iPhone wireframing skills

Changing the orientation of iPhone

Initially, iPhone is shown vertically in the wireframe. If your apps works under a horizontal layout, you can change its orientation. To adjust the orientation, right click on the phone border and select Orientation > Horizontal/Vertical from the popup menu.

Changing orientation of iPhone

 

Show/Hide navigation bar

To hide the navigation bar, right click on the phone border and select Navigation Bar > Show or Navigation Bar > Show with Back Button from the popup menu.

Show navigation bar

Show/Hide toolbar and tab bar

To hide the toolbar and tab toolbar, right click on the phone border and select Toolbar Type > Toolbar or Toolbar Type > Tab Bar from the popup menu.

Show toolbar bar

Show/Hide keyboard

To show the keyboard, right click on the phone border and select Show Keyboard from the popup menu.

Show keyboard

This shows the keybaord at the bottom of the phone:

Keyboard shown

Show/Hide iPhone frame

The frame of the iPhone is shown by default. If you want to hide it, right click on the background of the wireframe and de-select Show iPhone Frame from the popup menu. Note that this option only affects the appearance of the wireframe during editing. The frame will remain visible for images exported or output in document.

Scroll to device

If you have scrolled to somewhere far away from the wireframe, you can scroll jump back to the device by right clicking on the background of the wireframe and selecting Scroll to Device from the popup menu. The wireframe will re-appear at the center of the window immediately.

Creating a wireframe element

Method 1 - Diagram toolbar: Select-and-Click

1. Select the desired wireframe element from the diagram toolbar (e.g. Label).
   

   Create a label by selecting it from the diagram toolbar

2. Click on the wireframe, at the position where you want the wireframe element to be created.

Method 2 - Diagram toolbar: Drag and drop

1. Press on the desired wireframe element in the diagram toolbar
2. Hold the mouse button.
3. Drag to the wireframe.
   

   Create a Label with drag-and-drop

4. Release the mouse button in the wireframe, at the position where you want the wireframe element to be created.

Method 3 - Popup menu

1. Right click on the wireframe, at the position where you want the wireframe element to be created.
2. Select Add Shape > %SHAPE_TYPE% from the popup menu, where %SHAPE_TYPE% is the kind of wireframe element you want to create.
   

   Creating a wireframe element via the popup menu

Method 4 - Through smart create resource

1. Click directly on the wireframe, at the position where you want the wireframe element to be created. You should see a green icon appears, known as the Smart Create resource.
   

   Creating a wireframe element using Smart Resource

2. Press on the Smart Create resource and hold the mouse button.
3. Drag to outline the size of the wireframe element to be created.
   

   Creating a label in specific size

4. Release the mouse button. In the popup menu, choose the type of wireframe element to create.
   

   Choosing the wireframe element to be created

Method 5 - Double-clicking (Label and annotation only)

To create a label, double-click on the wireframe and enter the label caption.

Creating a label

To create an annotation, double-click outside the phone border and enter the annotation text.

Entering annotation text

Accurate positioning of wireframe element using the alignment guide

Alignment guide is a dotted line that appears when you move wireframe elements in a wireframe. It helps you to align elements perfectly with others. Simply select element(s) and drag it around. When the selection approaches another element in the wireframe, you can adjust the positioning of the selection with the help of the guide.

Using the alignment guide

Adjusting font property for wireframe elements

For wireframe elements that can display text, you can adjust their font properties like the font familiy and font style. To adjust font properties:

1. Right click on the desired wireframe element and select Font... from the popup menu.
   

   Set font

2. Edit the font properties in the Font window and click OK to confirm.
   

   The Font window

Setting color for wireframe elements

In case you want to colorize your wireframe, you can set the color of wireframe elements by taking the steps below.

1. Right click on the desired wireframe element and select Color... from the popup menu.
   

   Set color

2. Edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm. Note that different wireframe elements support different settings. For example, while text field support editing font color, collection view doesn't.
   

   Editing color properties

   
   You will then see the new color applied.
   

   Color applied

Duplicating wireframe elements

Duplicate wireframe elements enables you to create new elements based on existing ones. This saves you a lot of time in creating elements with same/similar style, size and content to the existine ones.

