low fidelity

Low fidelity describes something that reproduces or represents the original with reduced accuracy or detail.

In audio, low-fidelity recordings have a rough, degraded sound quality—often deliberately cultivated for aesthetic effect in lo-fi music.

In design and prototyping, a low-fidelity mockup is a rough sketch or wireframe, not meant to look finished: We started with low-fidelity prototypes before building the real thing.