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
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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. Using the text, the technique, logic, structure and features of the site administration are described , and thanks to the prototype, everything is 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 differences of technical nature 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
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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.