They may sound obscure. But wireframes are actually a core part of the web design project, helping you prioritise UX and reducing subjectivity in the success of your web development project.
The process of conceptualising and designing a website is complex. It requires so many steps, you may think of some of them as superfluous. For instance, do you really need an extra step to build abstract layouts of individual pages before actually building the pages themselves?
The short answer is yes. Wireframes can enhance a website design project in a variety of ways. In fact, they may just be the secret sauce for making it successful.
To get to that point, of course, you have to understand both the concept and its benefits. Join us for an explanation of what exactly wireframes are, and why they should always be part of a website project.
Let’s start with a basic definition. According to usability.gov, a wireframe is:
“a two-dimensional illustration of a page’s interface that specifically focuses on space allocation and prioritisation of content, functionalities available, and intended behaviors.”
In other words, it’s a basic layout of what a typical page on your site might look like. Wireframes focus on layout, not design. Rather than incorporating colours or specific graphics, they simply look to show the relationship of the various site elements on the page, from hero image to header, main content, sidebar, and call to action.
You might think of wireframing as additive. Technically, that might be true. You can go through an entire web design project starting with the look and feel of the site, aiming for great-looking pages rather than the specific layouts and how they might relate to each other.
You can, but that doesn’t mean you should. In fact, building these basic layouts before you get into the design is beneficial in more ways than one. From visualising your information architecture to speeding up content creation and even saving valuable time, these are the reasons why wireframes will be beneficial for any type of web design project.
The primary reason behind building wireframes is to keep your website functional and user-focused. Your visitors have to be able to easily find their way to the content they need, regardless of where it might be placed. That user experience is impossible if you put design ahead of basic layout and structure.
We’ve seen many impressive-looking websites that have won prestigious design award, but don’t actually cater to their users. These websites usually perform tricks, like hiding the navigation or building unique layout structures, just to look cool. As a result, their visitors usually despise the experience.
Wireframes allow you to get the best of both worlds. You can focus on usability first, then structure the design to serve that usability. Your visitors will be happier, and you’ll be more likely to build your website as an actual business and revenue asset.
Stated differently, they allow you to understand exactly how the various pieces of your core pages relate to each other. You can begin to understand exactly where a headline will stand in relation to the hero image, how much attention the main content gets, and so on.
That’s especially true when you build wireframes for the various page types you expect your website to have. Your homepage might follow a different layout than your product pages, and yet they might need to have certain elements in common. For example, your site header and navigational bar. Through wireframing, you can understand exactly how each of these pages make sense within themselves and relate to each other.
In other words, your wireframes demonstrate how your website will function. You can test how additional content might flow on desktop compared to mobile devices, or how complex, multi-tier navigation works on mobile. A visual representation of that flow helps you better understand usability, and increase your focus on how the information ties together.
If you jump straight into the design of a website, you might be blind-sided by a visual treat—like an especially appealing graphic—that hides real content or layout problems. Using wireframes, you can put content and layout first, building the right hierarchies and focus areas for your audience to pay attention.
Through wireframes, you can account for typical online reading patterns. You can also avoid any content that may be difficult to find or use. By putting content and layout first, you can build your website from a functional perspective instead of over focusing on visuals.
A good strategy workshop for website strategy has to include an effort to plan an outline of content, as it ultimately makes up the backbone of your site. However, that content might not be ready at this stage of the project. If that’s the case, wireframes become invaluable in mapping out the way the content flows.
For instance, a wireframe might show an About page that has a 300-word introduction of the business, followed by a paragraph inviting users to meet the team. That paragraph is accompanied by a team photo and directs users to a full ‘meet the team’ page.
Building the wireframe means that this content does not need to be ready yet. Instead, it can provide the basic layout, acting as guidance for a copywriter or marketing team that better focuses their work compared to starting with a blank space.
Usability testing means collecting insights from real members of your target audience about your website. It’s a core component of any user experience-focused website strategy, allowing you to avoid hunches and build your site based on real, valuable data.
Wireframes allow you to start the process early. Before you even build the site, you can begin to gather insights on whether your potential customers are on board with your information architecture. That, in turn, allows you to make adjustments before going too far in the wrong direction.
Finally, though they seem additive and more expensive in the short-term, wireframes can actually have the exact opposite effect in the long run. That’s because they build a more iterative web design process, allowing for earlier and more productive feedback that streamlines the entire project.
Design is largely subjective, but content and layout typically is not. Focusing on the latter first pushes the subjectivity to a later stage, where it can be held in check by already-decided components. The designs are more calculated, designers know what to hold on to, and you become less likely to start from scratch.
Make no mistake, any web design expert will advocate for wireframes for the exact reasons listed above. The extra data, care, and deliberation related to your layout and information architecture is almost sure to pay off big in the long run. You can quickly see what’s missing or misplaced, placing functionality and user-friendliness first before getting into the design nuances.
That’s why budgeting in time and resources for wireframes tends to make sense. It helps you get on the right track but most importantly, it prioritises user experience in a way that starting out with design simply can’t. The relatively obscure term is actually a vital part that should be a priority early in your design or redesign process.
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