Lowfidelity

Lowfidelity, often written as low-fidelity or lowfidelity, refers to a level of quality that is intentionally or practically limited. It is used across disciplines to describe representations, signals, or media that preserve essential structure or function but sacrifice detail, accuracy, or polish compared with high-fidelity alternatives.

In audio and music, low-fidelity denotes recordings or sounds with noticeable noise, distortion, limited bandwidth, or analog artifacts. It may result from equipment, environment, or deliberate aesthetic choices. The lo-fi movement embraces warmth and imperfection and exists alongside high-fidelity production.

In product development and UX, low-fidelity prototypes are rough, non-interactive or semi-interactive representations such as sketches, paper interfaces, or simple wireframes. They are used to test concepts, layout, and user flows quickly and cheaply before committing to detailed design and engineering.

In media, broadcasting, and signal processing, low fidelity can describe degraded or compressed content, due to low bitrate, limited sampling rate, or transmission noise. The result is artifacts, reduced detail, and less accurate reproduction of the original signal.

Fidelity measures how faithfully a representation reproduces the source. Designers and engineers weigh fidelity against factors such as time, cost, and usability. High-fidelity versions aim to closely replicate the source, while low-fidelity approaches favor speed, flexibility, and early feedback.