I second this - at least a few top level flows.
Say, registration, first time login, repeat user (cookied) visit, and one flow on primary function (posting something, buying something, searching something) are necessary to even know what to start wireframing.
You can save a lot of time this way by concentrating your wireframe design work on the most important user screens, and letting those screens define site-wide standards.
Not doing some flows first can lead to the FAQ page page having the same priority in the design schedule as the shopping cart page (or whatever mission critical page)
It also helps to show the stakeholders what is really important to users, and can help them prioritize development.
jd On May 27, 2008, at 12:03 PM, Kevin Lee wrote:
If you are an interaction designer, you should consider starting out with flow map (even if you have a strict feature content requirements from engineering or marketing). This exercise not only put you (or your team) out of your comfort zone and think from user's perspective but also force you to think like the user (rather than like the designer). In mapping out the most straight forward mental model of flow of information, you will eventually find yourself creating necessary wireframes to visually communicate the information layout, behaviors, and use cases. At the end, just like anything else, this is also an iterative process. So don't let yourself love your flow map too much because it will change as you move down the product dev process.
- - Jeffrey D. Gimzek | Senior User Experience Designer http://www.glassdoor.com ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
