The goal of an information architect is to create documentation that defines how the information of a project is organized and utilized. For websites, this documentation is traditionally a site map and wireframes in the final format of printed paper. This format can be limiting, both in the amount of space available to show what should exist on the web page, and in the fact that only one state can be shown per physical piece of paper.

For some projects, such as a basic informational website, paper wireframes are quick and easy to create and fulfill their purpose perfectly. For more elaborate websites, such as ecommerce or an administrative tool used to manipulate information, a more interactive way to create and present the future website to the internal teams and the client would be more helpful.

That is why MarketNet has explored using Axure to create a clickable prototype for some projects instead of the traditional paper wireframes.

Axure prototype of new website

This Axure prototype is a set of web pages with specific interactions or tasks that have been fleshed out in order to show sample navigation and functionality.  The Axure tool can also generate a paper document of each web page that contains all of the notes and specifications that have been defined in the prototype. Thus the traditional paper wireframe can still have its place in this new process.

Overall, the Axure prototypes have been well received by the internal teams. The technical team especially has found the interactivity and in-line notes to be more indicative of the behavior of the website, therefore aiding in the discovery of any potential issues earlier in the project. The prototype can quickly go through several iterations, with updates being easily accessible through the company intranet. And those who wish to work with hard copy can still print the specifications document and have paper wireframes as a reference.

Default state of a customer rating page

Editable state of a customer rating page

From the information architect’s perspective, any tool that can help document and convey the organization and functionality that is designed for the project is worth evaluating. So far, the Axure prototyping tool is definitely a tool worth using.