Prototyping with XHTML

[aaronjunited]

I found this article ( http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/prototyping-with ) last night when researching prototyping for web design.

The planning process of a website is an important step to make sure the website is built to highest standard the client is looking for.

Prototyping with XHTML looks like its better than any other method and I'm really interested in the idea.

I would love to hear thoughts and opinions on this subject if you'd care to pitch in.

Thanks
Aaron.

 

[Phreaddee]

all seems pretty logical.

although personally i'd be using html5 over xhtml

I always do prototypes/wireframes in the browser. I like to do a lot of the design in the browser as well. particularly with responsive layouts, using photoshop to do elaborate mockups only seems silly.

 

[Edge]

I find the process can to a certain extent be determined by the client - some expect wireframe, mockups, sign off and then build. Some want to sit down with you as you modify a design in Photoshop.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to do a design in Photoshop/Illustrator purely as it takes a lot less time than coding it. I kind of like to get the look and feel sorted before starting a build.

 

[ronaldroe]

sdesign1, I was, until the last few days in the same camp as you. Then, I saw this article by Chris Coyier, and I think I may be a convert. What really got me wanting to make the change was the thought of how much time I spend mocking up my designs only to turn around and code them later. And maybe a lot of people struggle more with the coding aspect, but I knock the majority of it out pretty quick, so I'm saving an incredible amount of time.

Another point is that you can present clients with an actual page they can interact with as opposed to an image they can only look at. And my final thought was that adjustments to the design can be made mostly by adjusting numbers, or copy/pasting a few lines elsewhere in the document flow.

I'm not talking a full build here, but realize that even if it's only just a mock up page, a lot of the code is already written and is ready to be converted into a full site or a CMS template or whatever.

I plan to start working this way on my next project, which will be a redesign of my own site.