--- title: "Interactive Prototypes for Startups | Utkarsh Panwar" description: "Interactive prototypes for startups, built in Figma, Framer or with AI coding tools, for user tests, investor meetings and sales demos, in one to three weeks." url: https://www.utkarshdesign.com/services/prototyping author: Utkarsh Dhairya Panwar updated: 2026-10-08 --- # Interactive prototypes for startups Service · Updated 8 Oct 2026 **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](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/work/soundsphere): 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 1. **Day 1: the question**: A call to agree what the prototype must prove and who will use it. This decides the fidelity. 2. **Days 2 to 4: the path**: Sketch the flow and the data it needs. You see it before anything is polished. 3. **Week 2: build**: Screens and interactions, shared daily so you can click it while it's being built. 4. **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 1. [UX Prototypes: Low Fidelity vs. High Fidelity](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-prototype-hi-lo-fidelity/), Nielsen Norman Group 2. [Guide to prototyping in Figma](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040314193-Guide-to-prototyping-in-Figma), Figma Learn 3. [Chrome Extensions](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions), Chrome for Developers ## Start a project Tell me what you're building and where it's stuck: [book a 30-minute call](https://cal.com/utkarsh-design/30min), email [work@utkarshdesign.com](mailto:work@utkarshdesign.com) or [send a brief](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/contact). ## Related - [Designing AI features users trust](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/guides/designing-ai-features) - [Usability testing for startups](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/services/usability-testing) - [Interactive website design for launches](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/services/interactive-websites) - [Prototyping with AI tools](https://www.utkarshdesign.com/guides/ai-prototyping) --- Utkarsh Dhairya Panwar, Founding Product Designer and Design Engineer (IIT Roorkee; Founding Designer at CodeAnt AI, YC W24). Email: work@utkarshdesign.com · Book a call: https://cal.com/utkarsh-design/30min · Hire: https://www.utkarshdesign.com/hire · About: https://www.utkarshdesign.com/llms.txt