Within software engineering circles the method is closely associated with user interface management systems and various design support tools. Here the title refers to an approach adopted by software developers in which the prototypes exhibit a higher fidelity with the end product than those created as part of other methods such as paper prototyping. The method requires more sophisticated technical resources than is the case with low-fidelity prototyping methods which rely on paper materials. An additional cost of use is the level of human expertise required to master the supporting development tools, along with the time necessary to implement a software prototype. If user-based testing will be carried out with the developing prototype, then resources for this activity will also be needed.
Benefits Permits the swift development of interactive software prototypes.
Prototypes created by this method have a high fidelity with the final product. The prototypes created under this method support metric-based evaluations. The method requires software development skills. Although rapid, the method is more time consuming than other approaches. The resources required are greater due to the need for software and hardware rather than paper and pens.