Proof of concept vs prototype

	Proof of concept	Prototype
Definition	An early experiment showing that a technical idea can work at all — before users, polish, or production enter the picture.	An early working build used to test design and integration. In hardware it is the first of several increasingly production-like validation stages.

The difference

A proof of concept shows a technical idea works at all, usually on a bench, with no user in sight. A prototype is the first build meant to be handled, tested for design and integration, and judged as a product. Teams that skip from proof of concept to tooling pay for the missing stage in scrapped molds. Teams that polish a prototype before the concept is proven pay for it twice.

From the chapter of Tangibles that introduces these terms. Definitions are the book's glossary entries.

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