Creating a SitemapWeb Project Docs

for the Web Designer & Information Architect

© 2009 Jeannie Melinz

This Presentation:

What is a website sitemap? Purpose of a sitemap? Sitemap elements Types of sitemaps What you need to create your sitemap Sitemap fundamentals Creating a sitemap Applying principles of tech & user doc The sitemap as a collaboration & planning tool

What is a Sitemap?

A sitemap is a list or diagram which represents the

hierarchical structure of the html pages in a website.

Purpose of a Sitemap:

A sitemap is a website design planning tool. It is used to:

Map out the site architecture*• Structure• Navigation• Page hierarchy;

– Categorise the site content into logical groups, which will have meaning for the user;

– Organise the order of the pages of the site, to create logical paths (so that targeted users achieve the purpose of their visit);

*See www.gdoss.com for info on site architecture

Purpose of a Sitemap (cont):

A sitemap is used to:

– Plan the logical presentation of website content to users;

– Visualise and structure user paths;

– Organise the presentation of content to assist the business to achieve its business goals;

– Plan user-centric functionality, to enhance the user experience;

– Plan a navigation structure that orientates and directs users, and enables (and entices) users to engage with the site

Sitemap Elements:

– Page ID (ie. numbered/labelled html pages)

– Page levels (hierarchy)

– Sitemap legend / key • (legend used for sitemap diagrams)

Sitemap Elements

Fig 1

Types of Sitemaps:

Two of the ways to represent the page hierarchy of a website, include:

– Sitemap outline– Sitemap diagram

(NB: Don’t confuse the sitemap outline or diagram planning tool with the sitemap xml file on a website, which helps search engines to index the searchable pages on awebsite. Not covered in this presentation)

Sitemap Outline: List View also known as the Outline View

(a simple way to represent the page hierarchy)

Fig 2

Sitemap Diagram:

Horizontal tree diagram (org chart style sitemap representation)

Fig 3

Sitemap Diagram: Vertical tree diagram (useful for

planning out linear stories or narrow hierarchies on multi-level sites)

Fig 4

What You Need to Create Your Sitemap:

Tools to help you determine the sitemap include:

Creative brief

Clear business goals

Website objectives (what the site must do – features and functionality – to help achieve the business goals as well as the user tasks)

User profiles– Primary & secondary– User purpose (the task achieved during the visit)

Content delivery plan

Results of card sorting^^ exercise

^^For card sorting info see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_sorting

Sitemap Fundamentals:

Keep in mind:

User Purpose:– Why has the user come to the site?

• Eg. To read info, download, play, make request…– Which is the most logical path to achieve that purpose?

• Eg. Home > Services > Request Form

Business Goal(s):– Does the navigation assist the business to achieve its goal?

Page & Content Relationship:– How do the pages relate/link to each other? Is there a logical

relationship/flow?

Creating a Sitemap:

Plan your sitemap:

By Hand:– Sketch by hand– Sticky notes

and/or

Use Software Tools:– Microsoft Word– Microsoft Visio (Visio 2003 was used to create the diagrams for this presentation)

– OmniGraffle– Gliffy– Dreamweaver– Fireworks– …Others

Examples of Symbols Used in Sitemap Diagrams:

Boxes and Arrows:^

Nick Finck stencils:~

Static Page Dynamic Page Future Page Page Cluster

Not Wireframed

¶ ¶Home Page

Eg.

Eg.

Or… use your ownmethod!

Fig 5

The Sitemap Shows the Big Picture:

“[For the sitemap]… to be useful to my audience, the diagram must communicate the ‘big picture’ of the website to stakeholders, while providing enough detail to be useful for the development team.”**

**Source: Withrow.,J (published 30/08/2004) Site Diagrams: Mapping an Information Space on the Boxes and Arrows website, available at: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/site_diagrams_mapping_an_information_space [accessed 24/3/09]

Apply Principles of Tech and User Documentation:

The sitemap is a shared planning tool, referred to, collaborated on, and used by other project team members & stakeholders

Aim to achieve clarity - to eliminate doubt!

