Wireframes get a good rap in web design—and for good reason. Often referred to as the foundational blueprint for successful web design projects, they help transform abstract ideas into structured visual representations. In mobile app design, an app wireframe helps designers successfully map out complex layouts and user interactions with the precision and clarity required for smaller screens.
In this article, we’ll delve deeper into mobile app wireframes, explore the steps needed for effective wireframing, and highlight some of the top tools available (including Wix Studio design capabilities) for this important stage of mobile app development.
But back up, what’s an app wireframe again?
An app wireframe is a simple visual representation that outlines the structure and layout of a mobile app. Like all other wireframes, it maps out the essential parts of an interface and helps all involved in the build fully understand how the app will work. Without this foundation, coding or designing an app is almost impossible.
An app wireframe also provides an easy and low-cost way to compare app design concepts and decide on the right approach early on. To dive deeper into the different types of wireframes, check out these 15 wireframe examples.
For those building a client’s mobile app and looking for direction on where to start, here are ten key steps to creating an app wireframe that can help transform an abstract client concept into a powerful application.
10 key steps for creating a mobile app wireframe
Do your research
Yep, like designing any product, you need to research your client’s target audience before you begin wireframing. Download competitor apps to understand what your client’s app should offer and identify gaps that can give your client a competitive edge. If time and resources allow, go deeper and speak with your client’s ideal customer profile (ICP), create an online survey or conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and potential threats to your project.
Plan your user journeys
Next, sketch out (with a design tool or a good old pen and paper) a visual representation of the journeys users will take through your app. This involves outlining what they must do to achieve specific goals (such as signing in or going to checkout), which will determine the necessary screens and interactions. User flows can be represented as flow charts or lists to clarify the intended navigation paths.
Identify the screens you need
Based on the user journeys you’ve just mapped out, identify the screens needed for your app wireframe. This includes not just conversion screens but also foundational screens like homepages and search pages that support user navigation.
Create low-fidelity wireframes
Time for what we call low-fidelity wireframes, which focus on your app’s structure and layout without getting into the finer design details. Using simple shapes and lines, outline the placement of elements such as buttons, images and text. This phase is crucial for establishing a clear visual hierarchy and organization of content, ensuring the core features are laid out in an intuitive and user-friendly way.
Choose your screen dimensions
Select the appropriate screen dimensions for your wireframe to ensure it replicates the actual mobile device layout. Establishing a consistent frame size is essential for visualizing how the app will look on different devices.
Populate your app wireframe with elements
Once you have the basic structure down, you can start populating each screen with relevant UI components such as buttons, text fields and images. Ensure that recurring elements like navigation bars remain consistent across screens to enhance the UX. At this stage, you can also replace prominent placeholder text with copy that reflects the text in the final app.
Integrate navigation elements
A crucial step in wireframing is linking your wireframe screens through CTA buttons and navigational elements. It will demonstrate how users will move between different parts of the app and help ensure navigation is straightforward and intuitive.
Test and validate your app wireframe
At this point, you can share your wireframe with stakeholders for feedback. This might include your client, depending on their design or dev knowledge. If sharing, always assure them that your app wireframe does not reflect what the final app will look like. Conduct usability testing to gather insights on user interactions and identify areas for improvement.
Create a detailed app wireframe
Once you’ve taken feedback on board and incorporated it into your design, it’s time to develop a detailed wireframe that includes more precise spacing, layout details and medium and high-fidelity designs. This brings your app wireframe closer to the mockup stage, providing a clearer representation of what the final product will look like without images or branding elements.
Iterate as much as you need to
Wireframing is an iterative process. Often, you’ll be working to tight deadlines, but with whatever time you have before the mockup and prototype stages, continuously refine your design based on stakeholder input and usability tests until you achieve a wireframe that effectively communicates your client app’s functionality and UX goals.
Top wireframe tools for a better app design process
Choosing the right tool for your mobile app wireframe will depend on your experience level and specific needs. Here are our top picks that can enhance various stages of your app wireframing process.
Wix Studio
Wix Studio might not be an obvious choice for your mobile app wireframing, but it does offer some effective tools and features to support the process. Its wireframe templates cover a range of business types and industries, including eCommerce and events. These templates are fully responsive and customizable, can be adapted for all screen sizes and offer agencies a great headstart for building client sites and inspiring mobile apps. You can put your stamp on them in the Studio editor or drag Studio’s premade wireframes from the Add panel to the canvas. Work in mobile view to shape and inform your mobile app screens.
Adobe XD
Adobe is better known for its graphic design tools like Illustrator or Photoshop, but its UX design software XD doesn’t disappoint. Its vector-based drawing and interactive prototyping capabilities suit professionals who want detailed wireframing options, whether for an app or a website. Adobe XD supports creator kits and has a curated collection of wireframes available on its website.
Figma
Figma is a powerful tool offering a range of features that speed up and improve the app wireframing process. It scores high on the teamwork front, facilitating real-time collaboration and easy sharing through live URLs for stakeholder feedback. A side note: Figma fans building sites can now use the Figma to Wix Studio plugin to access fully customizable website templates specifically designed to import into Studio.
Justinmind
Justinmind is a prototyping and wireframing tool for creating high-fidelity prototypes of web and mobile apps. It can render realistic versions of a finished product and offers a range of collaboration, interaction and design features. Its gesture features allow you to rotate, tap, swipe, scroll and pinch your way through a mobile app prototype.
UXPin
UXPin is a code-based design application that helps you create wireframes quickly, gather feedback and move to hi-fi designs and interactive prototypes without switching between different tools. It prides itself on its UI components that ensure design consistency and collaborative features that keep your team and stakeholders on the same page.
Draw.io
Get past draw.io’s basic interface, and you’ll discover a free tool to create low-fidelity wireframes from various shapes, icons and images. Import and export files from other formats like PNG, PDF or XML to make your wireframes go further. One of Draw.io’s big benefits is that it requires no registration or installation, so you can jump in and get working on your app wireframe right away.
Mockflow
MockFlow’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface, collaboration features and extensive library of pre-designed templates make it a strong contender for those looking for a tool to create app wireframes. In its MockStore, you can search and import from thousands of wireframe templates submitted by MockFlow's user community.
Wireframing is a broad field, which makes these tools unique in their offering. Choosing the right one for you will depend on your specific needs and how advanced you want to get. Whether you prioritize collaboration, ease of use or advanced features, do plenty of research to find one that will enhance your app wireframing process and ultimately help you build the perfect app for your client.
FYI, if you already have a Wix Studio site, you can transform it into an app without a single line of code using Branded App by Wix.
Build your next (and best) client site on Wix Studio.
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