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There are often many debates about the fidelity of wireframes. There are many designers who believe that paper wireframing is all they need before they start their first designs with CSS and Photoshop. There are others who believe that creating high-fidelity wireframes with interactive elements can be useful before coding begins. Low-Fidelity Wireframes There is no replacement to sketching out designs on paper and there are many benefits for this process. This can be especially beneficial for demonstrating a concept with a client in an initial meeting. Another benefit is that there are no limitations or predefined elements like with wireframe software. Basic paper wireframes are generally considered to be a great method for fostering creativity. There are even innovative ways of adding interaction to paper wireframes by folding paper, or using a number of pages, so that designers can show the intended simulation method. The disadvantage of low-fidelity paper wireframes is that these are impractical for large projects, where it is more convenient to store designs digitally. If a project is highly dependent on specification documents, high-fidelity wireframes may be a better option. High-fidelity Wireframes High-fidelity wireframes can be created with software such as Photoshop, or with other specialized wireframe software. Some designers will have fewer iterations than others before they begin with CSS. It is possible to draft wireframes in html and CSS, but it is not always advised to reuse and edit this code through to the final version of the application. For people without a programming background, using wireframing software can be an alternative. Typically UI elements can be positioned on a canvas and resized and edited as desired. Depending on the tool, high-fidelity design and interaction features can be included in the wireframes. This could include text, media integration and colors. It is also possible to have interactive wireframes that are capable of simulating interactive elements, such as date-pickers or drop-down menus. Some will be used to show transitions between pages. High-fidelity wireframes can be used to focus on the visual design, or the interaction of the design. One of the benefits of high-fidelity prototyping with specialized software is that this method can often be faster and more cost-effective than using code. People from different backgrounds can also use this software, which can be beneficial to collaboration. For those following the waterfall model of design, high-fidelity wireframes can be used as a specification for the final design. This means that even before coding has begun, most visual and interactive details can be approved. Conclusion There are many different design models that must be followed in each organization and many clients will prefer one fidelity of wireframe over the other. It is important, however to remember that low-fidelity wireframes are suitable for the initial process of drafting an application. With paper wireframes, designers often feel less pressure for their designs to be perfect and therefore can be more experimental with different options. High-fidelity wireframes have the benefit that they can be used in specification-heavy projects and they require very little imagination to visualize the final application. Getting the fidelity of wireframes right is important and in most cases this depends on the processes of the corporation you are designing for and the internal structures of a company. It is up to the designer to determine what he wants to focus on in the initial stages of a project and this should help him determine which wireframe fidelity is best. ================= About the Author: ================= Pidoco.com – User Interface Design, Wireframe, Wireframe, Wireframe Software, UI Prototyping, Online Wireframe Tools, Prototyping Tool, Wireframe Tool, Interface Prototyping, Clickable Wireframes, Usability Testing and Digital Paper Prototyping.
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