Concepts and Tools for Prototyping

Abstract

Many concepts and even more tools support exploratory and evolutionary prototyping. In order to give a representative overview the first two sections of this chapter discuss concepts and tools for

• user interface prototyping, supporting the requirements definition process, and

• prototyping of software architectures, supporting the design and implementation process

which make it possible to translate the prototyping-oriented life cycle (see Section 1.2.2) into practice. These concepts and tools are application area-independent. In practice, prototyping has experienced its most widespread application in the development of information systems. Thus the third section is dedicated to the underlying concepts and tools supporting the

• prototyping of information systems.

Each section presents basic concepts underlying the respective kind of prototyping. Based on these concepts, criteria are derived for the selection of supporting tools. Finally, one exemplary tool is presented which is state of the art and lends itself to practical application.