How to Create a Website Mockup
A website mockup is an accurate but low fidelity model of how a real website will appear like. It illustrates the desired color themes, text designs, logos, icons, banners, content designs, visual media, and so on, allowing users, developers, testers, and other interested parties to preview and test user interaction with the website as well as understand the website’s functionality at a glance. A website mockup also allows a business to test various design elements like navigation bar, font styles, default appearance, content visibility, header images, footer images, header images, buttons, forms, input fields, check boxes, forms, menus, labels, page rank, search engine optimization, site maps, website compatibility, user profiles, search engine stats, and so on. The possibilities for testing website performance are endless when using a mockup. Thus, it is imperative to create a website mockup that will work for your business needs.
There are many tools that help you create mockups. They include software like Photoshop, Fireworks, Corel Draw, or InDesign. However, there are certain drawbacks with these tools that limit their usability to only designer or developer tools. Furthermore, not all stakeholders share the same needs in a website design and hence not everyone can use the mockups.
Software developers typically work on client-side applications, while design professionals work on designing/ prototyping (a.k.a. prototype) applications. Since each has its own requirements, both must collaborate closely in order to meet the specific needs and requirements of a potential customer or user. Thus, even if both do end up working on a common mockup for the development process, each still has their own specialization and needs in designing the prototype.
The third requirement for how to create a website mockup is the accuracy of the typography. If the designer does not understand how to create the right typeface, he/she will not be able to provide the best possible user experience because the typography will either look odd or fonts will not fit on every page. Similarly, when it comes to the images used in the template, the graphic designer must also understand how to place them appropriately or else it will look wrong. Without understanding how to place images or the right kind of image sizes, it will be hard to create a user-friendly site.
Creating good ui and making it look attractive can be a challenging task. This is especially if you are new in this industry. One of the easiest ways on how to create a website mockup is to go for wireframe templates. There are many companies that offer free wireframe templates for the web design process. These templates are easy to use and allow you to get a better understanding of what all you need to include in the site. All you have to do is to add the necessary content and colors.
These websites can be useful for several business processes. When creating a wireframe, it is important to set the limit for the number of views and how many interactive prototypes you want per user per month. This will ensure that you will be able to analyze your user’s response to your site and make necessary changes in the future. Another thing to consider is the conversion rate of the wireframes into final products.
The last requirement for how to create a website mockup is that the final product should be well designed and complete with visual details. This includes the background and the appearance of each component. The background can be defined as the design element that will be used to make the wireframe’s appearance consistent with the rest of the site. Visual details refer to elements that will make the wireframe’s design more clear and easy to understand. They include rounded corners, text and graphics.
You can design and develop your web mockups faster by outsourcing this task to experts in the area of wireframing. There are professionals who can create these mockups for you in a short time. If you cannot find a freelancer offering this service, you can create your own design by using software designed for this purpose. Designing and developing the entire product will be made easier if you choose a proper wireframe builder. This will make your entire project hassle-free.
