John is a systems analyst on the Holiday Travel Vehicle project team (see minicase 4, this chapter). The team is currently developing the system’s user interface design. John has been given the task of developing a plan for prototyping the user interface, and he is struggling to determine the best method of prototyping to use. All of John’s prior experience with user interface prototyping has used the storyboard technique. John’s project manager specifically requested that he consider all types of prototyping (storyboarding, HTML prototypes, and language prototypes) before developing his prototyping plan. The system under development will be a significant departure from the interface that the users are accustomed to, and the manager wants to be sure that the interface design is clear and acceptable to the users before it is implemented.

Prepare a summary of the three major types of prototyping that can be used in a project. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Discuss the criteria that John should use to select a prototyping approach to use in the project.