Concept design is the stage where the initial ideas, derived from research, take on a more concrete form, a clear direction, developed enough to be discussed, tested, and compared with other possible options. It is somewhere between sketching ideas (very rough, many variations) and the actual prototype (a single direction, almost ready to be implemented).
A design concept usually combines a clear central idea (“how the solution could work”) with enough details to communicate its logic, a general flow, the main elements, and how it solves the problem identified through research. It can be presented as more elaborate sketches, a simple mockup, a narrative story (“storyboard”) showing how someone would use the solution step by step, or a combination of these. Unlike a prototype, a concept does not have to be functional or visually complete; it only needs to clearly communicate the idea.
The main goal is to test a direction before investing time and resources in fully developing it. A design concept allows the team and clients to discuss “could this work?” at a stage where it is inexpensive to change, unlike an almost finalized prototype, where any major modification costs much more.
In agencies and product teams, concept design usually appears immediately after the ideation stage, when several possible directions need to be compared and one (or a few) selected to be developed further. Concepts are often presented to clients or stakeholders for early feedback, or quickly tested with users, precisely to validate the direction before moving on to wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes.
