Wireframing software creates blueprints for a website, web page, or application during the early stages of development. Wireframes range from simple sketches and page layouts to realistic and moderately responsive representations of a developing web page or application. UI/UX design and development teams use wireframing software to outline the website's desired functionality before development. Wireframing software allows users to drag and drop placeholder elements for images, text, banners, and logos to help them get a feel for the end product. Wireframing software helps to save development time and costs by allowing design teams to outline, review, iterate on, and finalize what the outline of the end product should look like before passing it to prototyping or development.
There may be an overlap in functionality between wireframing products and prototyping software products. Wireframing takes place in the web or app development process first, followed by prototyping. Wireframes are low-fidelity skeletons of a digital product with low functionality, while prototypes are high-fidelity visual representations of the end product. Wireframing products may have some prototyping functionality and vice versa.
To qualify for inclusion in the Wireframing category, a product must:
- Outline website and application structures, layouts, and user flows
- Allow users to drag and drop elements to create website and application mockups
- Provide a library of templates, elements, and symbols
- Offer collaboration functionality, such as commenting and annotation
- Enable users to export or share wireframes
