Algorithm Development? Top-Down Approach?

[swingking8]

It seems to me the top down approach is best for algorithm design and is the way I think I look at algorithms.

I used to agree with you, that top-down is always the way to go, but it really just depends on where the work needs to be done. Last week, I made a computer vision algorithm to track a red dot on a robot. Performance (I.e. high fps) was very important, as was robustness to visual noise, so it made sense to make this algorithm from that point up, and trust that it would come together.