A proof of concept (PoC) is an exercise with the goal of determining whether an idea can be turned into a reality. PoCs are used to validate technical feasibility and to identify technical or UI/UX issues that must be addressed before full solution deployment. A PoC is not intended to explore market demand for the idea or to determine the best production process. It typically comes before a fully functional prototype since the goal is to assess the feasibility of specific aspects of the solution, rather than the integrated solution. For example, an algorithm can be confirmed to achieve a target accuracy level in a test environment before the frontend application is developed.

A proof of value (PoV) is used to validate that the product or solution is valuable to the customer. It can be accomplished with a less technically developed version than a PoC since customers can often confirm that a solution would solve a problem before the technical solution is built. For example, a user can attempt to purchase a product based on marketing material before the product is ready for production.