Designing and testing my wireframes was an informative experience that pushed me to expand my understanding of user interfaces and experiences once again. Original I thought this step would mostly consist of creating the digital version of our design sketches. However, through the process of creating and designing the wireframes, I came to understand how much my original design strategies needed to be reworked and can still be improved. I realized that the wireframes are not just a blueprint but are a conversation tool between myself and the users that will help continue the expansion of my website design.

The first thing I learned from this experience was that my sketches would not always translate well into a wireframe. Designing the wireframes forced me to define what was essential and what were the users’ priorities. Actually designing the website in Figma showed me what worked and what did not. For example, I had originally planned to have 4 pages total: one home page, student page, academics page, and about page. This ended up not being possible as there was information that did not fit well in these categories and the pages would have been extremely long with all the information I planned to include. My solution to this was to add another page for news and events while also creating separate pages for student work and alumni work. 

The testing phase provided me with several insights on how to improve my design as well as how users actually interact with the website. Having different people and user groups test the wireframes showed me how differently people perceive and process the information provided. Based on the tests I found that all user groups expected the drop-down menus to close when clicking outside of it or when transferred to another page. This is something I plan to fix when designing the next stage of the website. Another insight I gained was how important labeling is. One of my tasks was for users to find and name one person participating in a BFA exhibition. While doing so many users struggled to locate the event due to the page being labeled as “news”, which I now realize is not a good label and should be changed to events. I also found that I might need to add the admission button to more than one page. 

A big challenge I faced while designing my wireframes was how to balance creativity and practicality. I wanted to make something that was easy to use while not being boring which was hard considering the grey color palette requirement. I had to change my view on how to design the website by asking myself what would make this interesting without being overwhelming and how can I develop engagement while maintaining consistency? My solutions to these questions were to add interactive features such as pop ups, dropdown and scrollable sections. I was able to apply these techniques across all the pages developing a consistent design with repeating elements. 

This process has defiantly helped me grow as a designer as I have learned many things along the way. Accepting and embracing the fact that UI/UX design requires iteration has been a huge part of my growth. I have also become way more confident using Figma and have developed my problem-solving skills. Ultimately, creating and testing the wireframes has taught me to always think with the user in mind, adapt quickly, and to clearly communicate with visual elements.