For some of our projects at work, we use a content management system like Drupal, Joomla or Wordpress to run our websites. This allows our clients to add or edit content more easily, and it also eliminates a lot of custom coding by a developer.
A CMS (to learn more about content management systems, check out Gary Moneysmith’s blog post 4 Things Non-Technical People Need to Know about Content Management Systems) generally comes with a default theme: you can install the CMS on your server and be off and running. Naturally, most folks want some level of customization, be it visual or functional.
As a developer, I am always quick to acknowledge that anything is possible, given the time and the effort. But if you are starting your project with a given CMS, ostensibly that means you are interested in leveraging what it offers. If you deviate and customize too much, (“Frankensteining”, as Gary terms it), are you really gaining the benefits from starting with the system?
Which brings me to the title of this blog post. Wireframing is often intended to communicate the overall design of a web application, denoting hierarchy and features. If you’re starting with a CMS and wanting to really leverage the power of the CMS to the greatest extent you can, do wireframes actually detract from this effort? Starting a web project from scratch, I’d expect a wireframe to drive the design and development (ok, arguably wireframing is part of design). Yet when you start with a CMS, you’re well down the path to development, and a wireframe that doesn’t follow the standard parameters of the CMS may necessitate extensive rework.
This is not to say that you can’t change anything when using a CMS. Each system has the option of installing pre-made or creating themes and plugins. As Wordpress creator Matt Mullenweg stated at Wordcamp Denver last Fall – chances are very likely with all the possible customization options that no two Wordpress installations are the same. (There are over 15 MILLION Wordpress blogs out there)
How does your wireframing change if you’re using a CMS? Do you stick to the toolbox you have, or not hold yourself to such constraints?
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I’m in the midst of a creating a new Drupal site. The wireframes are still essential if you’re working with a larger team or an external client, because it is truly important to agree what each page is supposed to do in advance. In Drupal’s case, developers/themers can decide in advance how to use the right modules for the job. I am new to Drupal though. Perhaps some more seasoned dev/themers would have a different take on the situation!
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