Everyone is familiar with the internet today. For browsing the internet we need websites and the design of these websites is known as web design. When we talk about web designing, the word web frame gets mentioned many times. In this article, we are going to talk about what wireframing really is.
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What is Wireframing?
The schema of a page or its blueprint is popularly known as the wireframe of a website. So wireframing is basically the visual representation of what the design of a website is going to look like. It shows the layout of a page and how the elements of the page should be arranged.
Wireframes do not contain any typography or images that are going to be included on the web page. They are simple black and white skeleton designs on the page.
Importance of Wireframing in Web Design
Explaining how you want a website’s design through words can be difficult. There is also the issue of misinterpretation. Wireframing basically solves this issue as the wireframes clearly explain every aspect of the design and the elements that need to be used and how they should be laid out on the page.
Wireframing prevents unnecessary revisions which save the time of the client as well as the web designer. This could help the client reduce billable hours and the web designer some headaches.
A decade ago there weren’t too many things to consider when it came to web designing. But today it has changed completely, there are different UI/UX trends to follow, designing for different sized smartphones, and many other things that need to be taken into consideration. Without a wireframe, this could be tedious.
A wireframe helps the web designer understand what the page should look like. It keeps everyone on the same page and prevents any misinterpretation. It also helps with any design changes the client might need before starting the actual designing part.
In web design before designing any page a wireframe should be the foundation to start with. The wireframe should consist of what the website’s architecture should be and the pages it should have.
Usage of tools for Wireframing
There are many free tools specially made for creating wireframes. Of course, you can always use pencil and paper to sketch your design, but using these tools will make the wireframes really easy to create and edit. Tools such as uxpin, invision and wireframe.cc are popular for creating wireframes.
Final Thoughts
Just like you will never build a house without a blueprint, you should avoid designing a web page without a wireframe. It might seem unnecessary work for someone who hasn’t used it before but trust me it will save a lot of time and make the whole process easier.