The Realism Problem in User Testing: How to Enhance Financial Prototype Reliability

In user experience testing, participants realizing that a prototype is fake directly undermines the reliability of the collected data. Especially in financial product testing, users instantly notice gaps in verification steps and disengage from the test. A new guide prepared using ProtoPie demonstrates that this issue can be solved by ensuring critical initial touchpoints—such as login screens and authentication—function just like a real application.

Ways to Build a Realistic Login Flow

Preventing users from falling into doubt about whether they are doing things right during a test begins in the very first seconds of interaction. Particularly in financial apps, users are highly sensitive to details such as inconsistent balances or form fields that accept any data. Three key steps stand out for creating a realistic prototype experience:

1. Proper Layer Management During Figma Import: When transferring designs from Figma to ProtoPie, instead of exporting the design as a single flattened image, the "Scene" option should be used. This preserves the layer hierarchy and makes each UI element individually targetable. Furthermore, naming layers properly (e.g., "Input Username" instead of "Rectangle 14") prevents wasting time on formulas written later.
2. Active Text Input Layers: Using ProtoPie's built-in Input layer instead of static placeholder visuals allows participants to make actual keyboard entries. While real text can be entered into the username field, the password field automatically provides masking (hiding characters with asterisks or dots) thanks to the "Text Password" feature, eliminating the need for additional logical coding.
3. Natural Biometric Animations: To reinforce a sense of security during the login phase, verifications such as Face ID or fingerprint scans can be included. Integrating animations in Lottie format helps the app feel like native mobile software.

Key Considerations in Design and Testing Processes

When preparing prototypes, focusing exclusively on the breaking points where users might sense that "the product is not real," rather than getting bogged down in an overly detailed coding process, saves time. Having critical flows—such as authentication, password verification, and error states—up and running directly improves the quality of feedback gathered from test sessions. When participants forget they are interacting with a demo, data much closer to genuine user behavior is obtained.

*This report is based on data published by Smashing Magazine.