{"id":5356,"date":"2011-05-23T22:05:21","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T11:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creately.com\/blog\/?p=5356"},"modified":"2024-09-12T15:54:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T04:54:53","slug":"why-are-wireframes-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creately.com\/blog\/software-teams\/why-are-wireframes-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Wireframes so important?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While some of our recent posts walked you through the art of wireframing<\/a> and its benefits, have you ever wondered why we\u2019re going on and on about wireframes? Well the reason is rather simple. Wireframing is a valuable stage of any web design project<\/a>, and now let\u2019s take a step forward to understand why it is so important.<\/p>\n

Wireframes are blue prints that illustrate the elements of a web site. Creating a wireframe gives the client, the developer and the designer an opportunity to take a critical look at the structure of the website and allows them to make revisions easily. Most teams discuss the requirements with their clients, and maybe sketch a few quick ideas on paper, and then jump right into Photoshop to design the layout or into Dreamweaver to do the coding. This is not always the best approach as this can result in hours of productive time being wasted on revisions. It\u2019s always best to design wireframes as an initial step in the designing process to save loads of time in the long run. By doing this, you can address problems early and not wait to resolve the issues during the full color phase. Let\u2019s take a look at why wireframes are so important for you and your clients.<\/p>\n

Just simple and clear<\/h4>\n

Having an unpolished framework minus the aesthetic details eliminates the distraction of an element\u2019s visual treatment. When reviewing a web page layout for the first time in color, it\u2019s very easy for the client\u2019s opinion to be influenced by the graphical design. For example – Imagine having the Call-to-Action (CTA) button in yellow and your client happens to hate the colour. Your client will likely be influenced by the CTA button\u2019s appearance, which will probably make it harder for him\/her to focus on the layout of the page. Feedback may be, \u201cI think this needs to be re-done\u201d, even though the layout works well. Thus, a simple wireframe without any colour distraction will let you get important feedback on sizing, layout and placement without your client making life harder for you.<\/p>\n

Get a close-up view of the web site design<\/h4>\n

Project requirements might seem like excellent viable ideas during project initiation<\/a>, but unfortunately projects are rarely simple. Anyone with experience will know the number of unforeseen problems that you\u2019re likely to face when you start drawing the design ideas on paper. Wireframes take considerably less time to design than Photoshop layouts, so you can spend time early on using wireframes to map out the functionality of the pages. This will help you get a thorough understanding of the user experience at the early stage and therefore identify potential usability problems with the design. It\u2019s better to make adjustments early rather than spending time on full revisions.<\/p>\n

Know your client better<\/h4>\n

Working on wireframes will let you understand your client’s ideas better. The feedback you get from your client and your interaction with them will give you a better understanding of what to expect during future stages of the project. For example – when you initially lay out quick line drawings of the page, the client might comment on a particular element on the layout. As you\u2019re working through the process of wireframing you may notice that the client is consistently commenting on certain elements. This will help you track the feedback patterns and learn about what your client wants to see and what they don\u2019t like. Having this knowledge and applying it to the future phases of your project you will save considerable amounts of time.<\/p>\n

Save time and effort<\/h4>\n

It takes a lot more time, effort and expertise to create a full colour layout on Photoshop than a wireframe. The first time your client will see the finished design is after you have spent all the effort creating it. But design changes are inevitable and more time and effort will be spent making the revisions. However, when we review wireframes, both internally and with clients, design changes can be reworked in a matter of minutes. If you don\u2019t like the size of the button, make it smaller. If it is too small, then tweak it a bit to the perfect size. Wireframing makes it quick and inexpensive to make revisions in any day.<\/p>\n

Wireframing Resources<\/h3>\n

Traditionally, quick and easy ways to communicate a design layout to others was hand drawn sketches, which was later replaced by full colour mockups done on Photoshop. However, in recent years, there has been a handful of drawing tools that allow designers to create interactive wireframes and user interface mockups<\/a> that you can share with your client and team members on the project.<\/p>\n

Here’s a simple wireframe built using Creately<\/a>. This uses simple wireframe objects<\/a> to represent the content and navigation on a web page to understand its real functionality.<\/p>\n