Today building wireframes is an essential part of creating a website. A wireframe is a visual guide that shows the interface design a website will have; what pages will hold and how they will link, is expressed by wireframes. Since building wireframes requires lesser time than a website prototype, it can be created relatively quicker to obtain a blueprint of one’s website; consequently, when it comes time to actually build the website, a tone of time is saved.
A nifty tool we have come across for building wireframes is iPlotz.
iPlotz is a program based on Adobe AIR. Therefore it is multiplatform; whether your system runs on Mac OS, Linux, or Windows, you will still be able to use iPlotz.
To run iPlotz, one can either launch the application within the internet browser being used or download the program to system. I prefer the second option, because it gives a faster performance due to its independence from any internet browser.
The ‘Download iPlotz’ button is conveniently located at the top-right side of the homepage. After downloading, the application wastes no time in installation. When you have it functioning, this is how it looks like:
The blank black plane to the right is your workplace; you can pick or select items from the list on the left and insert them in the blank space.
I played around with the tools a little bit, and inserted some objects into the space as a sample. In about a minute, I already had a potential webpage on my screen. Here was what simple dragging and dropping of the tools produced:
The objects in the plane can be moved around to suit the developer i.e. they are all clickable and navigable. The created wireframes and pages can easily be shared online with coworkers or clients. Moreover new pages can be added, existed pages can be modified, and the pages can be exported as images in (PNG and JPG format) or as a PDF file.
iPlotz can also be used to invite other developers who can then comment on your pages, make suggestions or provide you with valuable criticism.
While developing wireframes as a group, you have the ability to appoint different group members different tasks which improves overall functionality.
This freeware is for the pros and beginners alike; the simple user interface does its job perfectly and one is able to quickly familiarize one’s self with the tools. Facilitating website developers, iPlotz is a laudable application.
