User Interface Prototype

The user interface prototype is built early, before the whole system is analyzed, designed and implemented.

The main purpose of creating a user-interface prototype is to be able to expose and test both the functionality and the usability of the system before the real design and development starts. This way, you can ensure that you are building the right system, before you spend too much time and resources on development.

The Prototype must be significantly cheaper to develop than the real system, while having enough capabilities to support the meaningful functionality.

What it does not contain.
- No code to connect to the layers below.
- No Graphics
- No standards implemented.
- May not have complete data. Has some dummy hard coded data to communicate.
Remember, UI prototype goes through several refinements and changes several times. It helps the users feel and give feedback. It acts as a validation to the use cases. Hence, it is not important to use the right standards or have graphics, or code behind. These are taken care during the design.

Once the UI prototype is approved by the customer, it should be treated like a requirement and CM controlled. Any changes to the prototype should go though an approved process using change request mechanism.

From the experiences, developing UI prototype early on is a differentiator between a successful project and not so successful project.