Interactive prototypes for startups
Service · Updated
I build interactive prototypes so startups can show or test an idea before engineering builds it: clickable Figma flows for usability tests, Framer prototypes that run in a browser, and small working prototypes made with AI coding tools when the idea needs real input. Most take one to three weeks.
Pick the fidelity from the question
A prototype is a tool for answering one question cheaply. "Can people find the retry button?" needs a clickable flow. "Will an investor get what the product does in two minutes?" needs something that looks and moves like the real thing. "Does this interaction feel good with a real webcam and real typing?" needs a working build. Most wasted prototype budgets went on fidelity the question didn't need.
| Type | Built in | Good for | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clickable flow | Figma | Usability tests, aligning the team on a flow | About one week |
| Browser prototype | Framer | Investor and sales demos, landing-page concepts, sharing by link | One to two weeks |
| Working prototype | AI coding tools, directed by me | Ideas that depend on live input: camera, sound, real data, a browser extension | One to three weeks |
Things I've built to answer a question
Google Detective, the clip at the top of this page, is a Chrome extension that turns a search into a corkboard of linked evidence. A static Figma frame can't tell you whether a spatial view of search results feels useful. You have to search with it, so it had to be a working extension.
The CMYK Exporter is a Figma plugin, published on the Figma Community, that exports print-ready PDFs with colour profiles and bleed. I build these by directing AI coding tools. I design the behaviour and the interface, and the AI tools get it running fast enough to test.
The CMYK Exporter plugin: colour profile, bleed and DPI settings, an RGB and CMYK preview, then exported PDFs.
Prototypes for tests, pitches and sales
- For usability tests: every path the user might take, including failures. At FamPay I built prototype paths for payment timeouts, bank declines and retries and tested them across 15+ screens before anything shipped.
- For investors: one story, start to finish, with no dead buttons on the path you'll click. Speed matters more than coverage.
- For sales demos: the flow the buyer will ask about, with believable data. At xPay I designed the checkout UX used in live sales demos, and walkthrough time dropped 30%.
- For a concept you haven't committed to: enough of the product to see whether the idea holds.
SoundSphere was that last kind: a 4-week podcast app concept where the prototype had to play an AI summary as audio, because listening first was the whole idea.
The SoundSphere concept: Research signal, the summary pipeline, and the screens. An unshipped concept, so design reasoning, not results.
What you get
- A prototype you can share by link (Figma or Framer) or run in a browser (working prototypes).
- A short script for the demo or test: which path to click, what to say, what to watch for.
- The design files behind it, so the screens can go on to production design without starting over.
- For working prototypes, the code the AI tools produced, with a written note that it's prototype code and not meant to ship.
How it runs
- Day 1: the question: A call to agree what the prototype must prove and who will use it. This decides the fidelity.
- Days 2 to 4: the path: Sketch the flow and the data it needs. You see it before anything is polished.
- Week 2: build: Screens and interactions, shared daily so you can click it while it's being built.
- Last days: rehearse or test: A dry run of the demo with you, or the first user sessions, then fixes.
What a prototype isn't
A prototype is not an MVP. Working prototypes skip auth, security, error handling and scale on purpose, and I say so in writing. If you need something real customers can log into and pay for, you need engineers, and what I give you is the design and a working reference for them. I also don't do hardware or physical product prototyping.
Email work@utkarshdesign.com with what you want to show, who will see it, and when.
Questions people ask
What is an interactive prototype?
A version of the product people can click or use, built to test or demo an idea before it's engineered. It can be a linked set of Figma screens, a Framer site or a small working app.
Figma, Framer or a working build: which should I use?
Figma for testing flows. Framer when it needs to feel real in a browser and be shared by link. A working build made with AI coding tools when the idea depends on real input like a camera, audio or live data.
How long does a prototype take?
About one week for a clickable flow, one to three weeks for a Framer or working prototype, depending on how many paths it needs.
Can engineers reuse the prototype code?
Treat it as a reference to build from. It was made to be quick to change, and nobody should have to maintain it.
Do you use AI to build prototypes?
Yes. I design the behaviour and the interface myself, then direct AI coding tools to build a working version. I don't write production code; that stays with your engineers.
Sources
- UX Prototypes: Low Fidelity vs. High Fidelity, Nielsen Norman Group
- Guide to prototyping in Figma, Figma Learn
- Chrome Extensions, Chrome for Developers
Start a project
Tell me what you're building and where it's stuck: book a 30-minute call, email work@utkarshdesign.com or send a brief.