Why Do We Need Mockups?

Answer the most frequently asked “what”, “how” and “why” questions about mockups.

Up to 50% of your budget is spent designing your application. The most basic applications, which take 160 hours to code, can easily spend the same amount of time preparing a custom visual design.

Why do I need to know this?

Many product owners tend to assume that the front-end developer is the person who controls the “feel” and “look” of the application. That’s true, but it’s not the actual choice of colors, shapes, or fonts, it’s the engineering part. Most developers are frowned upon by such lawsuits. So writing a job listing that says “I’m looking for a front-end developer with good UI / UX skills” is meaningless. For an easy-to-use and elegant application, you must use UIUX’s expert design service. Developers do not create mockups. Designers will.

What is a mockup?

Mockups are medium to high fidelity still images. Its purpose is to give you an overview of color schemes, content layouts, fonts, icons, visual navigation elements, images and design of future software products and user experience.

Content layout is the way content is displayed on a page or screen. For example, you can follow a Gutenberg diagram, a Z pattern design, or an F pattern design.

The color scheme represents the shades and colors used in the project. The different colors evoke different emotions from the user. Colors can affect user experience and behavior, so choose each one wisely. You should also pay attention to the color contrast so that the text is easy to read and the elements are visible.

Typography consists of font type, size, style, text spacing, and placement. None of these visual design tools should complicate or distract your reading.

The spacing determines which spaces are left empty and which are filled. Negative space is one of the most powerful design tools, providing the perfect balance between exposed pages and overhead.

Navigation images are one way to incorporate the structure of your project and should be complete at this point. It can be a drop-down menu, cider, or footer, or a series of arrows, switches, and sliders.

Other images include everything from background images and icons to other decorative elements.

They show the content layout, color schemes, spacing, iconography, typography & navigation elements on each type of screen.

How are the models developed?

Mockups are created with visual design software like Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, Sigma & other mockup tools.

How long does the development of the mockup take?

UI / IX designers are different. Many possible approaches to mockup development as there are UI / UX designers. There is no universal standard for model fidelity or development schedule. Some designers prefer a mobile-centric approach, while others prefer a desktop-centric approach. Everything must be clear to the designer.

Websites and mobile apps are different. Even if you know the designers you work with, you can’t immediately expect a perfect mockup development quote. Each case is different. You should ask the UI / UX designer to prepare the wireframe for your application or web platform. You can then turn these wireframes into suitable mockups.

Before requesting a quote for mockup development, you need to understand the following:

How many pages or screens do UI / UX designers need to draw?

Is there a style guide that designers should follow or develop?

What features does your website or application have? How do users navigate within the application?

What screen size do you need?

The answer to each of these questions defines how long it will take.

What are the benefits of mockups?

The mockups are realistic. This is a great opportunity to see how all design decisions work together. What if the color scheme doesn’t work your way? Mockups are a way to see the final product even before development begins.

The mockups are easy to fix. It’s easier to change the mockup tool during the mockup stage than later coding. Developers will appreciate the fact that there is no need to modify the product design.

The mockups are compelling. If you still need to earn the trust and affection of your project stakeholders, it’s a good idea to show them a mockup. They are intuitive and very similar to the final software product.

Is it important?

Yes, it is important I’ll explain it with some terms!

No mockups, no markup quotes!

Front-end developers use mockups to estimate the time it takes to develop. The mockup is static, but don’t forget to tell the developer which parts should be moved or animated. For example, if your page has multiple sliders, encoding will take longer than just one still image. If you don’t provide mockups to them, they won’t be able to provide a fair quote.

No mockups, no HTML coding!

A mockup for a front-end developer app or website is like a landscape for a painter. They see it and reproduce it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to implement the colors, shapes, and fonts you need. No matter what they do, it doesn’t live up to your expectations.

No mockups, no investors!

Impressive mockups are often a way to win the hearts of partners and win the next investment round. When you show investors the fresh look of your app, its uniqueness and elegance are impressive. The money is in your pocket.

No mockups, no users!

If you want your users to like it, you have to make your website or app look good. It should be convenient and intuitive so that users don’t get lost. If the navigation features are unclear, confusing, or easy to use, they won’t work. These defects are easier to identify and correct during the mockup phase.