How To Present Wireframes To Clients

Completing website wireframes is a major milestone in every design project. At this stage, your agency has the blueprints to a beautiful website that you can confidently design. But to move onto the next step, you first need to help your clients envision their future site, too.

When clients see wireframes, they’ll see them for what they are: skeletons of their future site — no more, no less. For clients, it can be hard to imagine a vibrant, interactive site just by looking at a black-and-white framework. To get client buy-in, you need a wireframe presentation that helps them see beyond what’s on the blueprint.

In this blog post, we’ll explain how to present wireframes to your clients in six steps.

1. Tell a Story

It’s no secret that wireframes are less engaging than a website mockup, prototype, or finalized website. It’s a bare-bones blueprint. But in order to get clients committed to a wireframe, you need to spark their interest and illustrate how your website will work.

Take your clients through the user journey on your site. How do clients engage with each page? How do they ultimately convert? A great story can spark your client’s imagination and put them in the perfect mindset to imagine a site that’s more than your wireframes.

2. Highlight the Functionality

A part of learning how to present wireframes is figuring out how to help clients envision their website at work. Wireframes are static, so you need to put the spotlight on how key features will function once further design and development begins. For example, you can wow your clients by explaining:

• What happens when you click on a button
• How your website content will move as users scroll
• If a background video will autoplay to engage visitors

Showing is better than telling when it comes to wireframe presentations. Collect examples from other sites of the functionality you’re describing. This way, users will have a concrete picture of how your wireframes — the foundation — will bloom in the next stage. You can then explain how you’ll customize each feature to fit your client’s brand.

3. Take Clients Behind the Scenes

Walking clients through your wireframe creation process is a great way to help them make sense of your outlines. Plus, it can help you demonstrate your expertise and build the trust you need to gain client approval.

Explain how you came to each design decision. Each feature should sound equally as thought out as the last, so clients feel that your wireframes are personalized and created with care. If your agency ever changed directions, feel free to mention it and why your team members did so. This will help clients rest assured that your wireframe is complete with the best design choices.

4. Focus on Your Client’s Needs

To understand how to present wireframes to your client, you first have to be aware of their needs. Your client’s pain points and goals can serve as a framework for your wireframe presentation. As you put the spotlight on each part of your wireframes, you can explain how it meets their needs.

This tip can help you present wireframes in a way that helps clients connect the blueprint to the end result. For example, instead of seeing an incomplete space where a contact form will be, they can envision how their site will help them capture leads. When clients know you’ve created a design especially for their needs, they’ll gain confidence in your blueprints.

5. Avoid Jargon

During your wireframe presentation, you need to make your website vision as easy to imagine as possible. Using simple, clear language can give clients a concrete picture of how their site will look. Jargon, on the other hand, can make the vision harder to grasp than before.

Instead of using industry lingo like “responsive web design” or “dynamic content,” paint a picture. Explain how your site will display differently for smartphone and desktop users, or for people who previously visited your site. Buzzwords don’t impress clients — but a clear understanding of the end result will.

6. Practice Before Your Wireframe Presentation

Your agency is more familiar with your wireframes than anyone else in the world. Presenting them well requires you to be comfortable with the ins and outs of each wireframe, so you can make them shine.

Ahead of your wireframe presentation, review your blueprint until you can confidently navigate the site in your mind. Familiarize yourself with your website layout and planned features.

In addition, be prepared to answer questions about each of your design choices. If you have data or industry knowledge to back your decisions, have it ready for your presentation. Know what parts of your wireframes are necessary for a great user experience, and which you can easily alter if clients push back.

How To Get Client Feedback on Wireframes Using SimpleStage

Uploading wireframes to SimpleStage is a quick and easy way to collect and collaborate on feedback from your clients. Once you get to your Dashboard, you can either create a request right away or head into the Client Dashboard and view the specific project you’ve created wireframes for.

Once you upload your wireframes as ‘Design Feedback’, you simply enter your client’s email address and SimpleStage will do the rest! We will alert your client of the request for feedback and once they’ve given their feedback, you will get an alert from us via email or on your Dashboard.

Clients have the ability to make comments directly on your wireframes. We’ve removed all the guesswork from endless emails and made it a cohesive platform for you and your clients.

Put Your Knowledge of How To Present Wireframes Into Practice

Wireframes are bare-bones structures that make it hard to imagine a complete site. Learning how to present wireframes is the best way to encourage clients to buy into your designs when you’re collecting feedback. Start by telling a story, then cater your wireframe presentation to your client’s needs — and don’t forget to practice before meeting with your clients.