Getting closer. The client has requested one more change on the About Us page. Instead of listing the social media icons horizontally, we’re going to list them vertically with the name of each icon typed out beside its corresponding  link. This will allow users to identify each icon without having to hover over each icon to get the pop-up tool tip associated with each. This is the beauty of wireframes. We get to play around with the structure and try out different things before getting into the graphic design nitty gritty.

After receiving feedback from the client, we’ve made a few revisions to the wireframes. Originally, the only social media link was for Facebook, but since then the client has added Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. We made a few other changes at the client’s request: made the calendar links larger, added a 4^th contact on the Contact Us page, and moved the search field closer to the top of the Home page. The new images are up at aordev7.com.

Our first version of the wireframes for the Kansas Consortium for Youth Voice website are up for client viewing at aordev7.com. We’ve uploaded 17 wireframe images for the various pages that will need to be built/formated. We will eventually build out WordPress templates for these pages.

Wireframes. Some developers hate them. Some love them. When referring to wireframes in the field of web development, we are usually referring to very basic sketch-ups or layout of information. After collaborating with the client to determine the information requirements for our website, we have the fun task of organizing everything. A well developed website doesn’t just look pretty – it must convey the client’s message in way that is cohesive, understandable, and creates a positive experience for the users.

Wireframes allow the developer and client to explore different architectural organization by experimenting with the arrangement of elements at a basic level, before the final graphic details are brought into play. It’s much easier to move around images and blocks of text for optimal placement before adding all of the finishing graphic touches.

When working with wireframes, we usually do not have all of the data from the client. At this point we are more concerned with where the information is going, not what it will look like. As you can see in the image below, we use placeholders for text, images and graphics that we do not have at this point. Lorem Ipsum is the standard dummy text of the printing and typsetting industry and has been adopted by the web design industry as well. You’ll see a lot of Lorem Ipsum as well as made up dummy text in our wireframes. “Blah blah blah bladdity blah blah” seems to be a favorite as well.