Logical Writing Solutions, Inc.

A new generation of wireframe / software prototyping tools may soon revolutionize the analysis phase of software development, I think.

In case you are unfamiliar with the term, a wireframe is a mockup of a screen in a software application.

Historically, wireframes consisted of a set of mock screens, either hand-drawn or developed with a computer. A reviewer would validate design concepts by reviewing the wireframes in printed form so he could follow screen flows by juggling papers. Some people still swear by hand-drawn wireframes because they are quick to generate and require no special software. The main drawback is the impact on the review cycle: some people just can’t seem to envision the flow of screens from paper, in which case a quality review is impossible.

As an alternative, an analyst or developer can develop screens in HTML. Benefits: (1) The reviewer can click around the screens a bit to better understand activity flow. (2) The code serves as a starting point for development. Drawback: (1) The time invested is significant.

Some newer prototyping tools provide the same sort of clickable benefits as a coded HTML prototype. Benefits: (1) The process is quicker than HTML coding. (2) The wireframe analyst doesn’t need coding knowledge. Drawbacks: (1) Software licenses can cost thousands of dollars per seat. (2) No reusable code is generated.

So where is this all going?  

Some really advanced prototyping tools are already entering the market. They can export the prototype in real HTML code. Benefits: (1) It’s quicker than HTML coding. (2) No HTML coding knowledge needed. (3) HTML base code is produced. Drawbacks: (1) The system-generated code is allegedly pretty clunky, perhaps similar to the code generated when you export a Word doc as HTML. (2) The software is costly.

Still, it’s a matter of time before the tools advance to make the system-generated code more usable. And when the analyst investment noticeably reduces the development effort, those expensive software licenses will become more cost effective.