Chapter 15. Prototyping

Key Points

  • Prototyping is especially effective in addressing the "Yes, But" and "Undiscovered Ruins" syndromes.

  • A software requirements prototype is a partial implementation of a software system, built to help developers, users, and customers better understand system requirements.

  • Prototype the "fuzzy" requirements: those that, although known or implied, are poorly defined and poorly understood.

Software prototypes, as early incarnations of a software system, demonstrate a portion of the functionality of a new system. Given what we've discussed so far, we expect that it's become obvious by now that prototyping can be very effective at uncovering user needs. Users can touch, feel, and interact with a prototype system in a way ...

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