Being in Electronic Design since the vacuum tube,, Most engineers in Electronic design today,, that I have met do the following..
(1) Need a special or new design using an IC...
(2) Research DATA SHEETS from the various supplier's...
(3) Use a Spice simulator to get a feel for the part,, (Is the part what I imagined it to be,, and If I'm interpreting the data sheet correctly)
**** My point is this ****
Yes one could order the Evaluation board for the part,,,,, But at this stage of design I do not want to order the evaluation board, a TV, Radio or anything else to evaluate the working part...
This is why the simulators were Invented...
Come On semiconductor manufacturers add models to your products....
(4) The Simulator can usually just give you an approximation to your design idea, But it's the start.
Then if your happy ,,,,order the evaluation boards.