Software Engineering Lec#6

First. Prototyping
A prototype is an initial version of a software system that is used to demonstrate/ present concepts, try out/examine design options, and finding out/getting information more about the problem and its possible solutions. Rapid, iterative development of the prototype is essential so that costs are controlled and system stakeholders can experiment with the prototype early in the software process. A prototype supports change avoidance as it allows users to experiment with the system before delivery and so refine their requirements.
A software prototype can be used in a software development process to help anticipate changes that may be required:
1. In the requirements engineering process, a prototype can help with the elicitation and validation of system requirements.
2. In the system design process, a prototype can be used to explore particular software solutions and to support user interface design.
System prototypes allow users to see how well the system supports their work by getting new ideas for requirements, finding areas of strength and weakness in the software, and proposing new system requirements. Furthermore, as the prototype is developed, it may reveal errors and omissions in the requirements that have been proposed. A function described in a specification may seem useful and well defined. However, when that function is combined with other functions, users often find that their initial view was incorrect or incomplete. The system specification may then be modified to reflect their changed understanding of the requirements.