A high fidelity prototype is a much more advanced prototype (than the low fidelity) and is usually able to offer user interaction. This sort of prototype is much closer to the final product in both design and functionality and is usually made of materials much more robust than the paper and cardboard of low fidelity prototypes. By the time the high fidelity prototypes are made, the product’s design and how it works have been iterated thoroughly and most of the issues of earlier designs have been ironed out, leaving it much more refined and ready to go through the final stages before the true product is finally developed. A rule of thumb with high fidelity prototypes is this; if “a person using the prototype cannot distinguish it from the final system, the prototype is high fidelity” (Virzi, 1989).
