Wireframing is to the web & app designer what old style flowcharts used to be for the programmer.
It allows the web designer to rapidly lay out the details of a website, such as placement of controls, text boxes; in short, it is a visual tool that allows a skeleton of the complete design to be shown to both the client and the design teams prior to the actual coding.
This prevents miscommunication of the client wants and needs and what is actually delivered. This can avoid costly mistakes that require many man-hours to correct.
Wireframing is critical when it comes to troubleshooting problems early on in the development process and it is an essential visual tool to communicate the overall picture of what the completed design will look like.
Wireframes are key in cutting costs, reducing development time, and most importantly, reduce the amount of revision required prior to deployment of the application. It also allows for user acceptance testing prior to initial coding.
Solving problems before starting the design process
There is a great deal of difference between what the design specs call for and what the final product will look like. Wireframing allows for a closer match between the specs and the final appearance of the product.
Early on, the clients can see for themselves what the final product should look like and meets their criteria for functionality, aesthetics and also spots potential troubles that could cause major revision in the final stages that are both time consuming and expensive.
Why you should use wireframes
Wireframes show in visual form what the final product will look and feel like when it goes online. This prevents misunderstandings between the design team and the user community and promotes acceptance and allow changes to meet customer expectations.
Since they’re quick, easy and inexpensive to do multiple variations of the design concept, they may be presented simultaneously to allow the client to choose the one that most suits his needs.
This way, the development group can be designing the nuts and bolts and the functionality of the product while the visual aspects are still being worked out.
They make it easier for the client to understand
Wireframing communicates design concepts, functional aspects in a style that is uncluttered with colors and graphical elements. It presents the design in its purest form so it can be analyzed from an analytical viewpoint instead of an emotional one.
This prevents the visual and graphical elements from distracting from the key function and design elements that the customer should be looking rather than focusing on the details that may not meet with some of the client’s ideas of what is visually pleasing.
For example, for a foreign client the color yellow may be a negative in their culture. By eliminating color, you remove potential cultural and personal preferences from the discussions that should be focusing on the physical elements, placing and sizing.
Wireframing and web prototyping tools
A web site that is poorly functioning is a sore point with many clients as they see it as detrimental to their brand identity and how their customer views their company as a whole.
By using wireframing and prototyping in the design stages, functional issues are addressed early and even some functionality may be showcased to get a feel of how it will be accepted by the public. It is also a rapid way of revising already existing web sites that were improperly designed originally.
There are, as mentioned previously, hundreds of wireframing and prototyping tools available. The better the tool the faster you can design, develop and the more functional and professional your final product will be.
So, it is worth to get the best tools possible even if it may be expensive. But, your potential profits realized from using the correct tools far outweighs the cost.
HotGloo
HotGloo prototyping creates interactive wireframes that can collaborate in real time with the design team and client team. It also gathers feedback from the various users and testers.
Prototypes can be exported as PDFs. Unfortunately, the app is not viewable under iOS because it’s flash based. HotGloo otherwise provides all the functionality the designer could want with its extensive library of design elements and UI stencils
InVision
InVision is a free product that lets the design team build web application prototypes and mockups. InVision gives you fully rendered wireframes without the problems of poor line resolution that many other free products have.
Prototypes may be tested in real time and designs and prototypes may be shared with the design team, stakeholders and end users.
Moqups
Moqups is a HTML5 based mockup tool that is a great solution for prototyping your web apps. A library of stencils makes up the heart of the package and gives much more than the older style tools that would only provide widgets and drop boxes.
Proto.io
Proto.io a mobile prototyping tool that builds fully interactive app prototypes. It runs under virtually all web browsers and on all current OSs.
UXPin
If you need UX design in you mockup then this one provides the tools you need to get your app off the ground quickly and easily. It is also suitable for iPhone apps and is one of the first complete options that gives it all to you in one package.
Balsamiq Mockups
Balsamic Mockups is a rapid conceptual prototyping tool that will take the product design process from hours to minutes.
ProtoShare
ProtoShare is an easy-to-use, collaborative prototyping tool that helps teams visualize requirements with website wireframes and interactive prototypes while working together in real-time.
Justmind Prototyper
Justtmind Prototyper is a versatile tool that can help you to design for web or mobile. You can create high-fidelity wireframes using guidelines, rounding off corners, cropping images or applying color gradients.
Solidify
Solidify is a quick way to prototype interface screens for user testing feedback across devices. Solidify lets you create clickable prototypes from sketches, wireframe, or mockup.
Validate user flows on any device by performing user tests in person, remotely or on your testers own time to get the feedback you need.
Axure
Axure RP gives you the wireframing, prototyping and specification tools needed to make informed design choices, persuade any skeptics, get your design built to spec.
Antetype
Antetype is one of the first design and layout software focused on visual design, built by UI designers for UI designers. It saves you a lot of time creating and optimizing high-fidelity detailed UI design prototypes.
MockFlow
MockFlow WireframePro is a web-based tool to design and collaborate user interface blueprints for websites and apps. Its helps to visualize the website’s interface, navigation and structure in short time.
Pidoco
Pidoco is a web-based prototyping software for rapidly creating clickable wireframes and UI prototypes for web, mobile and enterprise applications. It’s easy to use with smart sharing and collaboration features, a convenient specification generator, exports and much more.
FlairBuilder
FlairBuilder lets you start with a low fidelity sketch, and jump to a higher fidelity wireframe with just one click. All interactions will stay in place. Switch back and forth if you need to.
Wires
Wires lets you build online wireframes right in your browser. There are no fancy plugins here! This is wireframes for the web, built on the web. The page you’re viewing now was created using Wires, and gives you a taste of what’s to come.
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