To duplicate wireframe elements:

1. Drag in the wireframe to select a range of elements to duplicate.
   

   Selecting wireframe elements to duplicate

2. At the bottom of your selection, press on the Duplicate resource icon and hold the mouse button.
3. Drag it.
   

   To duplicate wireframe elements

4. Release the mouse button at the position where you want the wireframe element to be created.
   

   Wireframe elements duplicate

5. Touch-up the duplicate elements.
   

   Renamed a label

 

Using stereotypes and tagged values in wireframe

Like most model elements, you can add stereotypes and tagged values to wireframe widgets. The stereotype mechanism allows you to create "typed" widgets. For example, you can create a stereotype "password field" for wireframe text field widget. Then, when you draw a wireframe, you can create a "password field" by assigning the "password field" stereotype to a text field.

Tagged values allows you to add custom properties to wireframe widgets. For example you can add a "screen ID" field to widgets for associating the widgets to components in an actual screen design.

You can add and edit stereotypes and tagged values both in the specification of wireframe widgets. To open specification, right click on a widget and select Open Specification... from the popup menu.

Note that the stereotypes and tagged values added to a wireframe widget is shared across all states, which means that you will see the same stereotypes and tagged values added to a widget in all wireframe states.

Annotating wireframe with Annotation shape

The use of annotations in wireframe allows you to detail the elements on the wireframe. With annotation, you can describe or explain the existence of certain wireframe element, as well as to describe the calls to action and the expected results.

In order to keep the wireframe content readable, annotations are forced to put outside the phone border. In other words, you cannot create or move an annotation to inside the phone body.

To create an annotation:

1. Double click on the background (i.e. the blue region) of the wireframe.
2. Enter the annotation text.
   

   Entering annotation text

3. Press on the arrow resource and hold the mouse button.
   

   To annotate a wireframe element

4. Drag to the wireframe element to annotate it.
   

   Label annotated

Wireframing tips - Image

You can use an image component to represent a picture, a placeholder of advertisement, video, map or web component. When you create an image in a wireframe, you see a box with a cross in it. This is how an image should be shown in a wireframe but if you want to specify the content of the image, right click on the image component and select Image from the popup menu. Then, choose the image file (*.jpg, *.jpeg, *.gif, *.png, *.bmp) to embed into the image component.

To embed image into image component

To represent an advertisement, video, map or web component, right click on the image component and select Advertisement, Video, Map and Web respectively.

Image component showed as video

Showing IOS icon

You can also use an image component to show an IOS icon for a tab bar. To show an IOS icon, right click on the image component and select IOS... from the popup menu. In the popup window, choose the icon to show and click OK to confirm.

Choosing an IOS icon

Wireframing tips - Label

Specifying the content of label

To specify the content of label, double click on the label and enter the content. You can press Enter to create a new line or press Ctrl-Enter to confirm editing. You may need to resize the label afterwards in order to see the content entered.

Specifying the content of label

Showing multiple labels

The label component is in fact a placeholder of label. You can show multiple labels in it by increasing the height of the label component.

Creating more labels

To adjust the spacing between labels in a label component, select the label and drag the handler attached with the second label. Space will be added by dragging downwards.

Adjusting the spacing between labels

 

Adjusting label or font size

When the content is filled, the size of label(s) or text in label can be changed. To adjust the font, click on the label component. Then, click on the Font Size button. After that, drag the slider or press + or - to adjust the font size.

Adjusting label size

Adjusting font color

When a label component has text content filled, you can set its color by clicking on the label component first. Then, click on the Font Color button. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting font color of label

Wireframing tips - Text Field

Specifying the content of text field

To specify the content of text field, double click on the text field and enter the content. You may need to resize the text field afterwards in order to see the content entered.

Specifying the content of text field

Showing the text field as a search field

Search field is a kind of text field that allows user to specify a search string and trigger searching. To show a text field as a search field, right click on the text field component and select Search Field from the popup menu.

