Since reemerging in to freelancing I have noticed that not many people use wire frames that should be. I guess a lot of people think its an extra step that’s not needed or will add unnecessary time/cost to the project. When this approach is taken things start to veer off the path as the project goes from one phase to the next. The designer, coder, and client are all expecting different things to happen at different parts of the site. By creating even simple wire frames you can show the flow of the site and how the content will be presented. Even if it is just a quick pass(though not recommended) it can prevent major headaches down the line.
Here are a few good resources I found for wire framing.
List of wire framing applications:
- OmniGraffle (OSX)
- Visio (Win)
- Balsamiq (Web)
- Gliffy (Web)
A few good reads on wireframes including examples:
When all is said and done wireframing things out helps better communicate the goals of the project and will give everyone a roadmap to follow.
