paper & pencil

The what, when and why of wireframes

James Kelway posts a summary of wireframes - what they are, different types, and why and when to use them.

One of the why's:

To help designers and developers
They allow development teams to start developing functional aspects highlighted in the wireframe templates before visual design begins. They render the structure of the site from a concept into a skeleton of the final design, ready for the surface design.

Kelway also provides a nifty diagram of the wireframe's journey through a development cycle:

The above image and many others have also been posted on Flickr - IA Diagrams set.

The Joy of Sketch : explorations in hand-crafted visuals

Kate Rutter provides an overview of different sketching techniques designers should use to explore design solutions.

<Drawing abstract concepts & ideas
Conceptual drawing captures the essence and structure of ideas. These are diagrams, models, figures and charts. All can be drawn by hand, and the opportunities are unlimited…new forms and models emerge frequently. Key to this approach is developing the visual grammar necessary to make shapes and lines that tell the right story to communicate compelling information.

What it’s good for:

• Using simple shapes and lines to create compelling pictures of abstract concepts.
• Distilling thoughts from a group into a unified, clear picture.
• Creating visuals that "solve problems and sell ideas" (Dan Roam’s great quote!)
• Forwarding conversations with product and business stakeholders.

What it looks like:

The essay also includes many useful links to related resources on the topic.

I was never able to draw the shoe, vase & apple still-life well in school art classes, but I'm finding sketching to be my most valuable tool in my UX toolbox.