Before starting a project (website) it is essential to ensure that a project has been properly planned and a clear specification produced. This ensures (hopefully...) that all project stakeholders have the same expectations, the development team know exactly what they are building and the client knows what the deliverables and end result will be.

An important component of the specification process is the production of a wireframe. A wireframe is a schematic representation of a website/application that encompasses navigation, functionality, page content and potentially usability. Wireframes are invaluable in the planning stages as they enable the top level functional aspects of a project to be tested before any development takes place.

A great tool for creating wireframes is Axure this package allows you to quickly design wireframe templates and re-useable components. You can set links between pages and export to HTML, this is a fantastic feature as it enables the viewer to interact and navigate through the wireframe.  What’s more Axure is available as a full 30 day trial.