Presenting mockups

How to show design so it gets understood and built

Principles

  • Context before pixels

    Show the design on a real device/page, not an isolated artboard — the client judges the product, not a picture.

  • One scenario at a time

    Empty state, error, loading — critical states matter more than the happy path.

  • Real data

    Lorem ipsum hides length problems: use real names, long headings, big numbers.

  • Annotations for dev

    A mockup without notes is a puzzle for the dev: spacing, hover/disabled states, overflow behavior.

A good mockup answers questions before they're asked: what happens with no data, long text, small screens, errors. If there's no answer, the developer fills it in — and it won't be your design.