User interface prototyping-concepts, tools, and experience

In recent years the development of highly interactive software systems with graphical user interfaces has become increasingly common. The acceptance of such a system depends to a large degree on the quality of its user interface. Prototyping is an excellent means for generating ideas about how a user interface can be designed, and it helps to evaluate the quality of a solution at an early stage. We present the basic concepts behind user interface prototyping, a classification of tools supporting it and a case study of nine major industrial projects. Based on our analysis of these projects we present the following conclusions: prototyping is used more consciously than in recent years. No project applied a traditional life-cycle approach, which is one of the reasons why most of them were successful. Prototypes are increasingly used as a vehicle for developing and demonstrating visions of innovative systems.