Fran Diamond — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:54 GMT

I’m curious as to where personas would fit in the mix. My understanding of personas that while they are not entirely economically driven, they ought to be good representations of the users/customers of the web site. If there are two primary personas the web site is designed to serve, would they not take allow the IA/designer to incorporate that particular “segment.”

There is always the danger of designing to a demographic, rather than a human being, which can result in impersonal or generic communications.

Fran Diamond — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 10:45:47 GMT

Thank you for this article. In recent conversations with other IAs/Desginers I have been puzzling over the best way to create and use wireframes. I think one of the problems with wireframes is the many roles they play in the IA/design/development process. It is nearly impossible to have a single type of wireframe that will be best for all those audiences and uses.

In my IA experience, I’ve seen the following 5 uses/misues of wireframes (in no particular order).

1. Content strategy/placement
2. Usability testing
3. Developer instructions
4. Designer instruction
5. Business owner (client or internal) approval

For each type of use, one could argue that a different kind of wireframe (or sketch, or prototype) could be developed. I don’t know that I personally would argue that point, but I can see how the different audiences for wireframes within an organization would drive the way wireframes look.

I have had success in user testing both with high-fidelity wireframes that feel more “designed,” and with very low-fidelity black-and-whites. I agree that a good usability moderator can explain the conceptual framework of wireframes and account for user misunderstandings about lack of color and other design deficits.

Boxes and Arrows: Comments by Fran Diamond