WWW…Wednesday: Claritee – Smart, Collaborative & Interactive Wireframes

The ability to organize your thoughts and visualize the scope of a project before beginning can be the difference between success and failure. The level of clarity with which you understand the problem is directly connected to the quality of your solution. While there are many tools that aid designers in achieving this clarity, there are few that afford their clients and development teams the same opportunity.

Wireframes are a crucial step in product development as they provide a low-cost means of visualization where we can solve design problems before investing time and resources to create a working prototype. Unsurprisingly, the tools designers use for this process are created with designers in mind. While they provide designers with the means of quickly producing fleshed-out wireframes, they do little to illuminate the process for the other parties involved, like clients and the development team.

This lack of transparency leads to problems later on when clients are presented with products completely out of alignment with their vision and development teams struggle to make sense of the designer’s intentions.

Claritee is a wireframing tool that has the same rapid-prototyping utility designers are accustomed to with the added benefit of transparency for both clients and engineers. By keeping an open line of communication throughout the process, the connection between all parties becomes more seamless and results in fewer question marks later on, so products can be shipped on time.

Saving time is the name of the game. Claritee makes it easy to save time by cutting back on revisions and time wasted in correspondence. Designers and project managers proceed as usual, and clients and engineers are free to check in on the process without interrupting work. Any potential problem points can be nipped in the bud to ensure alignment with the project’s requirements and brand guidelines at every step of the way.

Clients and project managers alike have a means of oversight without stepping on any toes and because clients are always in the loop, they never need to be brought up to speed on progress. This means fewer surprise revisions and ensures that design time can be spent on solving the problems that matter, not putting fires out along the way.

Project managers can keep track of time spent at every stage of development and adjust project timelines accordingly. Clients will always know exactly how things are progressing and this information makes it easier to create time estimates and budget proposals for future projects. This cuts down on time wasted in back and forth email correspondence or having to schedule meetings to discuss details.

The development team will also benefit from this transparency as it becomes easier to understand the design team’s intentions and point out any potential problems before the prototype has been finalized and handed off. The ability to work with the client’s content directly in the wireframe ensures that their needs will be met to a tee without compatibility issues later on.

You can learn more and try Claritee for yourself here.