Technically, wireframes are low fidelity representations of a computer or mobile interface. These are mainly used to display functionality, features and user-flow in an app or website. Till higher fidelity renditions are designed, wireframes are used to give a rough idea of the interface.
A wireframe is the first step to a great app or website. It is a communication tool. For Product Managers, when so many stakeholders are involved in the process, it becomes even more important.
Wireframes let you determine how a user interacts with the screen interface. It allows you to plan the layout ad interaction design of an interface. Wireframes are great for communication and ideation. But a wireframe is not the same as a prototype. Prototypes are meant for usability testing and come in the design stage after wireframes. Unlike wireframes, prototypes feel and look very similar to the actual product. They are far more polished and require much more time and money to develop.
Wireframing lets you tinker with the interface and bring out its best version. The many iterations help you refine your design. That is why we have divided the process of wireframing into 2 phases – ideation and validation.
In the ideation phase, you bring up multiple ideas and weigh the pros and cons of each. The more options you have, the better. The focus should be to create as many versions as possible without deep-diving into any one of them too much. Refining of details should be done later.
In this phase, you refine your design to the point where the next step is to just check its success. Here other stakeholders have to pitch in and help you come up with better designs. In this phase, quality matters more than quantity. Focus on the best designs and see how they can be improved further with the end-user in mind.
Wireframing is a skill that can be learned and perfected over time. Wireframes can be created with a simple pen and paper. But there are tons of software available today to make this task as intuitive and interactive as possible.
So how do you choose the right wireframing tool?
Well, first find out if the tool fits your workflow, how frequently are the upgrades released and how is its support. Other things to check are the formats the tool supports, the upfront and hidden costs attached to it and what others, especially the experts, think of it.
Some of the top wireframing tools in use today are:
Making wireframes in this age with the latest tools is as simple as drag and drop.
A typical wireframe has four key elements:
Developing a wireframe can be divided into certain steps:
You can create higher fidelity versions of these or even make visuals and interactive prototypes from them. That said, these wireframes serve the basic purpose for which they are developed in the first place, just fine. The development and design team know what you have in mind and they can further refine it based on customer feedback or insights before the product is actually developed.
As a skill, every Product Manager should be comfortable with wireframing. The more you experiment with layouts and tools, the better you will get at it. Once you find something intuitive enough, it will become a cakewalk.