Prototyping is a key element to the requirements discovery, definition, and validation process when building web applications. However, it’s all too common for teams to spend too much time in the prototyping phase, thereby defeating the purpose of creating a prototype in the first place. Here are several best practices to ensure you and your team get the most from your prototyping process.

1. Prototype just enough.

   You need to get your point across to stakeholders so they can make informed decisions. Simple wireframes often aren’t enough to convey understanding, but don’t fall victim to over-prototyping (from both a functional and graphical fidelity perspective). Remember, the prototype is not the final product. Those who want to create a hi-fi prototype that “fools the end user” into thinking the prototype is actually the final product are setting themselves up for failure. The goal is to effectively communicate ideas so that you can get feedback, not to waste time trying to build a pixel perfect representation of the final product.