Designing a Screen and Designing a Process Are Not the Same Thing

Figma and similar design tools have long been essential parts of digital product development. They allow designers to precisely define the appearance of an interface, the placement of components, and the visual structure of different screens.

However, when it comes to complex business applications, the most important question is not simply how a screen looksbut rather but what happens when the user starts interacting with it..

What does the system do after a particular action? What happens when incorrect data is entered? How does the user move from one state to another? What information appears as a result of different user decisions?

A working prototype can demonstrate these scenarios much more effectively.

Static Designs Require Interpretation

In a traditional design process, multiple screens are created in Figma, accompanied by specifications and process descriptions.

Based on these materials, the client must imagine how the finished system will work. Later, developers must interpret the same documentation.

The more complex a process becomes, the more details emerge that simply cannot be shown on a static screen.

With a working prototype, however, there is no need to imagine the process: you can actually try it out..

We Show Clients Functionality, Not Just Screens

This is why working prototypes are playing an increasingly important role in how we design business applications at ASH.

Instead of presenting five consecutive screens to a client, for example, we can create a prototype that allows them to actually navigate through the entire process.

Users can click buttons, open modals, fill out forms, switch between different states, and see how the system responds to their actions.

This also changes the nature of client discussions.

Instead of asking:

“Would this work for you?”

We ask:

“Let’s try it out. Is this how you would like to use it?”

AI Is Changing the Cost of Prototyping

Previously, creating a detailed, functional prototype could require a significant amount of work. AI-powered development and design tools can dramatically accelerate this process.

At ASH, we provide Claude with the project’s existing design system, allowing the prototype to be built using predefined visual guidelines and components.

The consultant working on the project then creates a functional prototype based on the business requirements.

This represents an important shift: the professional who directly understands the business problem and the client’s needs can turn a proposed solution into a working experience at a very early stage of the project.

Problems Become Visible Earlier

In a static design, a button might appear to be perfectly positioned, while the underlying process only turns out to be illogical once someone actually tries to use it.

With a prototype, these issues can be identified before implementation begins.

The client tests the process, provides feedback, we modify the prototype, and then review it together again. All of this happens before the actual development of the feature begins.

This does not eliminate iteration. It simply moves iteration to an earlier stage, where changes are less expensive to make.

Developers Also Get a More Accurate Starting Point

Prototypes do more than help clients understand the proposed system.

During implementation, developers receive a reference that demonstrates the interface, user flows, interactions, and the behavior of the system across different states.

This can reduce the back-and-forth communication caused by interpreting specifications and establish a clearer shared understanding between business stakeholders and developers.

Does This Mean We No Longer Need Figma?

Not at all.

Figma can still be a valuable tool for creating design systems, designing user interfaces, defining components, and developing visual concepts..

The real change is that it may no longer make sense to design every single state and process of a complex application as a separate static screen when the same experience can quickly be transformed into a working prototype.

At ASH, we therefore do not necessarily see these two approaches as competing alternatives:

Design system → working prototype → client validation → implementation.

The goal is not to skip a step in the design process. Instead, it is to get as close as possible to the experience the client will actually use, even before development begins.