Doing website Mockups

Website Mockup is a proto-type or a sample design created to show how the actual site will look like. Mockups are great way to quickly get approval for our design from the client/customer. Since mockups are non-functional, it won’t take much time to create them.

Why are we creating the Mockups

Often, Mockups are created for,

• Communicating our design to client and getting their approval.
• Sharing our ideas to fellow developers and getting their feedback.
• Documenting the initial requirements of the design.

How are we creating website mockups?

That said, what are the techniques out there for creating mockups?

• Use paper and pen:
  This is a easy way to quickly come up with a mockup. All we need is just a pen and paper. Draw your design on the paper and if the user sitting next to you, show it to him/her. Otherwise, scan the paper and send it through email. Easy but ineffective way, isn’t it?
• Use a graphics software:
  Using any graphics software like Photoshop or Visio, the web page can be modeled. The resulting mockup can be exported into a image file and can be shared with users. This is also a easy and professional approach too. But, in collaborative environment, where our designs are reviewed by peer designers, getting feedback on our design often done by exchanging multiple emails. Won’t it be good to have some reviewing mechanism like MS Word’s Review functionality for mockups also? Suppose if the peer designer/user wants to make a small change in our design, he/she has to get the image source file from us before making the changes. This is kind of uneasy, if more designers involved in designing. Collaborating between multiple developers is not easy in this approach.
• Use a web based service for creating mockups:
  Web 2.0 has opened many doors, in which collaboration is the main door. Using a web 2.0 application, many designers can simultaneously design a web page. Giving feedback, combining multiple designers work will be seamlessly done. One such web application I know is Balsamiq Mockups. Is there any other such service available?

Since mockups are only used in the initial phases of development, the time to create them should be minimal. Collaboration and feedback are also important points of consideration.

So, what is your though about mockups? What approach do you follow to design a web page quickly?