What Is a Mockup?

作者：Coursera Staff • 更新于 Oct 7, 2025

Learn more about the important role mockups play in product development and design.

[Featured image] A UX Designer in a red sweater works on a mockup on a laptop computer.

A mockup is a visualization or design of an app, web page, or product that illustrates what the final outcome might look like. In user experience (UX) design, mockups define the purpose and intent of a design, often including visual elements such as structure, layout, color schemes, typography, and editorial copy.

Mockups are static versions of the design concept, so teams can understand how the product will execute a particular feature. Two closely related terms are wireframe and prototype. A wireframe is the skeleton or initial sketch of a product, while a mockup is more developed. A prototype is one of the final versions of a product developed after the mockup.

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What is the main purpose of a mockup design?

While mockups do not highlight a product’s functionality, they serve as lifelike representations. They are primarily designed to communicate a team’s vision for the product to stakeholders and customers.

Learn more about mockups from the UX design experts at Google:

Related terms:

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