Interactive Prototype

An Interactive Prototype is a high-fidelity prototype that allows users to engage with the interface in real-time, simulating the final product’s functionality and user flows. These prototypes include dynamic elements, like clickable buttons and transitions, and are used to test interactions, refine usability, and gain feedback from stakeholders and users.

Interactive prototypes bridge the gap between a static design and a built product — they let you discover usability problems in hours rather than weeks of development. For complex flows like multi-step onboarding, payment processes, or configuration wizards, an interactive prototype is the only way to understand how the experience feels across the entire journey before committing to engineering. Investor demos built on Figma prototypes are also indistinguishable from real products to most observers.

Many YC startups demo at Demo Day using Figma interactive prototypes rather than production software — investors see a polished, clickable product experience while the actual code is still being written, validating the concept before over-investing in implementation.