or even call a wireframe a sketch, and vice versa. Ultimately, they all refer to the development of a prototype. The level of fidelity it should have depends on the type of project and the time available to create it.

Prototype development models

Should a prototype always be updated, or should we abandon it once we reach a certain point? Both models exist, and we call them evolutionary prototyping and throwaway prototyping.

Evolutionary prototyping

Evolutionary prototyping involves producing an initial prototype and refining it through several stages of project development until it reaches its final form.

Throwaway prototyping

Throwaway prototyping involves creating models that address project details at a given point in time and then discarding them.

Conclusion

There are several levels of prototype fidelity and prototyping methodologies. The right choice depends on the project’s budget and timeline, but one thing is certain: Any project that includes a prototype in its planning is much more likely to succeed or avoid failure.