App Development: How to Approach Your App Wireframes

App Development: How to Approach Your App Wireframes
Published

07 Feb 2022

Content

Roshan Manandhar

You have an excellent idea for an app, and you want to develop it. The first thing that you need to do is design your app wireframes.

These are the backbone of your application’s interface – they allow you to plan out what everything looks like before developing it.

This post will discuss how to create and use these wireframes to ensure that your app development company helps you smoothly from start to finish!

So whenever you’re ready to dive deep into the realm of app development, keep on reading and get ready for a wild ride.

Application Wireframe: What Is It?

A wireframe is a simple sketch that outlines your app’s layout, functionality, and flow. In other words, this is what things look like without any actual ui design elements being added in – blocks to represent where content will go on screen.

This allows you to find out if there are any issues with the interface or navigation early on in the process rather than spending lots of time and money working on something only to discover problems later!

Once these have been created, one should use them throughout every development step from start to finish.

What’s the Difference Between Wireframing and Prototyping?

 Wireframes are pretty basic compared with prototypes, and they usually only show how individual screens might look, whereas a prototype shows how everything interacts together.

It means that it would be possible to click through multiple pages by clicking on links within each page rather than being stuck on one screen until something else is clicked on.

What Is the Wireframing Process?

There isn’t one standard process for creating and using wireframes, but most people will go through a similar series of steps:

Brainstorming

Think about what you want your app to do. What sort of features does it need? How should they be laid out on the screen?  

Start jotting down all these ideas and any thoughts or questions that pop into your head!

Wireframing & Planning

Use paper and pencil (or, if preferred, use Adobe Illustrator) to sketch out how everything will look on screen.

Draw boxes representing each element in the ux design with lines showing where content and functionality can flow between them. Once this is complete, talk it over with anyone else who has helped develop the idea for feedback.

Refining & Finalizing

Once you have a solid idea of what the wireframe looks like, go back and add any final touches. You can also create an electronic version to use within your application development process!  

It is essential to ensure that everything works together correctly, so start testing out different functions.

If there are problems with how elements look or function, consider going through another round of brainstorming followed by wireframing and planning until they’ve been solved.

What to Include in Your App Wireframes

For someone else who isn’t involved in developing the app to understand what each element is supposed to do, one should clearly label every box on your wireframe. These labels will give them a better idea of what to expect from the app.

In addition to this, your wireframe should also have a legend that provides descriptions for every element – even those not labelled on the main page! This will allow them to understand how everything fits together and be appropriately navigated throughout their use.

To ensure that you don’t forget anything important, try thinking about each function or component as a separate mini wireframe before putting it all together into one large document.

If there are any navigation issues, then using smaller versions might help identify them early on, so they don’t become problematic towards its completion!

What Are the Benefits of an App Wireframe?

By creating a wireframing application design, you’re able to:

Test out functionality before you even start. Thus, making sure that these work as intended is far more cost-effective than finding out after spending hours on development. This will save both time and money!

Get a Better Idea of How Everything Fits Together

You need to ensure that you understand the flows between elements. Wireframes help ensure the app works smoothly from the beginning, so there aren’t any problems later in its usage.

Identify Potential Issues Early On

If something doesn’t work, it’s best to find out before putting lots of effort into developing it rather than waiting until it is finished when fixes might be more complex (and take longer) to implement.

Quickly present ideas or changes with others involved in creating your business app design.

This makes discussing essential aspects such as functionality and navigation far more accessible and ensures everyone involved is on the same page.

What Are the Drawbacks of an App Wireframe?

Of course, wireframing isn’t always a perfect process. There are some potential drawbacks to using them: 

They’re Not Interactive

It’s difficult for someone reviewing your web design to get an idea of how it works without testing it out themselves!  

This can cause problems if they or you have missed something that needs fixing or changing before moving onto the next stage in development.

Some Parts Might Be Missing From Your Final Product

These could include specific user preferences that don’t need their section within the app but require consideration during its creation (for example, font size). You’ll need to ensure these aren’t forgotten in the final design before release!

Common Mistakes Made When Creating Wireframes

Like with your company app design itself, people make some common mistakes when creating wireframes, and these must be avoided at all costs or at least resolved when they occur.

