The beginner’s guide to UX prototyping
The problem with wireframes and static mockups is that they are…well…static. There is a lot of information that they simply cannot convey about the functionality of a thing. This can lead to misconceptions in the minds of clients, or even your developers, about how the thing is supposed to work. For this reason, prototypes are usually interactive in some way.
The most common exceptions are conceptual prototypes, and exceptionally well-documented static prototypes. What makes the difference is not interactivity itself, but the conveyance of information about a product’s intended functionality.
That said, wireframes and mockups are often used in making prototypes, so no one is abandoning them.