[Sigia-l] RE: Use cases and user centric design (was sitepath diagramming)

[Lord, Ralph]

I agree with Ziya. Why not specify/mandate/decree/etc that every project
"shall prototype" to cut thru all the fogs of miscommunication and
uncertainty which projects so often find themselves wandering thru.  Cannot
count the number of times that I've been struck at how much effort goes into
trying to explain, document, read, etc. only to find that the picture in our
head and the picture in the client's head were different in important ways.
A prototype of even the most modest fidelity lets everyone see the real
picture and sing from the same hymnal as it were.  Of course, there are
plenty of other documents which are necessary to explain the whole thing in
sufficient detail to allow engineering and construction.

Whatever method one uses to arrive there (user-centered, system-centered,
dream-centered, self-centered), the prototype as a communications device and
artifact to both achieve client/designer agreement and to illustrate the
correct behaviour towards the user is hard to beat.

Ralph Lord
System Analyst
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
404.639.7382



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Listera [mailto:listera at rcn.com] 
> Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 7:07 PM
> To: sigia-l at asis.org
> Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] RE: Use cases and user centric design 
> (was sitepath diagramming)
> 
> 
> "Katherine  Marshak" wrote:
> 
> > ...because use cases are a huge improvement over the 
> system-centered 
> > way of stating requirements. The fact that use cases can 
> change "The 
> > system shall support..." into "The <role name> <does something 
> > useful>" is wonderful!
> 
> Well, then don't be shy and take the next step! :-) Instead 
> of stating, papering, diagramming, etc., why not just plain 
> show'em what the product will do --> prototype.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Ziya
> 
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