Design is an important step in the construction of any system. In programming, in particular, it is essential to create a design before attempting to code. Design helps you:

• Organize the information required for the task at hand
• Plan out how things will work, so that you can handle potential problems

• fulfill the goals of maintainability, extensibility, evolvability, reuse and simplicity
• meet the requirements of the task

How do I create my design?

• identification of the problems
• proposal of solutions in the form of code
• analysis and selection of the best solution

What issues should I consider?

• How can I avoid duplication of tasks?
• What advanced features will I use?
• How can I implement my code using simple techniques?
• What tasks will my program perform, and how will I code them?
• What are the overall goals of my project?

What do I need to include in my design?

Text

Text, in the form of descriptions and definitions, are essential to the design. All variables and functions and how they interact should be described here in some detail. A sample run-through of the program is also a good idea, as it demonstrates how the code is executed to provide the program's functionality. Finally, text is used in pseudocode, which is described next.

Pseudocode

Pseudocode is a high-level description of the functions that will be needed in the program. Essentially, it describes what the code will be doing in English, so that implementing the code will be much easier. When writing pseudocode, you should take into consideration the potential problems you will face, and how the code will handle these problems. Will you be using conditionals or loops? Pseudocode should always be written for complex procedures, and each step of code should be written at a high level.

Diagrams

Without a diagram, a design is not complete. Diagrams can show the actual physical components and how they interact, and they can also demonstrate how objects are related to one another. Diagrams can consist of flowcharts, component relationships and user interfaces. For the JavaScript program in particular, a diagram of the user interface (what you see on the page) is very useful.

Good luck with your design! Remember, if a program is properly designed, the task of writing the program becomes much easier.

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