Given that wireframes are such a prominent part of the UX process, it’s important to talk about their role in the larger design process. Let's learn more.

1. Wireframes:
What’s Their Deal?
Andrew Crawford, UX Designer

2. More Than Just a Blueprint
• Many people view wires as page layouts
• While layout is important it’s only one of the things that wireframes
address
• A more accurate description would be experience simulations

3. Wires & UX Design
• UX Design is built around the relationship between two things: Affordances
and Signifiers
• An affordance is an action a website or app allows users to do
• A signifier is what lets users know they can perform that action

4. Wires & UX Design
• In simplest terms, designing a user experience is the act of identifying
affordances and selecting appropriate signifiers
• After selecting signifiers, UX Designers put them together and document
them in wireframes

5. The Bigger Process
• Wires communicate the overall vision of what a project will be
• They do this by serving as a bridge between UX, Design, and
Content

6. The Bigger Process
• In addition to establishing the overall vision, wireframes allow us
to validate that vision
• They allow us to run user tests and catch issues before using
time and resources on development

7. Levels of Fidelity
• In most cases a “standard” wireframe at LB will have
• Designs for mobile, tablet and desktop
• Interactive mock ups of key features when appropriate
• In some instances we may need to create higher fidelity
prototypes, namely
• When we need something to run user tests on
• When a project includes complex functionality and interactions