Wireframing takes place early in the project lifecycle Iterating the development of the wireframes to a final version will provide the client and the design team confidence that the page is catering to user needs whilst fulfilling the key business and project objectives. It is quicker and cheaper to review and amend the structure of the key pages in a wireframe format. A wireframe is much easier to adapt than a concept design Wireframes can also be used to create the global and secondary navigation to ensure the terminology and structure used for the site meets user expectations. The aim of a wireframe is to provide a visual understanding of a page early in a project to get stakeholder and project team approval before the creative phase gets underway. It is a critical part of the interaction design process. Unlike low fidelity wireframes, high fidelity wireframes can include actual images.A wireframe is a layout of a web page that demonstrates what interface elements will exist on key pages. High fidelity wireframes include more real content, specific typography choices, and information on image dimensions. Some tools allow the incorporation of interactivity including Flash animation, and front-end web technologies such as, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
:194 For more complex projects, rendering wireframes using computer software is popular. Since these sketches are just representations, annotations-adjacent notes to explain behavior-are useful. :185įor simple or low-fidelity drawings, paper prototyping is a common technique.
High-fidelity wireframes are often used for documenting because they incorporate a level of detail that more closely matches the design of the actual webpage, thus taking longer to create. Low-fidelity wireframes can be used to facilitate team communication on a project and is used in the early stages of a project. :175 For example, instead of using actual images, a placeholder rectangle can be used. :185 Dummy content, Latin filler text ( lorem ipsum), sample or symbolic content are used to represent data when real content is not available. These wireframes help a project team communicate ideas and collaborate more effectively since they are more abstract, using rectangles and labeling to represent content. Resembling a rough sketch or a quick mock-up, low-fidelity wireframes can be quickly produced. Wireframes may have different levels of detail and can be broken up into two categories in terms of fidelity, or how closely they resemble the end product. Modern UI design incorporates various devices such as expanding panels, hover effects, and carousels that pose a challenge for 2-D diagrams. Another difficulty with wireframes is that they don't effectively display interactive details because they are static representations.
:168 To avoid conflicts it is recommended that business analysts who understand the user requirements, create a basic wireframe, and then work with designers to further improve the wireframes. :186 Since wireframes signify a “bare bones” aesthetic, it is difficult for designers to assess how closely the wireframe needs to depict actual screen layouts.
Due to overlaps in these professional roles, conflicts may occur, making wireframing a controversial part of the design process. Working with wireframes may be a collaborative effort since it bridges the information architecture to the visual design. :167 Professionals who create wireframes include business analysts, information architects, interaction designers, user experience designers, graphic designers, programmers, and product managers. Business stakeholders review wireframes to ensure that requirements and objectives are met through the design. Business Analysts use wireframes to visually support the business rules and interaction requirements for a screen. User experience designers and information architects use wireframes to show navigation paths between pages. Developers use wireframes to get a more tangible grasp of the site's functionality, while designers use them to push the user interface (UI) process. Wireframes may be utilized by different disciplines.