Updated 11/2/2018: We’ve added a few more bits of advice for those just getting started with wireframing.
Wireframe.cc is super lightweight!
They can be incredibly handy in terms of both product development and communication – aside from being relatively cheap to build.Just like your good old blueprint, your wireframe has the potential to become your dream-house with the right interactions and components that make an experience great.
Wireframes can be drawn by hand or created digitally, depending on how much detail is required. This has a few consequences that should be reflected on your navigation flow:You want the navigation to be consistent and coherent, to the point where users can predict where certain things are based on the general interface design. Sending a rough website wireframe will more likely cause harm than good, as clients often can’t see past the black and white squares and placeholders.Some designers do make use of wireframes in order to communicate concepts to clients, but they never rely on wireframes alone. New tools are continually entering the market so it can be hard to keep up.
Secondary menus can lead to other, less central part of the product. It’s better to go with a low-fi website wireframe if you have several concepts you want to play with and compare within a tight time-frame.Some use real images and real content, even including many of the interactions the design will have. Things such as microinteractions are added later, when you already have a solid base upon which you can build.A UI kit is basically a group of interface elements that are ready for you to use in your wireframe design.
Let’s start with mockups.Wireframes are the first step in getting your ideas down to the physical plane, bringing them to a form that stakeholders can see and understand. Some continue to be focused purely on wireframing, even while the trend is moving toward hybrid products that start with wireframing but also include the ability to prototype, and in many cases produce fully functioning mockups.Though it has evolved from a low-fidelity deliverable into a mid or high-fidelity one, Wireframing is most certainly not going away.A weekly, ad-free newsletter that helps 375,000+ designers stay in the know, be productive, and think more critically about their work.
It’s all about finding the right balance between the time it would take to add those details and your need to have these details early on in the project.Instead, the screen is likely to be divided into zones or blocks, with little attention being paid to scale or accuracy. But one should never rely exclusively on a wireframe due to the fact that it can underwhelm the client.There is always a bit of confusion surrounding the line that separates wireframes from mockups and prototypes.
Choosing to use one tool over the other (or several together) comes down to designer preference.Basic prototyping can be achieved by linking mockups to create simple click-through experiences for usability testing when displaying the project in Full-Screen Presentation mode or as an exported PDF.Balsamiq is offered as a desktop version (Windows and Mac), cloud service, or as a plug-in for Google Drive, Confluence, and JIRA.The main difference between Moqups and Balsamiq is the fidelity of the wireframes. This will help your product be more learnable and discoverable for new users.This should make it clear that your homepage or home screen, for example, shouldn’t have a link to every possible page in your product. Pricing: Free version available or starting off at 16 USD/month (solo package) for one user. Content plays a central part in the product, and this needs to be reflected in your website wireframe design process.