Roadmaps & Wireframes
Two artifacts that translate discovery into something concrete enough to plan and build against.
8.2.1Definition
A roadmap is a high-level, sequenced plan of what will be built and roughly when, organized by priority and dependency rather than exact dates. A wireframe is a low-fidelity structural sketch of a screen or flow — focused on layout and content hierarchy, deliberately excluding visual design (Part IV) at this stage.
8.2.2Why It Exists
Discovery (8.1) produces understanding, but a team still needs a shared, sequenced plan for what to build first and a shared structural reference for what each screen actually needs to contain. Roadmaps and wireframes exist to make that plan and that structure visible and debatable cheaply — a wireframe is far faster to change than a finished visual design, and a roadmap is far cheaper to adjust than a half-built feature.
8.2.3Fidelity Trade-off
| Artifact | Fidelity | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Roadmap | Low — themes and rough sequencing, not exact dates | Align stakeholders on priority and direction |
| Wireframe | Low — boxes and labels, no color/typography | Validate structure and content hierarchy before visual investment |
| High-fidelity mockup | High — near-final visual design (Part IV) | Validate the actual look and feel, once structure is settled |
8.2.4Common Mistakes
- Publishing a roadmap with fixed dates as a hard commitment, when it should communicate sequence and priority — fixed dates invite disappointment when priorities shift, which they reliably do.
- Jumping straight to high-fidelity design before wireframing, investing visual polish into a structure that hasn't been validated yet and may need to change.
- A roadmap that never gets revisited, treated as a one-time document rather than a living plan updated as new information arrives.
8.2.5Best Practices
- Frame roadmap timing in terms of sequence and rough timeframes ("next," "later"), not committed dates, unless a date is a genuine external constraint.
- Wireframe structure and content hierarchy before investing in visual design, validating the "what" before the "how it looks."
- Revisit and update the roadmap regularly as new information from discovery or delivery changes priorities.