The site map is a visual representation of the various content areas of your site. It shows the content levels and how they relate to one another. In other words, it’s a snapshot of the site as a user would want to see it to get an overview of where things are and how they will find what they need.
I’m convinced that if folks would take the time to create a site map, they would alleviate a lot of future headache.
It doesn’t matter the size of your budget, when it comes to developing an effective site structure for your redesign project, the site map is a key component. It will become the backbone of your new site. Yet I am amazed how often folks want to jump right into the look and feel of a redesign.
You can go all out to draft your site architecture by using one of any number of tools like Jumpchart or Protoshare or Axure. If you’re a Mac user, there is a nice tool by The Omni Group called Omni Graffle. But you really don’t have to spend a lot to get it right.
You can sketch out your wire frame on paper and build it out in PowerPoint if you like. The main thing is that you think through your site architecture from an end user’s point of view. If you do, you will save yourself a lot of headache and your users will navigate your site easily.
Filed under: Site Design | Tagged: redesign tips, site map, site structure, wire frame
