Any good design process must start from wireframing. This stage allows you better understand information architecture and easier plan how the future web site will be look like. It also shows how the users will interact with the information on the site. If you haven’t use wireframe till now, it is the best time to start. We hope that information bellow will help you.
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/881
In some point of view, wireframe resembles blueprint in the architecture. Before starting building the actual house you need to see how it will look like in two-dimensional space. Before starting creating design or even write a single line of code you need to know how the information in the future website of in the mobile application will be organized. For this purpose, you need to create wireframe.
Wireframing is not only showing how the future website will be look like. In many cases, it also provides useful information about the ways in which the user will interact with a website. For example, you can provide the menu behavior on your wireframe.
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/882
The type in which information is presented in the wireframe is very helpful for the designers. They can plan the interaction and the layout of the future website without thinking about the typefaces and colors. If your users can’t understand what button they need to push when the design is in the black and white variant any color couldn’t help. Even if the button isn’t brightly colored, it must be eventually.
You can also think about the good wireframe as about good foundation in the building. Before you starting to choose the color of the paint for your bedroom, you need to know that your house will be safe.
Wireframe tutorial - Step #1: Catch Inspiration
Before starting wireframing look through some specific groups that contains examples of the wireframes that are done by other designers. In our blog, you can find inspiring samples of the wireframes in the section “Inspiration for wireframing”. Or you can look in the very popular group on Flickr I ♥ wireframes.
You also can look through some websites where you like how the information is organized. You can make the wireframes based on these websites and do some changes so the result will better ensure your purpose. The tool Wirify can help you understand information structure of the existed websites.
After you do this steps you can notice that in your heads appear understanding about your future website layout.
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #2: Process Design
Website creation can be done in different ways. Coding, different type of wireframing and visualizing can be done in a different arrangement. You need to find the way that will be most comfortable for you and most efficiency. Several examples of typical processes are provided below:
Well known company 37signals practices using the simplest scheme from the provided above. They use only to steps – sketching and coding, but a few of a theirs team also created mockups during the design process.
After you will do the design cycle for few times, you will understand what process flow will work for you best. Some of you maybe be very good at sketching, and do not want to do any wireframes at all, others maybe need to create online wireframe for simplifying communication process in the team. In other project, you need to do as much steps as possible to rise project efficiency.
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #3: Online Wireframing Tool
In our days there are a few wireframing tools that are available on the market. Mockup Builder is among them. What will wait for you if you choose to work in Mockup Builder:
- More than 100 UI elements available for use
- Ability to add reviewers and editors to any projects
- Possibility to import any wireframe that you like from Gallery and modify it
- Good tool for communication inside your team during design process
- Ability to export obtained wireframe in different formats
And this is not all! If you have never use Mockup Builder you can start your full featured 30-days trial plan right now!
Working screen in Mockup Builder
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #4: Make Your Layout with Boxes
The first stage of the wireframe process is to created layout using simple boxes. Think about the information that you want to provide to our users, how it must be organized. Put on the bottom of the page and above the fold the most important part of the information that you want to communicate. Remember that visitors are “scanning” page from left to right. Below there is an example of the wireframe done by boxes. This is a wireframe of the existed company website:
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/883
Sometimes you need to think about rearranging the information structure for better providing main ideas about company to the visitors. You can find below the wireframe example that has slightly different structure than typical company website:
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/899
Below is a layout of the typical blog. It already includes spaces for the advertisement blocks and some specific information for a client.
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/902
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #5: Working On Information Hierarchy Using Typography
When you find out how you want your information to be organized start dropping it to pieces. On this stage, you need to add content to you website. This will give you a better understanding is your information good organized or no. The rule is the same: information must as clear that a user understands your website even in black and white.
Using different font size will help you to show a hierarchy of the information on the site.
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/901
Do experiments on this stage. You may notice that as you add information to the page the previous layout isn’t working anymore. It’s all about wireframing – to find the way in which information will be clearly presented. You can do as many iteration in the process as you need.
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #6: Greyscale wireframe
You can use all palette of the grey to show visual levels of the elements. This method of the wireframing was proposed by Niehaus (read more about Niehaus technique: http://blog.mockupbuilder.com/how-to-create-wireframe-using-niehaus-technique/). It helps you better understand how the website will be working still without adding any colors to your design.
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/900
Wireframe Tutorial - Step #7: Hi-definition Wireframe
This step is not the default in the wireframing process, but we recommend you to try it a few times. Creating hi-definition wireframe (also known as high-fidelity wireframe) means adding as much details as possible to your wireframe. It can be used for example to define the best font size for your website:
Import this template for free:
http://mockupbuilder.com/Gallery/903
The hi-definition wireframe can include colorful elements.
The idea to include this stage in your process is that you do not want to make experiments when you will be doing the final design or on the coding stage. Ability to make all needed iteration in the mode wireframe-feedback helps you to avoid making changes in the final design done in Photoshop.
On the other hands, it is not possible to show everything that you want in the two-dimensional space. For example, especially in the mobile app development process you need to understand much more about the interaction user with the app then about the stable design of the separate screen. In this case? You need to make the interactive prototype in the earliest stage of the process.
Using the wireframes can give you an ability to make design and coding simultaneously. Just give you programmers the wireframes of the future website and this will help them to start creating main frameworks while you will make the design.
Conclusions
That’s all. I hope that all provided information is useful for you and you will start to create your own wireframes and experiment with them. Just not be afraid to iterate as many times as you need.
In addition, you can try to wireframe using different tools and different process flows. If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask in the comments!
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