Creating a website mockup to perfect your site experience.
What is a website mockup? Let’s explore what it is, why we need it, how to do it, as well as what tools we should use to create a mockup.
Viva One Digital, Web design agency Thailand, is here to talk to you about the website mockup. Here is the list of what will be discussed in this article.
- What is a website mockup
- Advantages of doing a website mockup
- When to do the a website mockup
- Key steps to do a website mockup
- Dedicated tools to create a website mockup
- Final Thoughts
What is a website mockup
Website mockup is a static full size model of the design that is used to demonstrate how the final version of the website would look like. Mockups show how the content layout, color scheme, typography, navigation, and other visual elements would look like. It shows you how well what you design really looks when they are together.
Website mockup is static, this means that even if it looks like the working website, it does not work like a live website. You will not be able to click or interact with the website mockups. The mockup can be mid-fidelity or high fidelity. Sometimes, the high fidelity mockup can be turned into a functional dynamic prototype for us to test the functionalities of the design.
Website mockup helps perfecting website experience by preventing mistakes and allows opportunity to improve, revise, and make the design better and better before developing the final products which is the website.
Advantages of doing a website mockup
Let’s talk about the advantages of creating a website mockup, why you should never skip the website mockup.
Mockup builds better communication between designers and web developers
Website mockups show a clear and precise picture of the website design including everything from colors, layouts, and as far as the spacing. These elements when described by words can be tricky. The nuance of the design can get lost very easily with only verbal explanations and no visual aids. Website mockup helps guide the website developers to understand in picture of what the web designer has planned for the website. This makes a mutual understanding and a better teamwork and collaboration.
Mockup is great for design revision
In the designing process that the design of the website will be changed and adjusted often, mockups are the tools that help the designer edit each element quickly and easily. The designers and clients can benefit from website mockups by making as many adjustments as ones want before the web developer starts developing the website. Since the mockups are far more easier to revise since it is just an image compared to later on in the web development process which needed coding.
Mockup prevent design errors
Mockup is a great tool to test out the possible designs. This helps eliminate the design combination that does not look good together and helps polish the design in every element. For example, the mockup shows how the selected typography will look when placed with other elements and colors. It allows the designers to improve the design to be even better.
Mockup is convincing.
High fidelity mockup will help you win over clients’ and stakeholders’ hearts. Mockup paints a picture of the final product they will get. It makes them trust in your potential more, making the web design and developing process flow better with trust and confidence.
Mockup saves time, effort, and costs
As stated, that mockup will help prevent design errors and create better understanding between designers and developers, this will also help save time and effort too. The team can get the project done faster with less editing and unnecessary redo. And the project’s owner or the clients can get their website sooner.
It also helps save costs since the website design and development is not cheap. With redesign and big revision, it will cost you more. But if you do the website mockups, there will be less redesign and editing further on the developing process, resulting in no additional cost.
When to do the website mockup
Let’s find out where the website mockup fits in the website design and development process.
Website mockup will be done early on in the designing process. The first thing you need to get done is researching and analyzing to determine the style and color used for the website design. After that the mockup is done after sketching and wireframing that is a rough design guideline of the website. The mockup shows a more detailed design but is not functioning. After the website mockup will be a prototype that is interactive.
Key steps to create a website mockup
Let us guide you on how to do a website mockup. We have stated 5 key steps to create a well-done mockup.
Wireframe
The first thing is to create a wireframe for the website. This will show how each element will be positioned. We need a wireframe to be the foundation of the website mockup we are going to make.
Colors
After the layout is done in the wireframing process, we will add the selected colors from the researching process. This will help us know how well the selected color palette really works. Does it represent the project well and does it look good?
Typography
The chosen typography will be added to the mockup to see how well it fits in the design, does the colors as well as the font style and size work together beautifully with other visual and colored elements.
Content
The next element is the content. This concerns how and where to place the content on the website including visual elements and text elements. The graphic design and content will be added to the mockup to let us see how the size and color goes with the rest of the design.
Testing
The last step is to test if the designed website represented by the mockup really works for the users. Getting the users’ opinion and feedback will also help improve the website UI and UX quality as well.
Dedicated tools to create a website mockup
There are many tools you could use to create a website mockup both free and paid. In this article, we want to present to you the tools that are built specially for mocking up and prototyping the website.
Figma
Figma is the most liked and the most popular tools for vector graphic design and prototyping. It is loved because it is an online tool that provides offline features on MAC and Window OS for you to work on it anytime. Figma also allows you to work synchronously with the team and allows real-time commenting as well. You can use a free Figma plan for three projects with two teammates.
Sketch
Sketch is a graphic design tool that allows you to create mockups and prototypes collaboratively with the team as well as clients. Sketch allows you to work together with the team in real-time just like Figma but sketch offers more plug-ins from 3rd-party. However, this tool is only available from MAC OS users only and does not offer a free plan.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD is the tool that is designed for UI and UX designers. It is a part of Adobe Creative Cloud. It comes with photoshop and other popular tools from Adobe. It is easy to use for those who are already familiar with the Adobe interface. It is available on both Window and MAC OS. However, Adobe XD is an expensive tool even when you buy it alone without the rest of the suite.
Final Thoughts
Website mockup benefits both website designers, developers, clients, as well as stakeholders in many ways. It allows you to create the best design possible to create a great experience for the users without paying for extra and unnecessary costs and taking too much time. Includes website mockup as one task of website design and development will benefit you greatly, try it out yourself to really see why we recommend you to do the mockups.
