With wireframes, you make the first step to the improvement of your time and costs management.
Any mobile app is a many-sided product characterized by its own internal relations, a way of switching between screens, external integrations, etc.
Evidently, when the team starts working on your app, there shall be a certain single frame for the every project participant to base upon. Otherwise, be prepared for a classical mishmash.
Wireframe in mobile development is just like a design drawing for the house to be constructed. It is a kind of interface prototype. If you need more detailed info, go to mobile app wireframing to see how Umbrella team approach creating wireframes.
The finished wireframe is used by the team as a basis to follow and monitor the working process. Everybody is guided by the same idea. Perfect, isn’t it?
Now let’s see, whether wireframing spares you anytime (and money, as a consequence).
What are your main points of concern, when it refers to the process of creating your future application?
- Time
- Look and feel
- Functions covered
- Quality of the finished product.
TIME
Where is the starting point? The wireframe story begins at the initial stage of the project and lasts on average from several hours for the simplest typical app to two weeks for 1 stage in case of the complex unique app. The wireframe is not simply developed by one person in charge, but all the other project participants (PM, client, designer, tester) are engaged in the process as well and may make suggestions and set questions in any form they prefer: written or oral.
Time-Saving. Reason No. 1: the basis of the mobile app is agreed upon at the very beginning of the development by all experts engaged in the process. This means sparing a number of further eventual coordination and discussions. It’s much more efficient to show once than to explain one hundred times to the team/developer/tester.
LOOK AND FEEL
The first thing that may strike you when you see the initial sample wireframes for mobile apps, is their look: black-and-white sketches (as a rule) do not match with the idea of the dream app, do they?
For this very reason, remember this once and for all: the wireframe is intended to show the app screens, components thereof, and interrelations between them, but not the final design your users will enjoy. And this is quite reasonable to avoid too many pics and colors in the wireframe in order not to sidetrack attention from the main idea and not to spend time on design.
Depending on the type of your mobile app the wireframe examples may be of various fidelity: low, middle or high. And it may include some logos, photos, interactive elements that are vital for awareness of the app function, and helpful for you to make the look closer to the final one.
Time-Saving. Reason No. 2: But it does not mean the design activities are dead in the period of wireframing. Nothing of the kind! These are your feedback and comments that help the designer shape the final app design. Again, wireframing spares you and the team the hours you would otherwise have to spend with the designer discussing UI/UX again.
FUNCTIONS
The scope of functions is highly important for mobile apps as they have much less space available and shall be oriented on the mobile user’s style that implies various conditions of use (walking along the street, lying in bed, sitting in the airport, etc).
So, the mobile app shall be compact, user-friendly and complete. To achieve this, it is recommended to start wireframing from the first and the main screens and functions. This will depend on the type of your future app: e-commerce and banking, traveling, photo exchange. You do not need to be a developer or a designer to understand that for each type different functions will be of priority.
To make it easier to present and follow the complex dependencies the interactivity may be used in wireframe examples for mobile apps, provided this is justified for the purposes of functions presentation.
Time-Saving. Reason No. 3: In no case, your wireframe will cover the complete final product. For sure, the app will be subject to changes and amendments in the process of development, but, at least, the developers will get key functions already tested from the point of UI/UX. And this will save their time, correspondingly.
QUALITY OF FINISHED PRODUCT
We have already mentioned that the wireframe is made in collaboration with all project participants. Fortunately, there are various online tools that offer numerous opportunities (ProtoShare, for example).
A well-adjusted communication channel between the team and the client contributes to settling all questions and doubts in good time prior the developers start their part of the job. Thus, avoiding needless work.
Time-Saving. Reason No. 4: The product quality benefits as well: the most disputable questions are cleared previous to or at the initial stage of the development. So, there is no need to re-do or correct things later on, when they are ready.
Due to the well-thought wireframe:
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the team focuses on the clear target: everyone is moving in one direction. No extra long discussions, meetings, negotiations imply less time required;
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changes are implemented at the early stages: the later the changes are introduced, the more related changes they involve, which would mean the development process is longer and more expensive, correspondingly;
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no re-work required: any rework means extra time and expenses including some eventual changes in the things already completed;
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every ambiguity is cleared out promptly: any misunderstanding cleared out timely spares time and cost as involves fewer details to be discussed and redone or introduced;
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you may with full knowledge follow the process: you have a general idea of the project progress and may schedule reasonably your marketing or production activities.
So, in general, wireframing saves you time and...money in the long run. Additionally, you get more guarantees for your key points of concern. As a result, you benefit from feeling more confident and free to plan your future actions.
These are the freedom and confidence that we offer you on umbrella-web.com. Do not hesitate to experience it right now!
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