Time to Dump Wireframes 2: The Turning Tide

Sun 11 November 2012
By Martin Polley

If you're still not convinced that prototyping is better than wireframing (even after reading this?!?), here are a couple of great articles that were published recently that you really must read.

In the first, Sergio Nouvel gives a good overview of the pros and cons of each of the different fidelity deliverables that we are used to producing. He then goes on to make a compelling argument for starting out with lo-fi mockups, then going straight to "wireframing in the browser", which has a number of advantages:

  • With CSS frameworks, basic layout is a breeze.
  • Your deliverable is responsive-ready.
  • You can take advantage of what the browser does by nature.
  • It’s truly interactive.
  • The scalable nature of CSS enables easy, live changes.
  • You don’t need proprietary software or a powerhouse machine.
  • Everything you do saves you time later because you are building the real thing.
Absolutely! Go check it out on UX Magazine.

The second article, by Leisa Reichelt, is a punchy, tour-de-force list of reasons why prototyping beats the pants off wireframing. It's a really quick read—already condensed down to its essence—so I won't ruin it by trying to summarize it here. Just take the two minutes and go read it over on The Pastry Box Project. It's really good.

Happy reading :)