Many people are used to drafting interface designs on paper in the form of wireframes. Typically paper wireframes show where basic elements of the UI should go, such as text boxes, image holders and buttons. Now there are different types of wireframe software on the market that can make this process faster and easier. What’s more is that users can include more detail in their wireframes and even make interactive prototypes.
Paper to digital wireframes?
Before you move on from paper wireframes to the digital sphere, it’s important to ask, “What do I want from my wireframes?” You may decide that you need a lower level of detail in your designs. Indeed, sometimes it doesn’t make sense to spend a long time drafting detailed wireframes, especially if you are working in a team where there will be many different ideas for how a design should be. After discussion with team members, you may have to redesign your wireframe. With wireframe software, you can save your wireframes and work on them later, which is an advantage over paper wireframes, where wireframe designs may have to be re-sketched from scratch. Some types of online wireframe software also offer collaboration features, so colleagues can edit and give feedback on the prototypes of a team member online, which can save time and money.
Wireframe as a team
Once you have drafted some basic wireframes, it is up to you how detailed your wireframes should be. This depends on what your role is in your team. For example, if you are a usability expert and have been given the task to create some wireframes for a web application, focus on the particular interactive features that will have the most impact on the usability of your application. For other roles within a team, you might decide to go into more detail, especially if you want to experiment with visual elements of your UI. Ultimately remember what your goal is in a project and draft wireframes to reflect your role within a team. With wireframe software you can work on your designs with team members to create a prototype of a successful application.
