Prototyping: An approach to information and communication system design

Abstract

This paper describes prototyping, a state-of-the-art methodology to assist a design team in making a through definition and analysis of new requirements, feasibility, alternative selections, workload impact, system and/or application specification, implementation, and testing. Suggested prototype tools and techniques are presented, and guidance is included to aid a design team in obtaining accurate and timely results. This paper is not intended to be a complete text on design. It should be enhanced with a design team's expertise, consultation from sources with design experience, and reference to other design literature. Prototyping is a process (the act, study, or skill) of modeling an information-communication system architecture in one or more levels of detail, using descriptive models, abstract models, and working models of the system and its component parts (synonym: archetyping). This work was completed while the author was working with prior employers.