Chapter I-2. Initial Thoughts

Since we've met with Angie and gone over the requirements for the jukebox, my team will start the first phase of development. This phase will consist of creating a user interface (UI), which will include the functional requirements that we discussed with Angie, and then a review of possible implementations of each element. For my team, creating the UI is a good first step in developing any application since it allows my team to create a visual check list of the functional requirements while at the same time lets the requestor, Angie, check our progress before the core development work is done. If we started with development first, Angie most likely wouldn't know what to make of it. With a UI, Angie can see the visual elements that satisfy her functional requirements. When my team goes through the process of creating a UI, whether it's for a Web site or a Web application, first we brainstorm the functionality of the application from a usability perspective based on the requirements, and then the designer begins work on the UI. The finished UI will include placeholders for objects, such as a volume control, that we'll have to create.

After going through a few revisions, we settle on a UI then proceed to the next phase, which is mapping a typical user scenario with a flowchart. Using a flowchart gives us a head start in planning the internals of the application before any development work is done. During development, it will be useful in figuring out how our objects will relate to each other, such as how search results are related to the playlist.