Why Wireframes Are Important When Designing A Website

A question often asked by our clients is why we include wireframes as part of the process of designing a website. Put simply, wireframes allow us to map out the user experience on a website before it is built. This all stems from user experience and its importance in the user's journey when using your website.

So we start with the basics. User Journey. 

Why is user journey so important?

Potential customers visit your website for the purpose of buying or enquiring about a product you offer. A strong user experience converts visitors to customers, for example having a navigation system that is fluid, showcasing the key information present and making sure the brand core message and imagery used aligns well with the user.

Utilising our knowledge in marketing enables us to analyse various user experience journeys - and with insight from google analytics and google ads - and our knowledge of SEO and paid search we can ensure that whatever your website goal is (enquiries/purchases) is as seamless as possible. 

Any obstacles in the way of user experience, such as lack of information about a product, difficult navigation, poor visual design or a complex checkout process will only reduce interactions with your site and in turn reduce the amount of customers.

Visual Design

We believe that simplicity is key. A functional well designed website created specifically for your user demographic will give you the best start online. 

We give the utmost importance to our wireframes so that we can ensure the user journey and overall experience matches that of the brand and the intentions of the website. We want our websites to communicate to the end user effectively and can only do this if we design the core of the website build, and analyse every page section and aspect of the website to give the every element of the design a purpose. 

By creating wireframes we can critically review how a user will navigate through the site before we even start overlaying the design elements such as colours, fonts micro interactions etc.

Wireframing will save you time and money in the long run, by eliminating problem areas from the initial brief and predicting any issues that may arise in the future before we get to the development stage. 

We like to future proof our designs through our experience so that our clients can concentrate on marketing their product rather constantly having to redesign their website to suit the users needs.

How do we do it? 

Whether your website aims to sell a specific product or generate leads, it’s my job as a designer to create a website that not only visually speaks to your end user but one that is functionally designed so the user can quickly access the information they need. 

After discussing the core elements of the brand and the key website objectives we first create a site map to ensure the information on the website, and the user funnel is adequate for its purpose.

Once these core objectives are defined I start with a low fidelity wireframes of both mobile and desktop layout. These are initial sketches which align with the sitemap. Through these sketches I can put down the basic structure and work out the functionality and core CTA’s used throughout the site. I can question and redraw areas until I have a clear vision on how the website and user journey works.

I then move onto start a high fidelity wireframe, which would be created using prototyping software, figma. This set of wireframes are more refined - and clearly outline the function of the website. These then allow us to present and discuss with the client. Showcasing how the prototype would work on both mobile and desktop. 

Once this stage has been signed off and everyone is happy with the way the site function works we then bring it to life with design. Bringing in brand colours, fonts, imagery, micro interactions and carefully considering all assets within the page. This is when our clients really get to see a full design of their website. With the core function approved at the wireframe stage - this stage is much easier for both us and the client to collate feedback on design. 

Working this way ensures that nothing is missed from a functionality perspective, its much easier for our developer to understand what is required of them - and usually we can even make a start on development after wireframes are signed off. It also ensures that the customer is more involved in the process throughout. 

Interested in a re design of your current website? Get in touch here