Analyst’s Guide to GUI: User interface design as a part of system analysis

While establishing a system analysis process one of the most important tasks is to choose correctly the artifacts required for requirements elicitation and fixing in a particular project. The need to develop use-case or domain model does not cause dispute in most projects. But, if there is a place for wireframes and GUI mockups in system analysis is a topic of much debate in the IT-community.

Can and should the system analyst be engaged in GUI designing? In which projects, for what and to what extent is it necessary?

In this report, I will share my experience of using the wireframes in custom software development projects, as well as observations of how GUI designing affects previously identified system requirements on real project examples.

And in the end I will make a brief comparative analysis of the four GUI design tools (MS Visio, Balsamiq Mockups, Pencil, Axure RP) from the standpoint of a systems analyst.