What are Wireframes? It is a simple layout that outlines the specific size and placement of site features, page elements, call-to-action areas (CTAs), and navigation of your site. They are devoid of colour, font choices, logos, graphics, or any real design elements that can take away from focusing on the site’s structure and functionality.
5 Reasons Why Wireframes are so Important to the Web Design Process:
- Wireframes Display Site Architecture Visually
Wireframes take the sitemap and converts it into a visual framework that ensures all parties are on the same page before design and development begin. - Wireframes Focus on Functionality and Priority of Content
Creating wireframes forces everyone to look objectively at a website’s functionality, behaviour and priority of content. Wireframes will point out flaws in the site architecture and navigation. - Wireframes Allow for Clarification of Features
Clients may not understand your jargon (ie/ Hero Image / CTAs / User Experience…) so wireframing provides a clear communication to a client about how these features will function and where they will live on any specific page. Often prototyping or showing live examples of features allows the client to make an educated decision on whether that feature is the right experience for their customers. - Wireframes Help Identify How Content Growth will Affect the Design
Your website needs to accommodate growth of your business without impacting design, architecture or functionality. Wireframing lets you plan out how additional products and services will affect the layout and behaviour.
- Wireframes Save Time and Money
Wireframes avoid misunderstanding with the design team, and the development team. They allow clients (and other team members) to provide feedback earlier in the process, so that changes are not being made to full design mock-ups or after programming has been done, saving on additional costs to the entire project.
Once the wireframes are signed off on by all parties, they are then used as the base for the graphic design team as they take the content and creatively build out the brand experience.
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