Plan the Prototype (Process Notes 5.1)

This task decides what sort of prototype is best for a given prototyping opportunity.

Make a prototyping plan to satisfy this objective by considering the following:

• Do you need to build a new prototype from scratch? Could any existing prototypes be used or adapted to suit this objective?

• Would it be best to build a separate prototype for this event/use case, or should it be combined with one or more other events?

• Rather than automatically building a high-fidelity (automated) prototype, might a low-fidelity (pencil, paper, or whiteboard) prototype satisfy your objective? A low-fidelity prototype is particularly suitable when you are trying to focus the user's attention on the essential content of the system (business policy and business data). In these circumstances, a detailed event/use case model and an experienced requirements analyst are the best way to simulate the behavior of a system. The hand-drawn approach diverts the user's attention from the automated system characteristics and highlights the system purpose. If you have an event with nonmeasurable functional requirements, then use a low-fidelity prototype.

• Would it help you to consider one or more detailed business scenarios by building a scenario model?

• A high-fidelity (automated) prototype is suitable when you want to illustrate the behavior of an interface, when you cannot define the context of an event, or when you have more than 50 percent unmeasurable nonfunctional requirements.

If you decide to construct a high-fidelity prototype, then consider the prototyping tools available to you and choose the one that requires the least effort to satisfy the objective for this particular prototype.

Diagram 5.2. Requirements Process Model Summary

Diagram 5.2Build Prototype