i never use wards cause the sacrifices you make to use them just aren't worth it, for example.. you can't duel wield a spell while using wards which means no staggering the enemies, this alone can get u killed but even worse the wards themselves use magicka so its very easy to burn out all magicka before even dealing decent damage, you could use the max enchanting method to make restoration unlimited but whats the point? even if they consumed no magicka their still not effective cause u can't duel wield, i just don't see the point to wards, i've tried using them, they just burn out my magicka pool and get me killed..As a mage with a low armour rating (and possibly low magic resists), ward spells are possibly one of the most underrated form of magic for a mage character. A decent ward can stop so many of this type of spell in its tracks, and you can even begin to absorb their power for your own use with Ward Absorb from the Restoration tree.
That's why it's important to learn how to use wards effectively, and have a plan on what you're going to do before running into the fray. Mages aren't supposed to go toe-to-toe with enemies. Ideally, you'd have a summon of some sort taking attention away from you while you move into a more strategic position. There's more to playing a mage than having 100% enchants and running into the middle, stunning everyone.