At the core of buildings, architecture and construction, floor plans and designs are essential tools for visualising space, movement, connectivity and function. Most architects and builders won’t start breaking ground or raising walls without a plan in place (but we know there are always exceptions to the rule).
Website design is similar to building a house. Both require a solid foundation and a clear blueprint to guide the design and development process. Just as an architect creates detailed floor plans, web designers and developers rely on wireframes to visualise user paths, display layouts, information hierarchy, and even simple interactions.
No matter how big or small a website is, wireframes are an indispensable tool. There’s a reason why even the simplest IKEA flat-pack cabinet includes an illustrated guide of the end product along with a detailed step-by-step guide that we all go through rigorously, right?
Despite the obvious benefits of starting with a clear plan from the beginning, wireframes are often overlooked or misunderstood. Some may view them as an unnecessary step or something that can be better communicated during the design or development phases. However, we have found that spending that time during the early stages of the process will not only save time during subsequent stages but also help build websites that match user requirements and expectations much better.
Wireframes are versatile but are not here to give all the answers, so it is important to understand their strengths and limitations. Let’s explore where wireframes shine but also what not to expect from this development artifact.
Explore and present ideas
This is probably the most obvious one, and perhaps it is where wireframes shine more than any other tool. Low-fidelity wireframes are usually created during and after the research phase and help clients and designers get ideas out of their heads and express them on a canvas without worrying too much about design decisions or complex functionalities.
Even a basic drawing of boxes and arrows on a piece of paper or a serviette counts as a way of expressing ideas and exploring solutions for a website or application. Again, when you start planning your next home renovation, you probably start with a rough sketch of what you want, instead of knocking and spraying paint on walls on the first day.
Connectivity and flow
Architectural design is defined as the identification and understanding of each component of the overall solution and how the components interact to meet the system requirements.
You can’t build a house without identifying and understanding how the foundation, beams, plumbing or electricity are designed but also how each interacts with each other.
Wireframes allow us to visualise reusable blocks, information hierarchy, content requirements and page structure, while also showing the relationship between different content types and how the design will lead users to conversion.
Visualise the site structure
On top of the wireframes, we always deliver a sitemap as part of the initial information architecture phase. And while the sitemap helps to visualise the number of pages and overall site structure, wireframes allow us to go deeper.
With wireframes, we can outline the placement of essential elements like navigation menus, headers and footers but also allow us to display cross references and links to other sections. For example, when users visit a service page, they will be able to see that the page includes links to related news or useful reports that a sitemap won’t necessarily show.
Whilst there are more benefits around building wireframes during the early stage of a project, sometimes is easier to list what these are not meant to represent:
- Replace high-fidelity designs. Wireframes focus on structure and basic interactions, not aesthetics. Don’t expect to see colour, graphics or typography options.
- Determine exact content. While wireframes outline content placement, specific copy and visuals will be added later. In saying this, we tend to include bits and pieces of real content on certain blocks to illustrate what a module could include or links to other pages of the site.
- Define detailed interactions. Again, while basic interactions can be included in wireframes, complex user flows or interactive elements are better documented in future stages (design and development).
- Replicate all pages of a website. Wireframes shine at showing the different content types and generic page layouts of a website, which means you won’t find a way to see all the pages of a website. At this stage we have already identified the different content types (service, product, report, etc) and therefore the wireframes will include each of them.
By investing time in creating thorough wireframes and designs will not only save time but will allow to make changes that are relatively inexpensive and quick to implement compared to making changes once development is underway. Just imagine changing where the kitchen sink is in the blueprints versus deciding that when guests are getting ready for the housewarming party. The same principle applies to web development.
Finally, tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or Miro have not only helped turn wireframing into a standard practice in the industry but have also facilitated real-time collaboration and provided a clear roadmap throughout the website development process.
Remember, no matter how big or small the website is, starting with a clear plan from the beginning will increase the probability of transforming your vision to reality.
