At Pidoco we market our wireframes as interactive and living, so when I came across Will Evans’s article in UX Magazine entitled “Shades of Grey: Wireframes as Thinking Device” my interest was certainly peaked.  If wireframes are “living” devices then surely it isn’t a far stretch to claim that they are thinking devices too—wouldn’t thinking be a prerequisite for existence? Or maybe we should leave terms like “thinking” and “living” in the metaphorical realm because how can something as inorganic as a wireframe really be alive? Ok I took that a little too far and so for the sake of avoiding my woefully amateur philosophical musings, perhaps it is best if we take a look at some of the reasons why Evans believes wireframes help us “think” and then maybe we can draw our own conclusions as to whether or not a wireframe’s capacity to facilitate our “thinking” brings it to life in its own right.

Thinking with wireframes: they are more than just an inert tool

First and foremost Evans claims that wireframes are thinking devices because they are the setting “for the exploration of a given problem space” (UX Magazine). Evans asserts that UX designers often view the development process as purely problem solving rather than an explorative process that both poses and solves problems based on user contexts and needs.  “I use my sketches and wireframes as means to make explorative moves and assess the consequences of those moves” says Evans.  Thus, the wireframe is not just an artifact but really a framework that provides designers the space to think through and iterate their UI designs, simultaneously facilitating their problem solving and creative capacities.   By viewing the wireframe as a partner in a dynamic process instead of a static, inanimate tool, designers “will find they have the opportunity to more successfully create great user experiences.”

This take on wireframes being a kind collaborative partner in the user interface design and development process is compelling and brings a fresh outlook to the wireframing method as a whole.  If designers can learn to see wireframes in this new way then perhaps they will also feel more inspired in their work. After all new perspectives often engender reinvigorated creative flows and ideas and that is what a living thought process is all about.