The intended advantage from using the wireframe app is that it provides a fast, barebones method of nailing down the functional requirements of the interface before you proceed to build a real prototype.

The app is simple enough that a technically-minded client can learn how to use it in a few minutes, or you can just drive it for them interactively.

On Friday, I used the wireframe app to spec out the functionality of an app with over forty separate functions, in around three hours. The wrireframe tool produced formatted documentation for the client to review, a "working" wireframe for them to wander around in, and a formally structured data-file that can be used to build or generate the skeletal FuseBox and FuseDocs, and to define the event-handler realationships (XFAs).

I am now waiting for the client to sign-off or amend the wireframed app, which shouldn't take too long, because the distractions (at this stage) of look-and-feel, etc, are simply not on the table at this point. The wireframe is a method of focusing attention on the required business functions, and removing considerations of details which can only get in the way at this early requirements gathering phase.

That, I believe, is the point of building a wireframe. It's fast, it's formal but comprehensible, it's end-user-editable, and it's interactive. It's only intended to do a tightly constrained job, ie gather the basic functional requirements. This phase should only last, say 10% as long as the building of an actual prototype. It's just a small step along the way, but it should make all of the other steps much easier.

Hope it works well for you. My bosses and I are finding it a revelation.

THanks, Lee.

>From: "Mike Collins" <mike@w3z.com> >... Now I only need to figure out what >the advantage is of using the app. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm

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