Not Using a Grid

This can cause alignment issues that might look messy and potentially distract users from the rest of the content within it!  It is essential to stay consistent throughout each element you create, so they all match up properly.

Forgetting About Functionality

Your wireframe should be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. It’s no good if certain elements don’t work or aren’t easily accessible. For example, buttons need to lead somewhere rather than just being stuck in one place on the page!

Not Including Enough Detail

Adding too much unnecessary information can complicate what you are trying to communicate with your wireframe. Only include the necessary details! 

The devil is in the details, or so they say. Having specific intentions for your wireframes will transfer over to your future application. Knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it – is critically important.

Not Ensuring It’s Clear How Each Element Is Connected

Ensure that everything fits together correctly and flows well from one section into another. It should be easy for users to tell where they are within the app depending on which screen or button they click next.

Failing to Create a Legend of Some Sort

The elements included in your design might not all be obvious at first glance. Ensure there’s somewhere clearly visible where users can look up any additional information about them if needed.

What Can I Use to Create a Wireframe?

There are many tools available online for free (or at least for a low price), which you can use to create your wireframes. Here are some of the most popular:

Pen and Paper

Using standard office supplies like pens, pencils, and post-it notes is always an effective way to create any kind of design! It’s also one that many people feel comfortable using as they’re used to having stationery items within their day-to-day lives.

Microsoft Word/Pages

These come pre-installed on almost every computer (and even mobile devices nowadays!), so they will be compatible no matter what kind of machine someone has. It’s easy enough for anyone to pick up quickly without needing much knowledge or experience beforehand either.

OmniGraffle

one created this software specifically for designing diagrams, charts, and other related items. It’s already got all the templates you need to be preloaded, so it can be a great option if your wireframes will include any of those elements within them.

Balsamiq

This is another popular choice amongst designers as it offers both online and offline access to its features.  It has many similar aspects to MS Word. It includes some extra tools such as uploading different background images onto each page (if needed), which helps users get more creative with their designs!

Axure

Another commonly used tool across multiple industries. This one allows you to create very detailed mockups, including full websites or apps, rather than just individual pages/screens like most others do.

How Can I Use Wireframes?

There are many different ways that wireframe design agency can use wireframes throughout app development process, so here are just some examples:

Create an initial concept for each screen/page within your app and present it to clients or team members to get feedback about what they think. They might suggest any changes needed at this stage before you start designing anything further.

Annotate the elements included (like buttons and images) with notes explaining where each should lead when clicked on. This is a great way to see if everything links up correctly and is broken.

Create different wireframes for each app version (such as an iOS or Android version) instead of just one. That will make sure the design looks good across all devices!

Use them as reference material when coding anything within your project so you can quickly check which elements should be included/removed without having to refer back to any notes again. 

Should You Outsource Application Wireframing?

If you’re having trouble finding the time to draft your wireframes, there are plenty of companies that offer this service for a reasonable price.  

You can contact them directly or look on sites like Elance and Upwork to find some good options near you, but be careful with how much communication you have so they don’t start designing anything before getting your approval first!

Furthermore, these wireframes don’t need to be as detailed as those created by professional designers. They’re only meant to guide so you can easily see where everything will go and how it should work, not for them to look pretty.

It’s usually best to create these based on the same device that your app will be used on (such as an iPhone or Android phone).

That way, they’ll know precisely what size screens/buttons/links are needed. They won’t accidentally design anything too big or small, which could result in problems when viewing it on different devices!

The final thing that most people want from their wireframe is something that looks close enough to the finished product without actually being it.

If your wireframes are too detailed, then it can be challenging to separate the actual design process from them, but if they’re just black and white boxes/lines with titles for each section, then that’s all your app needs.

Applications Done Right

As you can see, there are many different ways that app wireframes work within the app development process, and they aren’t as complicated as most people think. 

They’re just another step in making your idea come to life, so it’s easy to underestimate how much time they’ll take up, but if done correctly, then it should be a smooth ride from start to finish!

If you’re interested in full-scale application development services and a website design agency, get in touch with us, and we will happily accommodate your pressing needs.

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Roshan Manandhar

Roshan co-leads our digital transformation by ensuring that EB Pearls is prepared for the future. He shows better way of doing things with the help of latest tools and technologies, thus making EB Pearls more efficient and super-productive.

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