Design builds on wireframes to create the right look and feel. Development uses them to understand what needs to be built. Make them too specific and designers will feel like they are only coloring in the boxes. For developers the drawings and annotations rarely provide enough detail to really know what to build.

The risk then is that neither get done well, resulting in generic wireframes that seem to go through the motions without really specifying anything in a useful level of detail. This does not stimulate collaboration across disciplines.

When the wireframes are not good enough, that usually means some other project parameters are not defined clearly enough.

What do you want to achieve?

Wireframes are too specific for answering some essential questions. Do you have a clear definition of why the site should exist in the first place? What will it accomplish for the business? Which user goals will it support? Without a solid vision for the product and its target audiences, how can you know what to put on the screen?

A clear set of prioritized business objectives and user goals makes it easier to decide wether a given feature should be built in the first place. Wireframes can’t capture this.

Specifiy interaction through interaction

Specifiying interaction with static images and words is hard. Suppose you have a small email signup form. Drawing and describing all possible variations will still not provide the necessary level of detail. Instead, build a working prototype. It will surface all the different states much faster.

Interactive prototypes are much better at demonstrating the flow of interaction across multiple screen states.

Making it work

More importantly, the not-good-enough wireframes are often only a symptom. When design and development are seperated in time, across multiple teams, you bet the wireframes won’t be good enough.

Development needs to be there when the concept is designed, to provide the necessary technical constraints. Design should be available to help fill in the blanks during development.

So, if the wireframes are not good enough, don’t just blame the wireframes. If you find the Why is not clear enough, look for the gaps in the project definition. Clarify the How with a clickable prototype. Collaborate across disciplines.

That’s why I’m excited to be working here at Wunderkraut. By designing for the user experience in parallel with an agile development team, we minimize the waste between design and build. By asking the difficult questions before diving into providing answers, we can focus on creating the best possible solution.

I look forward to working with you!