Prototyping

Prototyping
Prototyping is the process of making a mock up, or working model of a system design before creating the final version. Prototyping is considered a very important part of the system design process, as it provides designers a preview of a finished product, and allows for early feedback and input on the strengths and weaknesses of the "prototype" or working model. Another advantage of creating prototypes of systems is that users can test system prototypes, and provide feedback to the creators of the prototype. This allows corrections to be made to the prototype before it is finalized and created in full. Often, a prototype will be refined more then once before a final design is executed. Prototypes can be as simple as sketches, or they can be created using high technology engineering software. Prototyping ultimately saves development time, cost and error, and results in more satisfactory and thoughtful system designs.

A diagram of the Prototyping Process: [|Prototyping]

References: 1. Wikipedia "Prototyping" &lt;[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototyping]&gt; 2. University of Missouri - St. Louis "What is Prototyping" &lt;[[[|http://www.umsl.edu/%7Esauterv/analysis/prototyping/proto.html&gt;|http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/prototyping/proto.html&gt];]];