On Wireframes

I’ve been involved with interaction design for a number of years now. I have to say that I have never loved it as much as I do now. Things are changing at a pace that is far from losing momentum. It is exciting. To keep up with today’s technology—online and off—is almost an Herculean effort. With the advent of mobile devices, e-readers, social media and the like, the importance of process in the design stage is paramount.

Through all the projects I’ve been involved in I’ve been resolute in my belief that wireframes should be a part of the design process and should be presented to the client at some point along the way—the earlier on in the process the better. In many cases, however, the wireframe never makes it into the clients hands. Instead, it is used as part of the internal processes of crafting the content hierarchy; it is a mode of casual, but considered, exploration. In the occasion where the wireframe is not shown to the client, at least make sure it has been executed internally.

I believe that many teams opt out of showing wireframes to the client for fear of having the client mistake the wireframe as a final visual direction for the proposed site. These misguided assumptions should be managed up front and are the responsibility of the design team to educate the client as to what they are looking at.

Many design studios that have traditionally provided mostly print-oriented solutions are starting to offer interactive services as well. The market is shifting and these studios are realizing they need to expand their offerings in order to remain profitable. More businesses are putting more time and capital in multimedia. However, in the effort to increase their offerings, these same studios often neglect to understand the process of designing for interaction and user experiences. Steps are skipped and valuable lessons aren’t learned. As a result, the end product is inferior to the competition and the client’s ROI falls short of expectations.

This is not an ideal place to be for all parties involved. If you’re a studio that is just starting to expand your services into the interactive realm, educate yourselves about what is involved in designing for interaction. There are more than enough resources out there to help you make this transition. If you can afford to hire interaction design and usability experts to aid in your growing pains, do it. You’ll be thankful you did.