Wireframing Your App

Mobile app development happens to be a complex process with several stages. So, quite often, you have an excellent idea for a mobile app but have no clue where to start. You know deep down that this app is going to ‘change the world’ but you just aren’t sure how to bring it to life. Well, you’re in luck, this article has the answer you need – a wireframe. I know what you’re asking now, what is a wireframe?

Simply put, a wireframe is a skeletal representation of your app idea showing its basic elements and how they are to be linked together. It does not show anything about the design as the main aim is to help you understand how your idea will work (or if it will work as you currently imagine it).

Wireframes should show:

• The relationship between the different screens.
• How the content of the screens will be displayed.
• Any of the available features of the app.
• The result of performing possible actions such as clicking an icon.
• Branding elements particularly the visual kind.

Wireframing is a very important aspect of mobile app development as;

1. Through wireframes, you get a clearer idea of the aesthetics and functionality of your app. This I feel is the most vital reason for a wireframe because without knowing how your app is going to solve the problems of the final user, achieving success becomes hard.
2. The product can be altered quickly till a perfect product has been made. As we all know, getting something perfect the first time is quite hard and usually involves a lot of trial and error. This is especially true with apps which aim to solve a problem while trying to look great at the same time!
3. They help reduce the overall cost of the project because as said earlier, they allow you to easily fix any mistakes during the early stages. This means that you do not have to pay the developer (person creating the code for the app) each time you make small alterations.
4. Wireframes help in the avoidance of mistakes because they lay out the functionality of each screen. They let you know what order the screens should come in, if enough space is available on a particular screen to show everything you want without making it look to congested, etc.

At the end of the day, your wireframe should be a visual framework for your app and how it will work. Attractiveness should not be your major concern as the main aim is to present your app in an intuitive way as possible. It really isn’t that hard especially when you have the main ingredient… an idea!