What is a website mockup? Let’s explore what it is, why we need it, how to do it, as well as what tools we should use to create a mockup.
Viva One Digital, Web design agency Thailand, is here to talk to you about the website mockup. Here is the list of what will be discussed in this article.
- What is a website mockup
- Advantages of doing a website mockup
- When to do the a website mockup
- Key steps to do a website mockup
- Dedicated tools to create a website mockup
- Final Thoughts
What is a website mockup
Website mockup is a static full size model of the design that is used to demonstrate how the final version of the website would look like. Mockups show how the content layout, color scheme, typography, navigation, and other visual elements would look like. It shows you how well what you design really looks when they are together.
Website mockup is static, this means that even if it looks like the working website, it does not work like a live website. You will not be able to click or interact with the website mockups. The mockup can be mid-fidelity or high fidelity. Sometimes, the high fidelity mockup can be turned into a functional dynamic prototype for us to test the functionalities of the design.
Website mockup helps perfecting website experience by preventing mistakes and allows opportunity to improve, revise, and make the design better and better before developing the final products which is the website.
Advantages of doing a website mockup
Let’s talk about the advantages of creating a website mockup, why you should never skip the website mockup.
Mockup builds better communication between designers and web developers
Website mockups show a clear and precise picture of the website design including everything from colors, layouts, and as far as the spacing. These elements when described by words can be tricky. The nuance of the design can get lost very easily with only verbal explanations and no visual aids. Website mockup helps guide the website developers to understand in picture of what the web designer has planned for the website. This makes a mutual understanding and a better teamwork and collaboration.
Mockup is great for design revision
In the designing process that the design of the website will be changed and adjusted often, mockups are the tools that help the designer edit each element quickly and easily. The designers and clients can benefit from website mockups by making as many adjustments as ones want before the web developer starts developing the website. Since the mockups are far more easier to revise since it is just an image compared to later on in the web development process which needed coding.
Mockup prevent design errors
Mockup is a great tool to test out the possible designs. This helps eliminate the design combination that does not look good together and helps polish the design in every element. For example, the mockup shows how the selected typography will look when placed with other elements and colors. It allows the designers to improve the design to be even better.
Mockup is convincing.
High fidelity mockup will help you win over clients’ and stakeholders’ hearts. Mockup paints a picture of the final product they will get. It makes them trust in your potential more, making the web design and developing process flow better with trust and confidence.
Mockup saves time, effort, and costs
As stated, that mockup will help prevent design errors and create better understanding between designers and developers, this will also help save time and effort too. The team can get the project done faster with less editing and unnecessary redo. And the project’s owner or the clients can get their website sooner.
It also helps save costs since the website design and development is not cheap. With redesign and big revision, it will cost you more. But if you do the website mockups, there will be less redesign and editing further on the developing process, resulting in no additional cost.
When to do the website mockup
Let’s find out where the website mockup fits in the website design and development process.
Website mockup will be done early on in the designing process. The first thing you need to get done is researching and analyzing to determine the style and color used for the website design. After that the mockup is done after sketching and wireframing that is a rough design guideline of the website. The mockup shows a more detailed design but is not functioning. After the website mockup will be a prototype that is interactive.
Key steps to create a website mockup
Let us guide you on how to do a website mockup. We have stated 5 key steps to create a well-done mockup.
Wireframe
The first thing is to create a wireframe for the website. This will show how each element will be positioned. We need a wireframe to be the foundation of the website mockup we are going to make.
Colors
After the layout is done in the wireframing process, we will add the selected colors from the researching process. This will help us know how well the selected color palette really works. Does it represent the project well and does it look good?
Typography
The chosen typography will be added to the mockup to see how well it fits in the design, does the colors as well as the font style and size work together beautifully with other visual and colored elements.
Content
The next element is the content. This concerns how and where to place the content on the website including visual elements and text elements. The graphic design and content will be added to the mockup to let us see how the size and color goes with the rest of the design.
Testing
The last step is to test if the designed website represented by the mockup really works for the users. Getting the users’ opinion and feedback will also help improve the website UI and UX quality as well.
Dedicated tools to create a website mockup
There are many tools you could use to create a website mockup both free and paid. In this article, we want to present to you the tools that are built specially for mocking up and prototyping the website.
Figma
Figma is the most liked and the most popular tools for vector graphic design and prototyping. It is loved because it is an online tool that provides offline features on MAC and Window OS for you to work on it anytime. Figma also allows you to work synchronously with the team and allows real-time commenting as well. You can use a free Figma plan for three projects with two teammates.
Sketch
Sketch is a graphic design tool that allows you to create mockups and prototypes collaboratively with the team as well as clients. Sketch allows you to work together with the team in real-time just like Figma but sketch offers more plug-ins from 3rd-party. However, this tool is only available from MAC OS users only and does not offer a free plan.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD is the tool that is designed for UI and UX designers. It is a part of Adobe Creative Cloud. It comes with photoshop and other popular tools from Adobe. It is easy to use for those who are already familiar with the Adobe interface. It is available on both Window and MAC OS. However, Adobe XD is an expensive tool even when you buy it alone without the rest of the suite.
Final Thoughts
Website mockup benefits both website designers, developers, clients, as well as stakeholders in many ways. It allows you to create the best design possible to create a great experience for the users without paying for extra and unnecessary costs and taking too much time. Includes website mockup as one task of website design and development will benefit you greatly, try it out yourself to really see why we recommend you to do the mockups.