There have been many blog posts and articles lately from UX experts, designers and product managers, who believe that traditional wireframes have become obsolete and that this medium for design needs a fresh approach. Some are of the opinion that with today’s focus on agile development, coding an application in the browser has many advantages over drafting wireframes. It is true that in some cases creating code can mean that developers are able to focus on the technical details of the website and are not restricted by the components of wireframe software. This article will look at the benefits of wireframe software in terms of agile development and collaboration. Agile Processes Agile development is an important trend in product management and works on the principle that necessary changes to a project should take place quickly. No one process should slow down the product development. While some believe that using wireframe software can be detrimental to the overall speed of a project, this is often not the case. With website design, there are many things that can become bottlenecks in development. This is especially the case when it comes to the business requirements of a website. A website after all is a commercial product that is used to promote a product or service. In this regard, factors like marketing strategies must be taken into account. Wireframe software for requirements While the website must function well, it is far more important that clear goals are set out. This can be done with wireframe software must faster than by programming an application. Studies show that team members are more likely to give criticism on a design that looks unfinished than one that looks finalized. One of the advantages of wireframe software is that the design often looks stylized to be “sketched”. In this respect, wireframe software can be seen to help the agile process, because problems are more likely to be recognized early on and dealt with quickly. Collaboration The main reason many companies use wireframing software is because it is easy to use. Marketers, business analysts, user experience designers, customer support staff and developers can collaborate on designs with wireframe software. There are many online prototyping tools available that enable users to collaborate online in real time, regardless of location. This means that everyone, regardless of technical background can bring their specialisms to a project. Collaboration is one method of agile development that makes long review processes redundant. With online wireframe tools, designers can send their mockups to other stakeholders for feedback immediately. Using wireframe software means that teams have the option to work collaboratively or to keep the review processes of the waterfall model. Conclusion Wireframe software can be an effective tool if used alongside the correct processes. Whether teams work according to the waterfall method or take the fresher approach of agile development, wireframe software often meets these needs. While some designers prefer to code from the beginning of a project, using wireframe software can help with collaboration and mean that others will be more likely to give constructive criticism. Involving stakeholders and long review processes means that design becomes more agile. By including multiple stakeholders in the conceptualization process, it is less likely that larger changes will have to be made later on in a project, which can dramatically slow down development. ==================== About the Author: ==================== Pidoco.com – User Interface Design, Wireframe Software, Wireframe, Interface Design Software, UI Design, Prototyping Tool, Clickable Wireframes, Interface Design Tool, Usability Testing and Digital Paper Prototyping.
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