Designers often default to their preferred fidelity regardless of what the design phase requires. This leads to over-investing in high-fidelity mockups when a sketch would get better feedback.
Matching Fidelity to Questions
Paper sketches answer structure questions. Lo-fi digital wireframes answer layout and hierarchy questions. Hi-fi prototypes answer usability and comprehension questions.
The Cost of Premature Polish
The biggest risk of high-fidelity work too early: stakeholders focus on button colours instead of information architecture. Polish signals completeness, even when the concept is still exploratory.
