Software Engineering

12.2.6 
Software prototyping
Prototyping is used to generate a mockup of an engineering assembly for the pur-
pose of evaluating the performance, usability, and aesthetics associated with the 
graphical user interface, graphical renderings, data exchange throughput, or data 
presentation forms, including printed or plotted material. Software prototyping is 
a generally accepted practice for gathering stakeholder feedback on partial product 
configurations. However, too often these software prototypes are evolved into the 
final product configuration via an iterative or spiral methodology. This is a misuse 
of the prototyping practice advocated by recognized engineering disciplines.
The generation of a software prototype has become an accepted software devel-
opment practice since it is not cost-prohibitive to construct a software prototype in 
the same manner and computing language as the final product. However, prototypes 
are often rapidly created without rigorous adherence to design and coding practices. 
This results in a prototype configuration that is not sufficiently conceived to with-
stand the demands of the intended operational environment. Thus, when a software 
development strategy embraces the evolution of a prototype into a deliverable prod-
uct it is circumventing the application of software engineering practices. The result 
is a structural configuration that is inherently fragile, unstable, and unmaintainable.
Traditional engineering disciplines utilize prototypes as test articles or a proof-
of-concept archetype generated to assist product evaluation in terms of “form, fit, 
and function.” The product concept is fashioned as a representative model that aids 
the evaluation of the product in terms of:
●
  Determining the materials to be used in manufacturing the product.
●
  Verifying the design via functional and performance testing.
●
  Qualifying commercially available component feasibility to satisfy engineering 
specifications under anticipated operational and environmental conditions.
●
  Confirming manufacturing (fabrication, assembly, and integration) procedures.
●
  Optimizing the product design features.
There are many forms of models and prototypes used in the engineering of a 
product. A prototype represents an accurate fabrication of the product design in 
preparation for manufacturing, construction, or implementation. Prototypes are 
never finished products and many wind up in display cases, museums, or scrapyards 
due to the devastating nature of the test and evaluation effort.
Software prototyping must be a focused endeavor for the purpose of reconcil-
ing critical design challenges that cannot be resolved with other types of models, 

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