Why You Need Wireframes For Your Next Website Build.
Okay, we admit, wireframing isn’t exactly the sexiest part of web design, but it's important. We can almost guarantee that your website won’t be nearly as functional, optimal or beautiful if you skip this crucial step.
Sometimes called "page schematic" or "screen blueprint", wireframes are a visual guide to map out the structure of a website clearly.
Like blueprints for a home, they’re done well before any actual design or building takes place, because they reveal everything you need to know to move forward with confidence.
Created in simple black and white blocks, wireframes give you an easily digestible, no-frills picture of the "skeletal framework" for your site – specific pages, page elements, site features, navigation, areas of conversion, links and more.
Essentially, wireframing allows you to map the architectural integrity of your site and make any necessary adjustments before investing the time and money associated with the design and build phases.
You’ll see precisely how things fit and function together. You’ll develop a stronger understanding of the intended behavior of visitors. You’ll notice what paths are missing and what elements seem unnecessary. Most importantly, you’ll be able to spot any flaws and fix them before they’re built into your site and passed on to unsuspecting visitors.
If you ask us, it all adds up to a pretty beautiful argument for wireframing.
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Five Tips To Effective Wireframing
- Keep it simple. Your site will surely evolve as new ideas and details are brought to the forefront (in fact, expect quite a few to arise during the wireframing process), but this is not the time to sweat the small stuff. Getting mired in the details runs contrary to the purpose of gaining a big-picture perspective of your architecture. Avoid graphics and colors. Use “Lorem Ipsum” for content. Keep it simple.
- Start with a marker: Many of us prefer to hand draw quick sketches for our initial wireframes. Working with your hands makes it easier to grasp the architecture, connect with it, and come up with new solutions on the fly. Plus, if things aren’t working the way you want, simply crumple, toss, and start again. You haven’t wasted too much time or energy. Once you're ready to finalize the wires, here's a list of tools that will help you create professional-looking wireframes.
- Do your homework: The best wireframes are built around a good general understanding of proposed content. Interview your stakeholders, conduct a content audit, know the priority parts of your site before you begin wireframing.
- Don’t get ahead of yourself: You might be tempted to jump to the design phase while still in the midst of wireframing. Jotting down thoughts and ideas along the way is great. Just don’t commit significant time or money to design before completing the wireframing process. You might do so only to find your brilliant concept is wildly off base.
- Think reasonably: Don’t go crazy. Chances are you won’t need to wireframe every single page of your site to get the answers you need. Do those that are necessary (home page, main navigation pages, pages with forms and blog content templates) to take you to a confident point from which to begin your design and build.
Here's an image that shows the wireframe and the design comp based on it:
Standard Elements of Wireframes
- Header
- Search field
- Breadcrumbs (ex. Home > Page > Sub-page)
- Headers & Sub-Headers (H1, H2, Hx, etc.)
- Navigation
- Photo/Graphic Areas
- Copy Length with "Lorem Ipsum" or Indicative Text
- Buttons
- Footer
- Standard Font
- Dimensions
Top 5 Benefits of Wireframing - At A Glance
- Clarity: Wireframes give all parties a tangible vision of website architecture and functionality, making it easy to spot issues and implement necessary changes.
- Functionality: Wireframes are done entirely in grayscale without any imagery. This makes it easier to focus on the functionality of the website before worrying about its form.
- Improved User Experience: Wireframes put usability at the forefront of the development process. They provide a clear understanding of conversion paths, navigation elements, embedded links and other elements that impact how users will interact with the site.
- Experimentation: Wireframing provides a good look at your site’s conversion paths, key messages and user takeaways, allowing you to experiment with different options while still in this basic developmental stage.
- Saves Time & Money: Wireframes make it simple to share website architecture with all parties involved. Exchange feedback, add new solutions, try new approaches, rethink navigation, and much more, long before making these types of changes become far more costly and complicated.
See What Wireframes Can Do For You
The first rule of wireframing is simple – don’t skip it! If you do, you’re just asking for problems down the road – problems you could have fixed that will end up costing you added dollars, bigger headaches, and, quite possibly, lost customers.
If you’re interested in seeing what a well-crafted wireframe looks like and can accomplish, drop us a line at Diaz Cooper. Our team has been named a top digital marketing agency by DesignRush. We’ll walk you through our proven process and show you some of our latest and greatest wireframes, as well as the beautifully designed websites that never would have been possible without them.
