Dec 17 2008

how do you wireframe?

everyone has to do it and everytime i do it, i think there has to be an easier way to wireframe. so i asked you (the twitter public) what you do and i was innundated with responses, so i thought that i’d share them below for you here…. happy wireframing :)

matclayton: @MelKirk visio with a good stencil pack

sparkooo: @MelKirk Also use Axure, Prototyping is reasonably quick, really like the templating for headers & footers, price is the only downside.

reyes: @melkirk well for coolness you might want to check @guimagnets for wireframing goodness

swinhoe: @MelKirk – powerpoint… sadly… :(

beatpoll: @MelKirk Indesign or Visio or even better pen and paper

Wrestlevania: @MelKirk Presently Axure. But before that I used InDesign for a couple of years–it’s too heavy-weight for wireframing, but looks great.

sokalo: @MelKirk Stratavision. archicad, blender…


jackosborne: @MelKirk could you please publish the results of your question. It’ll be an interesting read. There will be sprouts in it for you :)

matijs: @MelKirk HTML myself but very curious about the answers. Could you RT replies?
tablewhite: @MelKirk Visio, everytime

hereinthehive: @MelKirk Wireframing? http://tinyurl.com/5s6kpb (expand) – often just paper or whiteboards (or even better- magicpaper)

JimCallender: @MelKirk best for interactive prototypes – axure.com on XP – just written a blog post on solutions available > http://tinyurl.com/5sh85x (expand)
chriscolhoun: @MelKirk besides a pen and my moleskine? Fireworks! It’s the best of them all IMO

Bandrew: @MelKirk balsamiq

Jones_Rob: @MelKirk Pen & Paper!

scottcouper: @MelKirk pen, paper & photoshop

chasers: @MelKirk I’ve heard a lot of people use Balsamiq

Rich_at_Dell: RT @MelKirk: What does everyone use for wireframing? — wireframing for 3D sculpture designs, real or virtual (computer)—–?

wei_yang: @MelKirk Balsamiq is great for wireframing

DrBaher: @MelKirk I use Omnigraffle, which offers a quick, easy and good looking way to prototype interfaces

geirarne: @MelKirk pencil and paper. sometimes sharpie.

mattymoran: @MelKirk Visio. although when i had a mac i used OmniGraffle http://bit.ly/1NEqyk (expand)

anton: @MelKirk I prefer sketchbook and a pencil. I’m old-skool!

rajanand: @MelKirk protoshare.com

iamdanw: @MelKirk Paper. Lots and lots of paper. And sometimes omnigraffle.

  1. Jack Osborne says:

    Cheers for sticking this up on the site Mel, your sprouts are in the post.

  2. Mel says:

    Phew! That was the only reason I posted it :)

  3. Jack Osborne says:

    Aww cheers :D it was very much appreciated.

  4. Vero says:

    Here’s how the Taptu guys do it: Paper (lots of it) followed by an awful lot of Photoshop mockups!

    http://www.taptu.com/blog/2008/01/08/prototyping-a-mobile-web-site-from-scratch/

  5. Curvball says:

    Mmmmmm, interesting responses… I make use of Freehand MX (yes, oldschool)…. but everything always starts with pen and paper.

  6. Mel says:

    Thanks for the comments guys. It’s amazing, sometimes it can be the quickest posts that people like the most. Weird when this was submitted to Digg and yet you can spend hours at other times pouring your heart into a post :)

  7. Stéphane Bergeron says:

    I used to wireframe in Fireworks but now I prefer to use Axure as I can do site maps and flows in it, highly interactice prototypes and generate documentation. In Fireworks I had a tendency to get lost in the visual design details which is not the goal of wireframing. With Axure I tend to focus better on that task. I still use Fireworks to create the final layout and graphics though.

  8. mark vernon says:

    We’ve just launched http://iplotz.com, as a wireframing and PM tool. It is online at present, will be available offline soon as an AIR application. Free for one project. Plenty of ideas still to be added, so feedback most welcome.

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