The Role of Website Wireframes in UX

There have been many blog posts recently about the role of wireframes in UX and whether wireframes have become mistaken as simply a part of the design process. The reality is that the inclusion of wireframes in a design project without consideration for the user and business requirements is meaningless and will lead to poor execution of the final product. This article will look at the ways in which wireframes can be used successfully in a project to add value to the user experience. This includes setting clear project goals, focusing on interaction and carrying out user testing.

Project Requirements

With website wireframes, UX designers can focus on the structure of the websites they are working on. Wireframes are therefore often a quick way to ensure that business requirements will be met in a new design. The UX designer or project manager can communicate with others to determine what the business goals of different departments are and can then incorporate these requirements into a design. Once the UX designer has finished the first drafts of her website wireframes, she can show these to other team members. Once these requirements have been met, it is then time to focus on the requirements of the user. There will be many drafts and often business requirements may have to be compromised for the needs of the user, but drafting wireframes is a quick and often cost-effective way of determining this compromise.

Interaction in Website Wireframes

Another benefit of creating website wireframes is that these can be used to demonstrate where interactions in the website should appear. There is specialist software available for creating interactive wireframes, which can be simulated on a computer or mobile device. For some people it can be difficult to make it clear in writing what the interactive specifications for a website should be. Communicating with interactive images however is a way to make this clear. This is especially important when communicating with developers, who can explain how complex the proposed interactions are. This is also important when working on budgeting, as some designs can end up costing more than expected.

User Testing

The main benefit of creating interactive wireframes is that users can click through these in simulation. This means that UX designers can also get valuable feedback from users on the usability of the website that is being planned. With user feedback, team members can judge the user acceptance of the product and can see if there are any ways to make it easier for the user to reach their goals, or if there is space to emphasize certain calls to action in the website.

Conclusion

Website wireframes are a fast and often cost-effective way to plan and manage project requirements. UX designers often use wireframes to ensure that a balance between business requirements and the needs of the user have been met. With specialist clickable wireframe software, UX designers can add interaction to their wireframes and see how their users respond to this in user testing. Interactive wireframes can often be an efficient way to show developers exactly what is required of them for a project. This helps in budgeting and assessing possible workloads. Wireframes often form the basis of a project, but as with any successful project planning and getting the right balance between business and user requirements should be paramount.