Show Me, Don’t Tell Me – why to sketch and wireframe

At ZURB, we think of an opportunity sketch as an illustrated question. Each sketch represents a focused idea we have about the product, and it can be something to tackle within the timeframe of the contract, or a piece that can serve as a reference for a further release. The questions that these sketches pose include:

• How are we addressing the current problems of the existing product?
• Is this idea possible with the current technology?
• Does this opportunity fit within the product’s mission and goal?
• Will this help ease the user’s workflow, or make it more complicated?
• Are we providing something that’s actually useful, or is it more form than function?

…

Use your sketches as a talking point and get your client’s feedback on which sketches both fit their business strategy and excites them. From there, it’s all about focus so refine those sketches even more until you’re ready to move on to low-fi wireframes