The design phase concentrates on working out how the program will solve the needs highlighted in the analysis phase. It will also specify the appearance and functionality of any user interface and how the developer will go about testing the program.
If an Agile development methodology is being used then the whole program can be split into smaller self-contained modules. Each module would then be designed, implemented, and tested before moving onto the next module.
The following tools are useful methods for showing the design process.
- Flowcharts
- Pseudocode
- Structure Diagrams
Whichever is used, the tool should describe the process in such detail that the program can be written from it. And no steps in the program should be omitted from the design document.
We’ve already seen flowcharts being used to demonstrate code in this course.
