Test the interaction before building it
Interactive prototyping for validating flows and interactions before development investment.
A prototype is a clickable simulation of a flow - built from wireframes or interface designs - that behaves enough like the real product to test whether the interaction actually works, before any development time gets spent on it. It sits between design and build, and its whole job is to surface problems while they're still cheap to fix.
A business needs this when a flow is complex or unfamiliar enough that reviewing static screens isn't enough to know if it'll work - a multi-step checkout, a new onboarding sequence, or an interaction pattern the team hasn't used before.
Prototyping is building a clickable, interactive simulation of a product flow so it can be tested and reviewed by real users or stakeholders before development starts, surfacing interaction problems while they're still cheap to fix.
What we bring to this
Click-Through Prototypes
- Multi-screen interactive flows
- Linked from wireframes or interface designs
Prototype-Based Usability Testing
- Task-based testing on the prototype itself
- Findings fed back into the design before build
Stakeholder Walkthroughs
- Structured walkthrough sessions before development sign-off
Micro-Interaction Prototyping
- Transitions, animations, and state changes prototyped in detail
- Timing and easing decisions made visible before build
Scope of work
| Area | What's included |
|---|---|
| Interactive prototype | A clickable simulation covering the flow being validated |
| Usability test round | A round of task-based testing on the prototype, where scoped |
| Micro-interaction detail | Key transitions and animations prototyped where they affect usability |
| Iteration | Revisions based on testing or stakeholder feedback before handoff to development |
The engagement, step by step
Choose fidelity
Decide how much of the flow needs to be interactive and how polished it needs to look - a rough click-through is often enough to answer a structural question.
Build the prototype
Link screens from wireframes or interface designs into a clickable flow that behaves like the real thing for the parts being tested.
Test or walk through
Run usability testing with real users, a stakeholder walkthrough, or both, depending on what needs validating.
Prototype key interactions
Build out micro-interactions and transitions where the animation itself affects whether the flow feels right.
Iterate
Revise the prototype based on what testing or review surfaces, before any of it becomes development work.
Hand off
Deliver the validated flow and interaction detail to development with the reasoning behind each decision.
Where this fits
- A multi-step checkout or signup flow where a wrong turn is expensive to discover post-launch
- A new interaction pattern the team hasn't used before and isn't confident will work as designed
- A stakeholder walkthrough needed before development sign-off, where static screens don't convey how the flow feels
- A micro-interaction - like a transition or loading state - where the timing itself is part of the design decision
Who needs this
A team about to build a complex or unfamiliar flow
Prototyping catches interaction problems in an afternoon that would otherwise surface mid-development.
A team that needs stakeholder sign-off before committing development budget
A clickable prototype gives stakeholders something closer to the real thing to react to than static screens.
What changes for you
- Interaction problems get found before development time is spent on them
- Stakeholders sign off on something that behaves like the real product, reducing late-stage direction changes
- Micro-interaction timing gets decided deliberately instead of improvised during development
Why work with EASI7 on this
- We scope prototype fidelity to the actual question being answered, rather than always building the most polished version
- Usability testing on the prototype uses the same rigour as testing a finished product
- Micro-interaction detail is prototyped, not just described, so development isn't guessing at timing and easing
Other services in this area
Design decisions backed by what users actually do, not what stakeholders assume
UX research combining user interviews, usability testing, and behavioural data before any design work starts.
The flow, not just the screens
User experience design focused on task flow, information architecture, and reducing friction end to end.
UI/UX DesignVisual design that serves the interaction, not the portfolio
User interface design covering layout, visual hierarchy, and component design for web and app interfaces.
UI/UX DesignStructure agreed on before a single pixel is styled
Low and mid-fidelity wireframing to align on structure and flow before visual design begins.
Consistency that doesn't depend on memory
Design system creation - component libraries, tokens, and documentation for consistent product design at scale.
Common questions
No - a simple, familiar flow with static wireframes already validated often doesn't need a separate prototype. Prototyping earns its cost on flows that are complex, unfamiliar, or where stakeholder sign-off matters before build.
That depends on what it's testing - a rough, low-fidelity click-through can validate structure and flow, while testing a specific micro-interaction usually needs closer-to-final visual and motion fidelity.
Yes - prototype-based usability testing is one of the more effective ways to catch interaction problems, since participants respond to something that behaves like the product rather than describing a static screen in the abstract.
They add a step, but the honest tradeoff is that catching an interaction problem in a prototype takes an afternoon, while catching the same problem after development is usually the more expensive and slower fix.
Figma is our default, since it covers both interactive prototyping and the underlying interface design in one file. We can work in other prototyping tools if a team already has an established one.
No - a prototype simulates the flow closely enough to test interaction and usability, but real performance, load times, and edge cases only fully surface once it's built. We won't claim a prototype replaces that.
Have a flow you're not confident will work as designed?
We'll prototype it, test it, and tell you honestly what needs to change before it goes to development.
Talk to us →