As the old Latin proverb says, victory loves preparation. It can be said equally about planning and prototyping. What is it? What are the features? This and not only will be discussed in the framework of the article.
What is called prototyping
This concept is understood as a quick “draft” version of the implementation of the basic functionality, so that you can analyze the operation of the system as a whole. It may be ineffective, contain errors or work incompletely - it all depends on the goals of prototyping. This approach allows you to better see how the system works. Prototyping is used in instrument and mechanical engineering, programming and a number of other technical areas. After this process, the system architecture, implementation of functions, various developments are often reviewed and, if there are no complaints, they test the final product.
Prototyping Features
It is not necessary that the sample is made using the same technologies as the system that is being developed. Typically, prototypes are applications to the technical specifications. Now go to the sites. Let's draw an analogy with the problem for a textbook of algebra. A site is one number. The technical task acts as a condition, and the prototype is a draft solution to the problem. Usually it is a sketch in which there are no beautiful pictures. The layout is created even before the design and software implementation. In time, this process can take from several tens of minutes to hours - it all depends on the complexity, detail, technical specifications and personal skills of a person. Under prototyping can mean the creation of layouts for individual pages, and for the entire resource. They greatly save money and time. Prototypes can be created for presentation to the client, A / B testing and corrections.
Terms of Reference + site prototyping =?
Similar samples are part of TK. They allow you to set clear boundaries for development and help eliminate misunderstandings between the customer and the contractor. The text describes the technique, logic, structure and features of
the site administration, and thanks to the prototype it is all visualized and there is a concept of what and how it will look. After all, how the project itself should be completed, each represents and interprets from its own point of view. If you don’t want to do all the work yourself, you can contact a special prototyping center. And there specialists will do everything. Well, if the customer (from the position of a freelancer), before giving the technical specifications, turned to the prototyping center. Thus, it is possible to obtain an understandable TK. From this point of view, prototyping is a qualitative step in the implementation of a project.
Making a quality prototype
To do this, you should carefully analyze the terms of reference. This could often be seen in school textbooks: the task does not contain a sane (for you) condition, but it must be solved. Therefore, you should always aim to get a carefully worked out technical task. As practice shows, for a full-fledged and multi-functional site, it takes at least 50 A4 pages. Technical specifications for a couple of hundred is not even the limit in this area, but the usual norm. It is necessary that every aspect and nuance be spelled out in it - such a prototype of the site is needed.
Error handling
If omissions were made in the prototype, they often go into the design, layout of the site and its software part. This entails a large number of problems. The cost of correcting them grows in
arithmetic progression at each stage (and sometimes, as in the geometric). Therefore, even when it seems that the prototype site is ready, you need to check it again to make sure there are no errors. Now let's look at the process of creating it.
Paper mockup
To get started, draw a prototype on paper. You can even create a view on it from a browser (also drawn). First draw the basic elements. What needs to be depicted is specifically different from the purpose of the site. So, in online stores make the menu of goods and the search bar static. Then create all the pages in turn and express the functionality that will be on them. Put all the
elements of the site
interface in their places. Prototyping is a process that will allow you to create a more advanced product in which the technical differences will be eliminated, and the result will be obtained corresponding to the technical task. Every mistake that will be made is expensive in the truest sense of the word. Therefore, the prototyping of the site must be carried out with all responsibility.
Prototype process
So here we go. To create a prototype, you must take four steps:
- We determine the initial requirements that he must meet.
- We are developing the first version of the prototype, which contains exclusively the user interface of the system.
- We transfer the prototype to the customer / end user so that they can study it. Important at this stage is setting up feedback about making the necessary changes, as well as additions.
- The prototype is processed on the basis of the proposals and / or comments received.
You can use special environments. So, 3D prototyping is affordable, which will allow you to better examine everything from different angles.
Prototyping of software products and computer systems
Since we are considering creating a site layout, you need to know how to do this. To create a prototype, programming languages of a high level of abstraction are used. In our case, these are PHP, JavaScript, ActionScript, and many others. Special tools can also be used. When the prototype is approved, then in the final implementation they create documented and more accurate code. At the same time, the amount of effort that is spent on debugging and testing the site increases to make sure that it fully performs its functionality. At the prototyping stage, the most significant architectural errors are identified, changes are made to the interface of the system modules, and their responsibilities are also redistributed.
What qualities an effective prototype should have
There are quite a few points of support, but the following are proposed as part of the article:
- Prototyping does not have to be time-consuming.
- Effective layout is one-time. It is necessary only in order to convey the idea of the project to the interested person. Once it has been accepted, it becomes unnecessary and, accordingly, can be discarded.
- In an effective prototype, attention needs to be focused on the parts that are of most interest. These include the most complex from the point of view of implementation and the most important functional components.
- Attention should be paid to the elements of interactions that could potentially be useful in delivering the project idea to the end user.
Conclusion
If you plan to work in the field of website development, then prototyping is a valuable tool to save your nerves, time and money. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to master all the nuances of creating site layouts in a short time. After all, prototyping technology allows you to save a lot of time at the final stages of creating a site.