A prototype costs less than the wrong decision to build

A clickable app prototype is a set of linked screens that a user moves through as if it were the finished product, although no code exists yet. It is used to test an idea with users and to show it to the board before the decision to build. Squares designs only the screens the answer to the agreed question depends on, without drawing out the whole product.

An app prototype costs from PLN 8,000 net. The amount depends on the number of screens and on the scope of validation, that is on whether the prototype is to be tested with users. We price per project, after a conversation about what the prototype should test.

Preparing a prototype usually takes a few weeks. The time depends on the number of screens and on whether the prototype goes through user testing. The work has four stages: scope, key screens, clickable prototype and validation. When an answer is needed within a week, the right format is a Design sprint.

A prototype shows how the product will work, while an MVP is the first working version with code, used by real users. A prototype is faster and cheaper to produce, which is why it is used to test an idea before the decision to build. If testing confirms the direction, the next step is building the first version in the Development service.

The outcome is a clickable prototype plus test findings with a recommendation. The decision to build then rests on how users react, and the person who signs off the budget finds it easier to defend with a test recording than with a slide. In the training sales platform project, interactive prototypes of the key views were made in Figma before the WordPress build.

A prototype is worth building when a company is planning a new product, module or product line and wants to see how users react before deciding to build. The second reason is several competing ideas for a solution; the third is a budget the board has to approve. A prototype is the cheapest way to find out that something does not work.

A Design sprint packs the choice of direction, the prototype and the testing into five days, while Prototype & MVP gives more time to refine the screens. A sprint involves the client's team in workshops and answers one question. A prototype built over a few weeks covers more journeys, including edge cases such as going back and correcting data in the heat demand calculator.

Yes, user testing is part of the service. We design the test scenario, run the sessions and hand over the findings with a recommendation. When the prototype is meant only for a budget decision, we prepare it for a board presentation instead of testing. The scope of validation affects the price, so we agree it at the start.

The team needs to bring two things: the question the prototype should answer and an indication of who will assess it. We establish this in the first stage, and the choice of screens depends on it. If the idea is confidential, a light NDA is signed before the scope is agreed, and we work remotely.

After testing, the team decides whether to build, revise the idea or drop it. When the direction is confirmed, the prototype becomes the basis for UX/UI design of the whole product, and then for Development by the same team. In the Diagnosis, Design, Development, Optimisation process the prototype belongs to the Design stage.