The Strategy Plane

The Scope Plane

The Structure Plane

The Skeleton Plane

The Surface Plane

Contents from the page were taken from "The Elements of User Experience" By Jesse James Garrett. Second Edition.

The Five Planes

The Skeleton Plane

The skeleton plane is where we start to see the product form. The structure is refined and specific aspects of interface, navigation, and information design is identified. The functionality side defines the skeleton through interface design (buttons, fields, and other interface components). Navigation design is the specialized form of interface design tailored to presenting information spaces. Then there is information design which is the presentation of information for effective communication. These areas are important as good design can't fix information design.

Interface design is all about selecting the right interface elements for the task the user is trying to accomplish and arranging them on the screen in a way that will be understood and easily used for the user. A successful interface will ensure that the important aspects of the site are noticed right away by the user.

Navigation design is making sure the user is able to get around on the site. This is done by providing links to every page. Navigation design should accomplish three goals:

  • Provide users with a means for getting from one point to another on the site

  • Navigation design must communicate the relationship between the elements it contains

  • The navigation design must communicate the relationship between its contents and the page the user is currently viewing


    • A wireframe works as a page layout that forms a unified skeleton. The wireframe is a simple illustration of the components of a page and how they fit together. This process helps to establish the visual design of the site.