wireframe
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a simple sketch that shows where buttons, text, and images will go on a website or app page.
n.a low-fidelity visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website or application interface.
Simple“The designer showed us a wireframe of the new homepage to explain the layout.”
In context“Before moving to high-fidelity prototypes, the UX team created a wireframe to map out the user journey and essential interface elements.”
UsageOften used as a countable noun in design and development contexts.
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a 3D model that only shows the lines of its shape, looking like it is made of thin wires.
n.a visual model of a three-dimensional object represented by its geometric lines and vertices without surface textures.
Simple“The computer game showed the car as a wireframe before the colors loaded.”
In context“The architect presented the building's wireframe to demonstrate the underlying structural geometry before applying realistic textures and lighting.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to draw the basic plan or structure for a website or 3D object.
v.to produce a skeletal representation or structural plan for a digital interface or geometric model.
Simple“We need to wireframe the mobile app before we start writing any code.”
In context“The development team spent the first week wireframing the entire dashboard to ensure the navigation was intuitive for the end user.”
UsageThis verb is transitive and typically takes the project or page as its object.
A compound of the nouns wire and frame. The term was established in computer graphics to describe three-dimensional models represented by their edge lines before being adopted for two-dimensional interface schematics.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.