What do you do if your website wireframe doesn't communicate your vision?

1 Identify the problem

The first step is to identify what exactly is wrong with your wireframe. Is it too cluttered, too vague, or too inconsistent? Does it match the requirements and goals of the project? Does it follow the best practices of information architecture and user experience design? To answer these questions, you can use various methods, such as feedback, testing, or heuristic evaluation. Feedback can come from your client, your team, or your target audience. Testing can involve usability tests, user interviews, or surveys. Heuristic evaluation can help you check your wireframe against some established criteria, such as clarity, simplicity, or consistency.

2 Revise the wireframe

Once you have identified the problem, you can start revising your wireframe accordingly. Depending on the severity and scope of the issue, you may need to make minor adjustments or major changes. To do this, you can simplify the layout and reduce the number of elements, organize the content and navigation according to user needs and expectations, use consistent labels, icons, and colors, add annotations, notes, or explanations to clarify the functionality and interactions, use different levels of fidelity to show the details and variations of your design, and use a grid system, alignment tools, or templates to ensure visual balance and harmony.

3 Validate the wireframe

Once you have revised your wireframe, you need to validate it to ensure it effectively communicates your vision. You can use feedback, testing, or heuristic evaluation to evaluate your wireframe again. Additionally, you can compare it to your original wireframe and see how it has improved. When validating the wireframe, look out for indicators such as user satisfaction and engagement, user understanding and comprehension, user performance and efficiency, user feedback and suggestions, compliance with project requirements and goals, and alignment with the information architecture and user experience principles.

4 Iterate the wireframe

The final step is to iterate your wireframe based on the validation results. This is an ongoing process of refining and improving your wireframe until it communicates your vision clearly and effectively. You may need to repeat the previous steps multiple times in order to reach this goal. Iteration can help you resolve any remaining issues or gaps, incorporate any new ideas or features, adapt to any changes or feedback, and optimize the user experience and value. Ultimately, it can help you finalize the wireframe and prepare for the next stage of development.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?