But, perhaps your point is, if that’s being done in the requirements phase, that’s too close to “how” and not enough “what”. And maybe since I’ve done a lot of implementing and coding in my day, I’ve often been involved more on the early prototyping stages of large-scale apps where we are creating very lightweight models that have basic functionality, which has been useful for stakeholders and developers to see how an app might play out.

Axure looks like a nice product, indeed a bit expensive. Too bad they had a mac version, too.

btw, thanks for the great blog.

That’s not something I’ve done. Does it allow you to visualize real or test data in your wireframe mock-up? I find that a compelling feature for some projects that are data-driven but I have not yet used one. A tool like iRise comes to mind.

I think the risk you might face with a data-driven tool is that you get too deep into the implementation. If you are creating tables in Access, you’re starting an actual data model. That could constrain your creativity in the requirements discovery process and constrain the solution through the implementation process.

Laura

Wondering what you think of using visual database oriented applications like FileMaker and Access. They let you build forms with the standard widgets pretty quickly. I also like that they can quickly help me construct data relationships which can be helpful in demonstrating scenarios with heirarchal or nested data types. And, with FileMaker, they provide the nifty ability to show the wireframe in a browser as well.

I’ve found these tools, but perhaps I’ve been doing BA work on very data rich designs, and that’s why these have been so helpful.

thoughts?

Taking time to focus your wireframe efforts can help ensure they are an effective piece of eliciting software requirements….