Design Brief to Wireframe Direction
Generating structural options early, which is useful for breadth and unreliable for quality.
Definition
A model can propose several structural approaches to a brief: which content appears, in what order, in what layout family. Used for divergence it widens the option set; used for convergence it produces generic work.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
On this plate
Reach for this when
- Early divergent exploration.
- Breaking out of a single fixed idea.
- Producing a baseline to argue against.
Common mistakes
- Using generated layouts as final direction.
- Converging on the first plausible output.
- Skipping the research the brief actually needed.
Prompt for divergence
Propose four structurally different approaches to this screen.
Brief: [problem, audience, primary task, constraints]
Content available: [what actually exists]
Platform and viewport: [target]
For each approach give:
- The organising idea, in one sentence
- Content order and grouping
- The layout family (single column, split, sidebar, three-pane, grid, feature-and-supporting)
- What it optimises for, and what it sacrifices
- Who it would suit worst
Make the four genuinely different, not variations on one idea.Better uses than generating layouts
- Asking what content the brief implies is needed but has not been specified.
- Asking which established patterns apply, so you can evaluate them deliberately.
- Asking for the strongest argument against your current direction.
- Asking what a specific user segment would struggle with.
Local chart
AI·008 · Region XII · Grid H5
This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.
Continue from here
Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.
Often used with
These usually appear in the same screen or the same decision.
- Design BriefTPL·010 · Template
- ChatGPTTOOL·050 · Tool
- v0TOOL·051 · Tool
Related concept
Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.
- Feature Idea to UX SpecificationAI·004 · AI workflow
- CompositionFND·014 · UI foundation
- Design CritiqueFLOW·001 · Workflow
- DiscoveryFLOW·004 · Workflow