What is the purpose of a wireframe in software development?

A wireframe serves as a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of an application, illustrating the layout of elements on a page and their relationships to one another. It focuses on the essential components such as interface elements, navigation, and content placement without delving into detailed design aspects like colors, typography, or images. This preliminary structure helps developers, designers, and stakeholders understand the communication flow and user interaction paths before the actual development begins, making it a critical part of the planning phase in software development.

Its role is to clarify functionality and layout in a simplified manner, allowing teams to visualize the user experience and make adjustments based on feedback without getting bogged down in visual details. This method helps save time and resources during the development process.