Design and Implementation with Prototyping Methodology

Question

I'm developing a game for my dissertation, and I'm using the spiral method approach.

I'm having a bit of difficulty structuring my dissertation, specifically the design and implementation section.

My solution was designed as much as possible initially, and then after each prototype implementation, the design was refined and extended and prototyped again (this was repeated a few times).

My problem is how to structure this in my dissertation, my current idea is:

• Design Chapter
  • Prototype 1 (Initial) Design
  • Prototype 2 Design
  • Prototype 3 Design
• Implementation Chapter
  • Prototype 1 (Initial) Implementation
  • Prototype 2 Implementation
  • Prototype 3 Implementation

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

You might be better off switching the structure around to reflect the evolution of the software. Separating design and implementation does not make much sense as they are closely related.

• Prototype 1
  • Design
  • Implementation
• Prototype 2
  • ...

I would go a step further and add a section on limitations for each prototype to explain why the next iteration was required. I consider putting the emphasis on what was learned during the prototype to be more important than the actual design and implementation.

• Prototype 1
  • Motivation - explaining what the objectives are
  • Design
  • Implementation
  • Evaluation - looking back to the objectives and what was discovered
• Prototype 2
  • Motivation ...