I don't see why they'd be worse tools. If you don't want people to focus on the design aspect at all, use something like a prioritized list of elements. And if

I don't see why they'd be worse tools. If you don't want people to focus on the design aspect at all, use something like a prioritized list of elements. And if you want to talk about design, then try to get as close to the real deal as possible (either with a photoshop mockup or a html prototype). But wireframes exist in a grey zone where people will discuss the placement of a call to action button or menu item, only without the benefit of visual guidelines like colors, contrast, typography, etc.