A search field

Editing the placeholder text

Placeholder text is the text that appears in the background of a text field. Very often, placeholder text is used to provide hints for user. For example, a text field of user name may have <please enter your name here> as placeholder text. Note that the placeholder text is only active when no content has been specified for the text box. To edit placeholder text of a text field, right click on the text field component and select Edit Placeholder... from the popup menu. Then, enter the placeholder text in the popup dialog box.

Text field with placeholder text entered

Wireframing tips - Button

Editing button caption

To edit the caption of button, double click on the button and enter the caption. You may need to resize the button afterwards in order to see the caption entered.

Entering button caption

Wireframing tips - Switch

Altering the state of switch

To alter the state of a switch, select the switch first. Then, click on the inactive end of the switch to switch to that end.

Altering switch state

Wireframing tips - Progress View

Adjusting the progress

To adjust the progress, select the progress view first. Then drag the handler in the middle towards left or right to control the progress.

Adjusting the progress of progress view

Wireframing tips - Slider

Adjusting the slider position

To adjust the silder position, select the silder first. Then drag the handler in the middle towards left or right to control the position.

Adjusting the slider position

Wireframing tips - Panel

Containing existing components with panel

Panel is a useful wireframe component that helps you to visualize the different areas of a screen design. You can put other wireframe components in a panel and move the panel around to reposition the wireframe components at the same time.

To create a panel and make it contains existing components:

1. Select Panel from the diagram toolbar.
2. Press on the wireframe and hold your mouse button.
3. Drag to form the size of the panel to be created. Wireframe components contained entirely in the drag range will be contained by the panel.
   

   Creating a panel

4. Release the mouse button to create the panel.
   

   Panel created

Changing background color

To change the background color of a panel, click on the panel first. Then, click on the Background Color button on top of the panel. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting fill color

Hiding the border of panel

To hide the border of panel, click on the panel first. Then, click on the Hide Border button. You can click again to show the border again.

Panel with border hidden

Making the corner of panel rounded

To make the corner of a panel rounded, click on the panel first. Then, drag on the handler at top left to adjust the size of the rounded corner. The four corners will be updated accordingly.

Making the corner of panel rounded

Wireframing tips - Plain Table View

Editing the header

To edit the table header, double click on the table header and enter the content.

Editing the header

Adjusting row height

To adjust the row height, drag on the handler between the first and the second row.

Adjusting the row height

Wireframing tips - Grouped Table View

Editing the header/footer

To edit the table header/footer, double click on the table header/footer and enter the content.

Editing the header

Showing/hideing the header/footer

By default, table header and footer are visible in a grouped table view. To hide header/footer, right click on the grouped table view and de-select Show Header/Footer from the popup menu.

Footer in grouped table view hidden

Adjusting row height

To adjust row height, drag on the handler between the first and the second row.

Adjusting the row height

Wireframing tips - Collection View

Adjusting cell size

To adjust the size of cells, drag on the handler between the first and the second row.

Adjusting cell size

Wireframing tips - Picker View

Editing label in picker view

To edit the lable in a picker view, double click on the label and enter the content.

Editing a label in picker view

Wireframing tips - Date Picker View

Changing the picker type

There are four kinds of date picker - Date-and-Time, Date, Time, Count Down Timer. To change the picker type, right click on the date picker and select Picker Type > [TYPE] from the popup menu.

Changing picker type

Editing the values of date/time

To edit the values in a date picker, like to edit the date in a Date-and-Time picker, double click on the field to edit and enter the new value.

Editing the date in a date picker

 

To switch between AM and PM, double click on AM/PM directly.

Changing PM to AM

Wireframing tips - Search Bar

Specifying the content of search field

To specify the content of the search field, double click on the text field and enter the content. You may need to resize the search bar afterwards in order to see the content entered.

Specifying the content of search field

Renaming the Cancel button

If you have specified the content of search field, the Cancel button will appear. To rename the Cancel button, double click on the it and enter the new caption.

Renaming the Cancel button

Adjusting font color of Cancel button

When a label component has text content filled, you can set its color by clicking on the label component first. Then, click on the Font Color button. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting font color of the Cancel button

Wireframing tips - Segmented Control

Editing the title of a segment

To edit the title of a segment, double click on the segment and enter the title.

