Why Do Designers Use Wireframe Web Design?
If you are new to web design, dozens of specialized terms may confuse you. Responsive design, semantic markup, A/B testing, visual hierarchy, and other terms can easily make your head spin. This article discusses one of the web design terms you may encounter when going through the website development stages. This term is called wireframe web design and is widely used as one of the first website design steps.
Defining Wireframe Web Design
So, what is wireframe web design? A wireframe is a blueprint of a website, also called a mockup, which gives a general idea of how the website will look. It is a schematic black and white drawing that shows the size and placement of web elements, navigation, and site features. The main goal of a wireframe is to demonstrate the intended structure of the website. It’s possible to compare it to the apartment’s blueprint that shows the structural elements (e.g., rooms’ size, electrical elements, plumbing, etc.).
Wireframes do not contain color, logos, or any elaborate design elements. All these are added at the latter stages of web design after the client approves the structure. They are not visually appealing and imply the possibility of changes. In this way, wireframe web design stands for creating wireframes for communicating the basic information about the website to the team and clients. Web designers using wireframes can work with the simplest programs, such as PDF files. However, more commonly applicable are specialized software tools that make wireframes more functional and informative.
Benefits of Using Wireframes
Web designers often make one mistake – they skip through the process of wireframe web design to speed up their work. There is a misconception that clients would not understand the wireframes anyway, so there is no use in creating them. However, wireframes are not a waste of time. They can be helpful in many ways to both clients and designers themselves. Let’s list some of the most significant advantages of using wireframes:
- Present ideas visually before proceeding to further web design stages
- Clarify website features and elements
- Give roadmap for web designers and developers
- Engage clients in decision-making
- Encourage idea-sharing and creativity
- Help avoid unnecessary revisions
As you can see, wireframes may look primitive, but they perform useful functions and should not be overlooked. So, if you use website design services, ask for wireframes to make sure the company engages you in the design process.