Wireframes are like the skeleton of a digital product—a barebones framework that defines its structure before adding more visual elements. Just as a skeleton supports the body, wireframes establish the structure for a website or app’s layout, navigation, and functionality.
They help designers and stakeholders focus on usability and flow early in the process without the distractions that fonts, color palettes, and other design elements can introduce. Below, we’ll explore their purpose, types, and key elements to see why they’re an important first step in UX/UI design.
The Purpose of Wireframes
Wireframes serve a number of purposes in the design process, whether you’re designing a simple website or a more involved app.
Wireframes allow you to visualize the structure of your overall site as well as each individual page. They can help you see the layout of the elements without distraction from visual design elements. This can be particularly useful when sharing with non-designer stakeholders, who may get distracted by more polished designs or feel like they can’t offer feedback without delaying the project’s completion.
Wireframes also allow designers to focus on the usability of things like navigation elements without distraction. When things like colors and fonts are removed, it’s easier to dial in on the functionality of a specific element.
As already mentioned, wireframes can foster more constructive feedback from stakeholders. It’s really easy for non-designers to focus in on things like color palette or font choice and miss offering feedback on more in-depth elements or the overall structure of the site.
More polished mockups can also make stakeholders less likely to offer feedback on the overall structure and layout. They often think that changing those things once the design feels more done will cost a lot extra or derail the project schedule. Wireframes allow them the freedom to offer that feedback with fewer concerns.
Finally, wireframes can help identify potential issues at the earliest possible point in the design process. It can help you see if there are parts missing or if certain things are overly complex. Identifying these issues early on saves time and resources down the road.
Types of Wireframes
There are a few different kinds of wireframes you may want to employ in your design process, depending on who the wireframes will be shared with and which point in the process you’re in.
First, there are low-fidelity wireframes. These include hand sketches and very simple digital wireframes. They focus on overall layout and functionality, often omitting smaller details and design elements.
Low-fidelity wireframes are often the starting point in the design process and are generally only used internally among a design team.
Medium-fidelity wireframes are more detailed than low-fidelity versions, and often include placeholder content, simple shapes, and other suggestions of design elements. They’re almost always created using digital tools. These wireframes may be shared with stakeholders outside of the design team. They’re a good option for getting general feedback on the layout and structure while appearing more professional than a low-fidelity wireframe.
High-fidelity wireframes are often closer to mockups or even prototypes than the previously mentioned versions. They’re much more detailed and may even include real content (or a close approximation of the final content). High-fidelity wireframes may also include basic interactions that are similar to prototypes. They can be an excellent way to test things like user flows, while still being early enough in the design process to make significant changes if needed.
High-fidelity wireframes are ideal for sharing with stakeholders and can be used for basic user testing. Because they more closely resemble a finished product, they can hinder some users from providing feedback on things like layout. But they’re an excellent option for testing functionality and the way a user moves through the app or site.
During the wireframing process, you’ll likely use more than one kind of wireframe. You might start with some hand-sketched low-fi wireframes and then move on to either medium- or high-fi versions. You might even mix and match the different types for different screens, depending on their complexity and importance within the project. For example, you might use high-fidelity wireframes to test out a particular user flow, but use low- or medium-fidelity versions for something like your app’s help center.
Key Elements of a Wireframe
Every wireframe, whether low-fidelity or high, contains a few key elements. The difference is often in how detailed those elements are. Here are the basics you’ll want to familiarize yourself with:
Layout structure: This includes the positioning of the header, footer, navigation, and content areas.
Placeholder content: You’ll want to use some kind of placeholder content in your wireframes, whether that’s Lorem Ipsum, an early draft of the actual content, or something in between. On a hand-drawn low-fi wireframe, you might use something as simple as wavy lines to indicate where text will go. Be sure to include image boxes where needed, too.
Basic UI components: Elements like buttons, forms, menus, and the like should be included in your wireframes.
Annotations: You should always include notes explaining the functionality or purpose of certain elements on your wireframes. You may also want to include information about why certain decisions were made.
User flow indicators (optional): You can use a series of wireframes to represent a user flow (often called a wireflow). If you opt to do this, using arrows that show navigation paths can help others understand the navigation paths.
The importance of wireframes
Wireframes are simple yet powerful tools that shape great digital experiences. By focusing on structure first, they save time, improve the feedback process, and prevent costly redesigns later.
Whether you sketch them on paper or create them with digital wireframe tools, wireframes help ensure that form follows function. Whether you start by sketching your ideas on paper or diving straight into your favorite design app, don’t overlook this important part of the UX design process.