Editing the title

Adding more segments

To add more segments to a segmented control, select the segmented control first. Then, drag on the handler attached to the segment separator between segments to create more segments.

Adding more segments to a segmented control

Changing the selected segment

To change the selected segment, select the segmented control first. Then, click on the segment directly in a segmented control.

Changing the selected segment in a segmented control

Wireframing tips - Page Control

Adding more page indicators

To add more page indicators to a page control, select the page control first. Then, extend the page control to let more indicators appear.

Adding more page indicators to a page control

Setting the active page indicator

To set the active page indicator, select the page control first. Then, click on the page indicator directly in the page control.

Setting the active page indicator in a page control

Wireframing tips - Action Sheet

Editing the action description and action

To edit action description or action, double click on the corresponding label and enter the content.

Editing the action

Showing more actions

To show more actions, increase the height of the action sheet.

Resizing an action sheet to show more actions

Showing/hideing the action description

By default, the action description field is visible in an action sheet. To hide an action description, right click on the action sheet and de-select Show Description from the popup menu.

Action description in an action sheet is hidden

Adjusting the position of pointer

To adjust the position of pointer, select the action sheet first. Then, drag on the pointer to adjust its position. You can drag to all the four sides of the action sheet.

Adjusting the position of pointer in an action sheet

Wireframing tips - Popover

Adjusting the position of pointer

To adjust the position of pointer, select the popover first. Then, drag on the pointer to adjust its position. You can drag to all the four sides of the popover.

Adjusting the position of pointer in an popover

Wireframing tips - Alert View

Editing the content of labels and buttons in an alert view

To edit the content of labels and buttons in an alert view, double click on the label or button and enter the content. You may need to resize the label or the alert view afterwards in order to see the content entered.

Editing the message in an alert view

 

Wireframing tips - Rectangle

Changing background color

To change the background color of a rectangle, click on the rectangle first. Then, click on the Background Color button on top of the rectangle. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting fill color

Adjusting the thickness of border

To adjust the thickness of the border of a rectangle, click on the rectangle first. Then, click on the Line Width button. After that, drag the slider or press + or - to adjust the thickness.

Adjusting the thickness of border

Making the corner of rectangle rounded

To make the corner of a rectangle rounded, click on the rectangle first. Then, drag on the handler at top left to adjust the size of the rounded corner. The four corners will be updated accordingly.

Making the corner of rectangle rounded

Wireframing tips - Oval

Changing background color

To change the background color of an oval, click on the oval first. Then, click on the Background Color button on top of the oval. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting fill color

Adjusting the thickness of border

To adjust the thickness of the border of an oval, click on the oval first. Then, click on the Line Width button. After that, drag the slider or press + or - to adjust the thickness.

Adjusting the thickness of border

Wireframing tips - Polygon

Adding a side

To add a side, select the polygon first. Then, drag on the white handler attached to the border of the polygon to split a border into two.

Adding a side

Then adjust the position of the new point.

Polygon edited

Changing background color

To change the background color of a polygon, click on the polygon first. Then, click on the Background Color button on top of the polygon. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting fill color

Adjusting the thickness of border

To adjust the thickness of the border of a polygon, click on the polygon first. Then, click on the Line Width button. After that, drag the slider or press + or - to adjust the thickness.

Adjusting the thickness of border

Wireframing tips - Line

Adding a point

To add a point, select the line first. Then, drag on the white handler on the line to create a new point.

Adding a point

Then adjust the position of the point.

Line edited

Changing border color

To change the border color of a line, click on the line first. Then, click on the Border Color button on top of the line. After that, edit the color properties in the Color window and click OK to confirm.

Adjusting line color

Adjusting the line width

To adjust the width of the border of an oval, click on the line first. Then, click on the Line Width button. After that, drag the slider or press + or - to adjust the width.

Adjusting line width

 

Related Resources

The following resources may help you to learn more about the topic discussed in this page.

• YouTube Video - How to Create Scenario-Based Wireframe?
• YouTube Video - How to Present Wireframes?
• Visual Paradigm Know-How - Tips and tricks, Q&A, solutions to users' problems
• Contact us if you need any help or have any suggestion

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