I need to train my creative designer (and boss) to approach designing a website more cleverly.
At present, I (as front/back-end developer) often get a 1-page mockup, with instructions, "can you build the backend" and "deadline is this friday" - and sans further directions.
I want to have a tool to make an interactive mockup or "wireframe" (text/basic images), so that I do not expend large amounts of effort building things that the client does not expect/not building things the client does expect.
Instead, I'd like to whip up a "working" example for sign-off from the client before coding all the pages.
That way, given a style guide, I can create a website quickly without wasting effort.
What are the options? Preferably, opensource, but I can go with just about anything.
What I normally do, is to create the walkthrough of each process in a series of simple HTML pages, and attach a simple commented stylesheet. In places where I need some fancy scripting I simply put a note in the page what needs to happen, and if possible a url example.
It makes a programmers' life more simple if they don't have to redo a Word doc or gasp Powerpoint slideshow, and it reduces the time you spend on a project. From a business perspective it makes much more sense that a designer does something like this rather than a programmer.
Another advantage is that it educates the designer and your boss to what is involved in such a system, and will ultimately protect a bit you from ridiculous requests from clients.
For sure- I was just hoping for something to create the HTML "framework" quick and fast, without anyone needing to really code anything, even basic HTML.
Dreamweaver should allow them to create pages quickly without having the need for them to write code.
You'll probably loose the stylesheet portion if they're not comfortable with code, but it could save you some headaches if you have a set of naming conventions in your css.
Pretty good roundup of tools here...
Thank you!