PragProg - Prototypes

Ref: The Pragmatic Programmer

We tend to think of prototypes as code-based , but they don't always have to be. Like the car makers, we can build prototypes out of different materials. Post-it notes are great for prototyping dynamic things such as workflow and application logic. A user interface can be prototyped as a drawing on a whiteboard, as a nonfunctional mock-up drawn with a paint program, or with an interface builder.

Prototypes are designed to answer just a few questions, so they are much cheaper and faster to develop than applications that go into production.

Prototyping is a learning experience. Its value lies not in the code produced, but in the lessons learned. That's really the point of prototyping.

TIP 16: Prototype to Learn

How NOT to Use Prototypes

Before you embark on any code-based prototyping, make sure that everyone understands that you are writing disposable code. Prototypes can be deceptively attractive to people who don't know that they are just prototypes. You must make it very clear that this code is disposable, incomplete, and unable to be completed.