WSC 2026 8. Monkey See, Monkey Do

prototyping cycle

early model, early validation of what works and what doesnt

• ideation, lowfi, hifi, user testing, refinement, final design

sketches

rapid, low-fidelity, hand-drawn representations of user interfaces, interactions, or product

storyboarding

Visualizing an idea in a drawing or physical shape - mapping out user scenarios through sequential sketches

• how a user interacts with a product over time

paper prototypes

Hand-drawn or printed sketches of a product interface or structure, usually on paper

• early UX/UI design

wireframing

Skeletal blueprint of a digital interface showing layout and structure without a detailed design

mockup 

Static and flexible, high-fidelity visual representation of a product

• wireframe is a structure while mockup is the appearance

proof of concept

Small-scale experiment to test if an idea is feasible

minimum viable product

simplest version of a product that delivers core functionality to users

minimum marketable feature

Smallest feature that provides real value to users and can be marketed

Sarah Boone

19th century African American dressmaker awarded a patent for her improved ironing board

vibe coding

A modern software development approach where users describe what they want and AI generates the code

• Andrej Karpathy

mechanical turk

famous chess-playing machine created in 1770 by Wolfgang von Kempelen for Maria Theresa 

• operated by a chess player in the cabinet

wizard of oz testing

prototyping technique where a system appears to be fully function but is operated by hidden humans “wizards”

Tesla Optimus Teleoperator

Taking Off Headset, Causing Robot to Stumble and Collapse