wireframe

A wireframe is a black and white line drawing that's used in early-stage web design to provide stakeholders with a visual representation of a web page's layout and information architecture. Wireframes can be thought of as problem-solving tools; they help design team members prioritize the placement of content on a page and identify user experience (UX) problems early on. The framework, which was inspired by the use of wire mannequins in the fashion world, serves as a skeleton for the page's design.

Wireframes typically use boxes of various sizes to represent elements of the web page and the following elements are usually included: header and footer, search field, breadcrumb trail, site navigation, body content and share buttons. Unlike a page mock-up, which is a more detailed prototype that typically includes logos, color, images, typeface choices and copy, a wireframe's skeletal approach encourages design team members to experiment with the placement of page components and quickly make changes without requiring too much time or effort.