Wireframing Mobile Apps or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Index Cards

http://lytol.com/articles/mobile-wireframing.html

by lytol • 14 years ago

59 9 14 years ago

marquis• 14 years ago

Thank you! I always start with paper and pen - there is just no faster way to iterate and, more importantly: focus. I need to get out of the office to do creative work like this and taking a tablet with me just leads to distractions rather than just "out of the office for the next couple of hours in the park, don't email me".

jsinghdreams• 14 years ago

I love the Dr. Strangelove reference!

The advice is sold too! Unplugging is often the most helpful way to get sh*t done. Another technique I came across recently is to start off your day with production rather than consumption. i.e. start your morning writing a 500 word essay or going outside, sitting in a park, and just making those wireframes. Your day will be exponentially more productive!

fletchowns• 14 years ago

This Dr. Strangelove reference has been waaaaay overused lately, it's just starting to be annoying now.

As far as using index cards for wireframing, seems like a decent enough idea if you have a really small team. Doesn't really scale that well for larger teams/projects.

cd34• 14 years ago

Maybe his hand does things he doesn't want it to do.

lytol• 14 years ago

I'm just hoping to edge out "How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Pooping During Childbirth" in Google search results.

LukeRB• 14 years ago

Awesome (concise, yet detailed) post, Brian! I was just talking to a co-founder friend the other night who suggested the same approach. It's brilliantly-simple and is ideal for people looking to talk about their ideas without having to build them or smaller teams.

Thanks for sharing, Luke (http://LukeRB.com)

amirmc• 14 years ago

Delightfully simple.

Additional benefit (not explicitly mentioned) is that you can test your UI/flows with potential users.

Imagine having a deck of cards with you in the pub. You could let someone navigate the app, card by card, and quickly identify the sticking points & user confusion. All without having to build anything.

bane• 14 years ago

As an interesting alternative, I've gotten tons of mileage doing this in Powerpoint. You can even setup hyperlinks on the "buttons" to quickly move to different slides in the deck showing different interface states.

impunity• 14 years ago

Hackers need intuitive design tools. Nothing's more intuitive than drawing with a pen on some cards. No commands to remember.

Wireframing Mobile Apps or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Index Cards

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