How to turn a design into a functional prototype
Choose one complete journey and use AI to help make it tangible. A prototype should reveal what still needs to be learned.
What you will make: A small prototype with reviewed behavior and a clear list of limits.
Define one user journey
Choose one task a person should be able to finish. Write the starting point, successful ending and three acceptance criteria. Include what happens when information is missing. Avoid turning the first prototype into an entire product.
AI can help: Help list missing information and possible states.
Your review: Choose the smallest useful journey and its success criteria.
Explore the interface
List your existing components and design constraints. Ask for layout alternatives only where the structure is unresolved. Choose a direction yourself, and record why it supports the task. Check labels and focus order before generating implementation.
AI can help: Suggest alternative layouts and draft interface copy.
Your review: Choose the structure and review it for usability.
Build with sample data
Give your coding assistant the selected design, framework and acceptance criteria. Use a separate workspace or branch and synthetic data. Inspect the generated files and any new dependencies. Make clear which buttons are demonstrations and which perform real actions.
AI can help: Draft implementation and identify missing assets.
Your review: Keep scope small and inspect new dependencies and data flows.
Check behavior and fidelity
Run the journey yourself, including invalid input, slow or missing data and keyboard navigation. Use repeatable browser checks where useful. Compare screenshots with the intended design and record actual differences instead of asking the assistant to declare the prototype finished.
AI can help: Run repeatable checks where supported and record differences.
Your review: Inspect the experience, keyboard flow and meaningful error recovery.
Observe and decide
Observe someone using the prototype with a neutral task. Record what they do separately from your interpretation. Choose one next change based on the evidence. Keep a list of prototype shortcuts that would need engineering work before production.
AI can help: Organize observations after the sessions.
Your review: Observe real users, review consent and decide what to change.
Keep a record of what worked.
Use the pilot scorecard to record quality, total time and failures. These walkthroughs are suggested ways to work; their tool combinations have not been tested end to end.
Get the scorecard ↗Publisher references
Reviewed October 6, 2026. Follow the publisher’s current setup instructions for your account and version.