ABSTRACT
A prototype is a working physical model of a system or a subsystem. Generally, the analyst’s objective is to gather information about the user’s requirements from the bottom up by allowing the user to interact with the prototype. A prototype is an excellent tool for analyzing and designing an interactive application and/or a user interface and to support object-oriented system development. Prototyping is a powerful, bottom up alternative or supplement to logical modeling. In a more complete prototype, preliminary working versions of the system’s programs are created using a fourth-generation language, spreadsheets, database software, or a similar end-user tool. Instead of conceptualizing needs, the users work with and react to the prototype and the analyst observes and interprets their reactions. Sometimes, the prototyping process continues until a finished system emerges. Many computer aided software engineering products support prototyping. Screen painters, menu builders, report generators, fourth-generation languages, executable specification languages, spreadsheets, and database management programs are popular prototyping tools.
