A low-fidelity prototype is a simple and rough draft of a product, application, or service that is created at the early stages of the design process to quickly and inexpensively test and iterate on ideas. It is also known as a lo-fi or paper prototype.
Low-fidelity prototypes are created with low-cost materials such as paper, cardboard, sticky notes, or wireframes, and do not usually incorporate detailed design elements or functionality. The purpose of these prototypes is to provide a basic representation of the product's structure, features, and user flow, and to get feedback from users and stakeholders.
There are several benefits to creating low-fidelity prototypes. First, they are quick and inexpensive to produce, which allows designers to explore multiple ideas and iterate on them more rapidly. Second, they can be easily modified and updated as feedback is received, without incurring a lot of cost or effort. Third, they help designers and stakeholders visualize the product and its functionality in a tangible way, which can help to identify usability issues, clarify requirements, and generate new ideas.
Some common examples of low-fidelity prototypes include:
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Sketches or drawings on paper or a whiteboard
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Hand-drawn wireframes or flowcharts
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Cardboard cutouts or mockups of physical objects
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Low-resolution digital mockups created with tools such as Balsamiq or Sketch
Low-fidelity prototypes are a useful tool for designers to rapidly explore and iterate on new ideas and gather feedback from stakeholders and end-users. They are an important part of the design thinking process and can help to ensure that the final product meets the needs of its users.