Ensure correct document title, labelling, version control, authorship, creation date and/or date last updated, refs, URL, project/site name (as per your agreed conventions)

Ensure sitemap pages are correctly labelled using established naming and numbering conventions (agreed upon by the design/dev team)

Sitemap: A Planning & Collaboration Tool:

Distinguish future or proposed pages from the pages within the project scope Fig 6

Annotations: CalloutsUse callouts to clarify proposed pages and/or features

Fig 7

Annotations:

When showing the client the sitemap:

– Omit or minimize highly technical annotations (intended for designers and coders)

• Unless there is a specific purpose for raising the technical issue with the client (eg. There may be a feasibility issue)

– Allow the sitemap to do its job • ie. demonstrate the logical presentation of content on the site

(review slides 4 & 5!)

Home Page0.0

index.html

About Us1.0

about.html

about_company.html

Biographies 1.2about_biographies.html

Company Background 1.1

Contact Information 1.3about_contact.html

0.0 Home Page

1.0 About Us

1.1 Company Background

1.2 Biographies

1.3 Contact Information

2.0 Products & Services

3.0 News & Features

4.0 Coming Soon

Organisational and HTML Naming

Source:

Goto, K & Cotler, E., (2005)Web ReDesign 2.0 Workflow that WorksPeach Pit Press CA USA

Goto & Cotler’s labelling convention clearly identifies the html pages, with page title, ID and html page name

Clearly Identify Pages:

Fig 8

Sharing the Sitemap Document:Consider thedocument template which holdsthe sitemap!

Fig 9

Sharing the Sitemap Document:

Working sitemap document

Template that holds the working document

Fig 10

Sharing the Sitemap Document:

Label thedocumentfor ease ofidentification, retrieval and collaborationwith multipleaudiences.

Fig 11

Get Started on Your Sitemap:

Create your sitemap in the following representations:

– Outline (ie. List View)

AND– Diagram (either horizontal or vertical)

Make sure you can answer the three critical questions on the next slide for both your primary and secondary site users (and tertiary users if applicable!)

Critical Questions:Primary User: Who is the primary user of the site? What is the user’s purpose for visiting the site? What is the user’s Key User Path?

Secondary User: Who is the secondary user of the site? What is the user’s purpose for visiting the site? What is the user’s Key User Path?

The aim is to understand: How does the content on one html page relate (or logically connect) to the content on the linked page along the key user path?

Gather the tools required to plan your sitemap (eg. user profiles, business goals, content plan)

Make sure you have a clear User Purpose (for both primary & secondary user)

Categorise the content for your site

Use a hands-on offline, card sorting (or similar) technique to map out the content for your site

Ensure that there is a clear Key User Path (the path which most logically enables the user to achieve the visit purpose)

Suggested Steps to Creating Your Sitemap:

Suggested Steps to Creating Your Sitemap (cont):

Create a user scenario (eg. what if the user enters the site on this page?... or bookmarks this page? … enters from the homepage?...etc) and test your proposed navigation structure

Once you are satisfied with your structure, create a hand-drawn draft sketch of the sitemap

Create your Sitemap Outline (ie. the List View of the pages of the site)

Using your preferred software tool, create an electronic diagrammatic version of your sitemap

Apply tech doc skills for multiple audience sharing and collaboration

Sources:

*Doss, G (12/2004) Information Architecture Design, on Glen Doss’s website available at http://www.gdoss.com/web_info/information_architecture_design.php[accessed 25/7/09]See also great examples of sitemaps at:http://www.gdoss.com/web_info/CAPTUS_site_ias.pdfwww.gdoss.com

^Withrow., J (published 30/08/2004) Site Diagrams: Mapping an Information Space on the Boxes and Arrows website, available at: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/site_diagrams_mapping_an_information_space [accessed 24/3/09]www.boxesandarrows.com

~ Finck, N (2006) Visio Stencils for Information Architecture on Nick Finck’s blog. Available at: http://www.nickfinck.com/blog/entry/visio_stencils_for_information_architects/.[last accessed 24/3/09]www.nickfinck.com

Goto., K & Cotler., E (2005) Web Redesign 2.0 Workflow that Works, Peach Pit, CA USAwww.gotomedia.com

Melinz, J (2009) Creating a Sitemap for your Major Web Design Project, Client Requirements PowerPoint Presentation on the TAFE NSW, Sydney Institute, IT Faculty Moodle site, available at http://sielearning2.tafensw.edu.au/ DET login required [last accessed 24/7/09]

© 2009 Jeannie Melinz