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Creating Wireframes with Adalon

Tool Reviews | September 28, 2004 | 4 comments

I am a big fan of FLiP (Fusebox Lifecycle Process) as you might already know. Two of the main reasons other then it just makes sense as a methodology is because of it’s friendly and helpful developer community and great set of supporting tools (two of the most important criteria’s I usually use when evaluating using a new programming language, methodology and or framework).

Every time I come up with a new idea for a web application or website I fire up Adalon and I start building the wireframe to get my ideas onto the screen and see if they don’t just make sense in my head… which is often the case. Within 30 minutes I get a basic wireframe up and then over the next week or two every time I get a new idea I switch into Adalon and I add my idea to the wireframe. Once I am happy with the wireframe I play around with it for a while, get feedback from having others step through the wireframe and then I evaluate if I am going to go through with the project. Of course, if I am developing a product for a client then the wireframe is just a step in the process to make sure I understand, and the client understands, what exactly he/she wants.

Adalon comes in two versions, it comes as a free wireframing version and a full version that works with the Struts Framework, Fusebox Architecture and ColdFusion MX development platform right out of the box. Once you are finished developing a wireframe you can use Adalon to design your system and have it generate both code and documentation for your system. I have to admit I have never used the full version intensely but from my limited experience using the tool, the demos I have seen at conferences and from my experience with the free version I am sure it does a great job and saves the developer a lot of time. But don’t trust my word for it, just download the full evaluation copy :-).

If you create web applications/websites or are thinking of creating one I recommend you download Adalon and use it to flesh out your ideas. You won’t regret it. You will notice your mistakes much earlier on in the process and save yourself a lot of money and hours going back and fixing them.

If you want you can see the basic and advanced wireframe I built for Protose. Yes I know. Not all functionality has been implemented yet.

(note: if you want to use the free wireframing version of Adalon you have to download the “FREE Adalon Wireframe Edition License” on the download page of Adalon’s website)

Related Links:

• Adalon’s website
• Synthis (company that makes Adalon)
• Strus Framework
• Fusebox Framework
• ColdFusion MX

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Comments

October 3, 2004 01:08 AM | ElvisIsGod commented:

Adalon is a good tool that is useful but only in a limited way. For example on your basic and advanced wireframes, you can’t put in requirements - they have to be put into the “comments” section. You cannot see any of the processes - say for example you wanted to show error conditions/steps when someone submits a link in your site.

BTW - you named your advanced wireframe “default”, it’s quite easy to give it a proper name. Sorry, I notice little details right away…

How does this tool compare to others on the market? What about using a Charting/diagram tool such as Omnigraffe?

October 3, 2004 12:28 PM | John Kopanas commented:

A wireframing tool is used to create a walk through of your website. That is why you have to put your requirements in the comments section. How would of you prefered it to work?

The full version of Adalon when you get to the design phase allows you to model the processes and steps. You have to realize what a wireframe is for. It is only used to visualize the flow of the website.

The difference between a charting and diagraming tool, like Visio and Omnigraffle (for you Mac heads out there), and a wireframing tool like Adalon is that once you finished the diagram with a wireframing tool it will auto-generate an HTML version of your website like I demonstrated with the example of the Protose wireframes we have above. The diagraming tools will not.

I have had experience with web-based wireframing tools before but I don’t think any are supported anymore since Adalon came out with their tool.

December 12, 2004 06:18 AM | cfcoder commented:

You know if the adalon wireframe edition is still available for download? Thanks

December 14, 2004 02:26 PM | John Kopanas commented:

I just checked out the website and it does not seem to be with the new 3.0 version of the software. I recommend you contact them directly and if you can write back when you find out.

Thanks :-)

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