What is a wireframe in design?

A wireframe in design is a schematic or blueprint, often used in the fields of web design, software development, and user interface design, to provide a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website or application. It’s essentially a layout that outlines the size, placement, and relationship of website or application components, such as navigation menus, buttons, images, and text boxes, but without any design or style elements.

Wireframes are used early in the development process to establish the basic structure of a page before visual design and content is added, making it easier for design and development teams to plan the layout according to how users will interact with the product. They can be drawn by hand or created using various software tools. Wireframes help stakeholders and team members conceptualize the project’s design and functionality before investing time and resources into development.