Will Wireframing Software Be Relevant In Five Years’ Time?

By Author: Martin Metz
Total Articles: 13
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Google Glass is like something from a sci-fi film. It’s the most fluid solution for connecting our physical world with a virtual reality. This development is something which makes us realize how rapidly technology can change and how quickly we as designers and developers need to keep up with the latest advancements for HCI. This made me think the standard processes we use in UX may also change. At the moment I use wireframing software to plan out my websites and mobile apps, but in five years’ time many more of us will own smartphone and tablet devices and perhaps even a similar product to Google Glass once this becomes affordable. What does this mean? We are going to have to think more about the context of our users being out in the world. How will that affect how I design and what wireframing software I use? It will mean we have to think even more about the endless number of contexts with which our applications will be used.

Will we still create wireframes?

With the widespread recognition of the importance of responsive design, some members of the community see wireframing as dead and beginning with coding ...
... directly in the browser as the way forward. Nonetheless for many, wireframing still has as much relevance today as it did a few years ago. When we look at wireframes as blueprints for our software, the exact input of the wireframes may change due to technical advancements, but the same need for us to demonstrate our ideas and try out new concepts will be there. Just looking at the story behind Google Glass and how the first prototype was made in a day with some chopsticks and glasses, we see that simple prototyping is necessary even for the most innovative products. With wireframing software we will still visualize our ideas and experiment with interactions. It’s just that there might be new interactions we hadn’t thought of.

Incorporating Context

Already a significant number of us use our smartphones when we are on the go. Our phones are essentially tracking devices that can connect with Google when we check in. This means that there will likely be even more possibilities for using location-based information within the apps we create. For example, if I build an application which includes local businesses, I can automatically suggest restaurants near where the end user is, or if he is using public transport, near the end-destination. If we were able to tell whether a user was on the go, or sitting at home using a tablet, this would also make a difference in how we design, or which information we think should be prioritized for the reader. While now the user often has to input information manually about whether they wish to use a manual website or app, in the future there will be many things that the device itself will automatically pick up on, which will influence what information will be shown to the user in which form.

How will we use wireframing software?

However the user interfaces of hardware may change and whether users control applications with their eyes or their fingertips, there will still be a need to sketch out the UI designs and to plan user flows. I imagine many of the same issues will arise when using wireframing software in the future as are often discussed today. How much detail is too much detail? At what point should I use wireframing software? When should I start coding my application? How many user flows should I plan for at the beginning? What is the best way to collaborate with my stakeholders? These will continue to be the important questions that wireframing software will help us with our projects. Wireframing software will provide the canvas; you just need to bring the innovation.

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