Prototyping (Software Process)

Updated 06 Sep 2026

•
def
- •
  creating an initial, partial version of a system used to demonstrate concepts and try out design options
•
uses
- •
  requirements engineering — to help with requirements elicitation and validation
- •
  design — to explore options and develop UI design
- •
  testing — to run back-to-back tests
•
benefits
- •
  improved system usability
- •
  closer match to users' real needs
- •
  improved design quality
- •
  improved maintainability
- •
  reduced development effort
•
prototype development approach
- •
  may use rapid prototyping languages or tools
- •
  may intentionally leave out functionality — focus on poorly understood areas
- •
  error checking and recovery often excluded
- •
  focus on functional rather than non-functional requirements
•
throw-away prototypes
- •
  prototypes should generally be discarded after development
- •
  reasons: impossible to tune for non-functional requirements; undocumented; degraded structure; may not meet quality standards
•
as a design evaluation technique
- •
  simulating a design dynamically before full implementation, to test performance and feasibility (e.g. simulating 100 concurrent users hitting a booking flow, or a usability test on a prototype UI)
- •
  particularly valuable early in development, and for web/mobile/real-time transactional systems, though it costs extra effort to actually build the prototype
•
related

Linked references 5