Do the Wireframes
By: Ryan Hatch
A while back, the blog post Why Wireframes Are Becoming Obsolete was published on The Startup. It’s hardly a novel take anymore, yet the topic still strikes a chord on Design Twitter and elsewhere. The article’s argument, in sum, hangs on a few points that deem wireframes cumbersome and unnecessary, wasted effort between research and final design phases. It’s a fun thought to play out, no doubt, and one irresistible to an industry tasked with eliminating inefficiencies. And as someone for whom wireframes help pay the bills, my curiosity too was piqued. I opened the article with hopes of gathering insights that would improve my day-to-day work and perhaps read what might serve as the definitive articulation, ending the debate, and my Sketch subscription, once and for all. Instead, I came away confused and left further convinced that wireframes remain an integral point in the process of building a good user experience.
One part of the post claimed clients no longer get hung up on button color, and therefore, it’s smarter to bypass wireframes and present full designs. That is just not true. Clients are people and people get distracted by things that don’t always matter. And that’s perfectly fine. Clients are supposed to ask questions about small details. Later, the article said to do away with wireframes because design systems can take their place. Well, yes. But…
