Hey deedebee,
I’d advise going for Flash, it’s a bit more designer friendly than Java ( you might even be able to get someone to design the core, and you could update it from there ).
You’ll find a wealth of people ( even students ) who would have enough Flash skills to put something together for you, for a prototype. There are also utilities out there that allow you to create a professional looking stand-alone app from your .swf file ( rather than using the Flash Player style app )
Regards…
Mal