Effective Wireframing: How Many Wireframes Do You Need?
New website design projects often start with a lot of wireframe overkill. At the beginning of a project, creating hundreds of wireframes to show a client isn’t necessarily more effective; it might be rather daunting.
Wireframing, like with many other elements of design, is a craft that benefits from the use of less.
Here’s a guide by web design Toronto team about how many wireframes you need, and how to do it more effectively.
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How Many Wireframes Do You Need?
The number of wireframes you’ll require at the start of a website project is determined by the scale and breadth of the project.
Smaller websites will generally have fewer wireframes than larger ones. However, this isn’t always the case.
The sitemap is generally the correct indicator of how many wireframes a website has. Is the website structured in a way that makes sense? How many levels of pages or page types are required to deliver the message?
Then there’s this: The majority of clients can “see” the design at the wireframe stage. Showing hundreds of outlines won’t mean anything to them until the content is filled in. As a result, less is definitely more. To get a sense of the design’s concept, use a handful of wireframes to establish basic site structure “
Start with a Website Sitemap and Outline
The answer to our headline question is in organizing website material. This happens before the design is even finished.
Make a list of all the pages and subpages that the website will contain. Organize them in categories based on how they’re going to be visually presented, from top-level pages to secondary sites to sub-sites, shop items, and blog posts.
Naturally, you’ll start to notice clusters of similar content-type pages that almost re-create many of your wireframes.
You’re almost ready to launch your website, but there’s one more thing you need to do: narrow down the number of wireframes you’ll need.
Think Modular
Here’s how you go from a collection of wireframes to just a few – think modularly.
Consider modular pieces that you may use and reuse on various pages instead of laying out the whole project page by page. (It’s mix-and-match wireframing.)
This idea will not only save you time, but it will also provide you with a set of replicating and repeatable components that may be used across pages. This will aid in the creation of consistency and patterns in the design that will make interacting with the site easier when completed.
What are the advantages? Clients don’t have to worry about what it will look like when everything is finished. Another benefit? There’s less for clients to attempt to picture on their own. Clients may be able to better comprehend your whole design concept with a thorough explanation (and maybe a few high-fidelity wireframes).
5 Wireframes for Every Website
What do you need if you’re reducing the number of wireframes for a project?
Begin with five simple wireframes to give you a clear picture of everything you’ll need for the whole site’s organization. Remember to think in modular components so that you may construct wireframes (and pages) faster and easier by combining them.
1. Homepage
The wireframe should include a complete sketch of the homepage design, including the navigation and a footer with all relevant components on the page.
For others, a high-fidelity wireframe of the home page is what drives them through the design process. To allow clients to fully comprehend where you’re going with the project, make two to three hi-fi alternatives.
These wireframes should be enough to encourage you to go ahead with a real – and somewhat visual – design strategy.
2. Mobile Homepage
In a moment when more people are visiting a website on their phone than not, having the same high-fidelity wireframe of the mobile homepage is critical. Each hi-fi wireframe should include a mobile partner that explains how elements will re-stack and rearrange on smaller displays.
To ensure that you are receiving only the right functionality, keep track of any differences between interaction types – such as tap or swipe versus click – and make sure they work together.
3. Secondary (Top-Level Navigation) Page
What are the first clicks that come from the homepage? For that page sort, you’ll need a wireframe.
This is where modular thinking truly helps. Consider being able to remove elements from these secondary pages if you only need one wireframe with all the features you’ll need. This can save time and effort by eliminating the need for wireframes with minor modifications for content.
4. Contact or About Page
Every website has a contact us or about us page, which is true. (Many websites include both.) Design wireframes for one of each of these page types ahead of time since it may be one of the most-viewed and crucial elements of almost any website.
5. Shop or Blog Page
Consider the site’s goal as well. The most common types of websites are informational and e-commerce. Create a wireframe for a page of that sort.
Wireframes might include several pages types, such as the full index (a showcase of items or blog posts) and a detail page (single item or blog post).
Additional Wireframes for Larger Sites
There may be numerous more wireframes required for some website designs.
It’s highly likely that you’ll be able to implement it later in the design process. Start with the basic wireframes noted in the section above for client approval and have them implemented. Then proceed to any additional wireframes.
You may build them all at once, but presenting a few wireframes to a lot of clients might be overwhelming. It’s best not to try to present an entire site of wireframes at once. (It can cause you to give quick approval even if it isn’t what they want, and can derail a project in the long run.)
Other wireframes you might include:
- Services or pricing pages
- Unique elements such as reservations, menus, photo galleries, and so on will be found on special pages.
- Map or location pages
- Checkout pages are another example of E-commerce detail pages that offer further information, such as add-ons or gift wrapping options.
- Email newsletter or signup pages
- User login or preferences
- User generated content or feeds
- Heavy data visualizations or tables
Conclusion
When it comes to the number of wireframes you’ll need for a project, there is no definitive answer. Because projects can vary considerably, there is no magic number. However, you may start with a small number of functional wireframes to make things simpler for yourself and clients and get projects going in the correct direction.
The key is to avoid getting caught in the wireframing weeds. It’s simple to just create more wireframes, it’s much more difficult to convert all of those distinct components into functional web pages.
The secret is to think modularly and in an organized manner, which will enable you to produce only the wireframes you need. And don’t worry if you need one more wireframe later; you’ll have all of the tools you need to get it done fast.