Rapid Network

What is rapid prototyping software?
The activity of rapid prototyping software is an important part of software development. It is important to create prototypes of the software to test the software's workings. These prototypes are actually incomplete versions of the software program that is underway in development.

How does rapid prototyping software work?
The main features of the software being prototyped are first looked at. In rapid prototyping software, the prototype being developed does not perform the entire functional spectrum of the software, but only simulates some of the aspects or features. The actual and eventual program may be very different from these simulations of it when it is actually implemented.

Why rapid prototyping software?
Conventionally, the purpose of rapid prototyping software is to let users of the eventual software an evaluation of the design proposals given by the developer. Users are allowed to actually try out the simulations so that they do not have to make an evaluation decision based solely on descriptions of the program and can actually get a sense of it before making a judgment.

Many a times, there are requirements that developers have not thought about that users might actually find useful. rapid prototyping software allows users to bring this to the notice of the developers and therefore betters the commercial relationship between the client and solution providers.

Benefits of rapid prototyping software
1. The designer and implementer of the software get to obtain feedback directly from the users who would be using the final product. Therefore, he can customize it to be a success right from its inception and increase its probability of becoming a hit.
2. Clients can actually do a match of the software specifications they have provided with the software being developed and therefore any changes that need to make can be done then itself.
3. The software engineer is given an opportunity to check on the accuracy of the initial project and whether planned deadlines and milestones can be achieved in time.
4. Since the 1970s, the techniques used in rapid prototyping software have been refined time after time to make them work with the efficiency that they do now.

Historically speaking
The process was present way back in the1960s itself. As can be assumed, the development cycle of an entire software program and its building was quite monolithic. Working out mismatches between the decided design, specifications and the finished implementable program would cause much waste of time, effort and money. This approach, also coined "Slaying the (software) Dragon" approach, puts all the pressure on the software designer who also then becomes the developer and he has to manage the entire "dragon" slaying by himself.

As time went by, easier methods to avoid these inconsistencies were found and therefore, saving cost, time and effort became possible. The finished software met not only the clients' specifications but was able to modify itself to users' benefit.