I’ve come across a lot of articles explaining the benefits and techniques required to create sitemaps but none that talks about what makes a good site map or one that talks about creating a content hierarchy that translates into an engaging user experience. Here is my run down of things to consider and explore to do just that.
1. Understand your audience
One of your primary objectives when designing a content hierarchy, structure or sitemap is to ensure that words, labels and navigation sign posts appeal directly to your users’ questions and needs. Keep in mind that a majority of users will usually arrive at your site in other ways other than via the home page. This means users will scan the page to see if it is relevant in much the same way as they read whilst driving and looking out for road signs; they are scanning for words and clues than indicate a direction, ignoring anything that is not relevant.
Users behaviour mirrors this well when they are searching for phrases that answers a question that has formed in their mind. Have you ever tried to browse the internet without having a need or question, inferred or not? It doesn’t work does it? We need to read and consume information to further our own understanding and reach an informed decision.
A successful architecture is one that knows what the site is there to do and how it is intended to capture the audiences attention and maintain it for how ever long it is required. Seek to understand who the audience is; go some way to anticipating their situations and motivations, and this wil ensure that your content goes some way to satisfying their expectations.
2. Design an approach
Pretty much upfront you will have to decide on an approach that will need to be adopted. There are many ways that a successful site structure might be implemented based on the users needs and expectations. An approach could be defined from one of the following, although this is not exhaustive it is indicative or how you can help a user before they have even started to read anything;
- Activities that helps a user to achieve something
- Product groupings
- Based around entirely around a user’s needs
- A easily understood combination of one or more of the above
There are myriad of different ways in which the labels can also become calls to action in their own right. A useful structure is not one that is full of grandeur or self promotion. As a user, I don’t care that you think that ‘About <insert company name here>’ is the most important thing about you, that’s for audiences with very specific needs; what have you got or what do you do and how can I get it? Answer that as quickly as possible and i’ll stick around and see what you’ve got. Patronise me and I’m off.
One word of caution through, because of the semantics of language and because of differences in how users define themselves, avoid at all costs trying to segment your content by explicitly referring to your audience definitions; for example, ‘Vet nurse’, ‘Architect’, ‘Mother’. Ultimately, this will cause duplication, and quite simply isolate your audience from exploring your content or worse still make it much more difficult to find something useful. This will be because your organisational hierarchy does not take account for the users’ mental model of how things fit together or how they see themselves. Only take this approach where there are absolutely no alternatives.
3. Tell a story
Because a users may not arrive at home page, and be party to the lovingly prepared journey that only makes sense from a single starting point, it is important that a user can read navigation labels and immediately understand the story behind the labels within the context of a single idea. The order in which the content is indicated through the navigation labels will help to tell a story far more quickly because of the context in which it is being presented within a hierarchy.
A variety of ideas can be conveyed very quickly, and along with navigation it is possible to indicated the extend of the detail of the knowledge that has been included within the content. It will also encourage the user to explore what is on offer and providing the content is relevant to their needs, they will stay and read.
4. The structure is the message
A well organised structure will by its nature be helpful to users. It can allow users to explore mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive ideas or categories of content. Doing this will ensure that duplication is avoided and that sign posts to different or similar content is succinct and relevant. By its very nature, a well structured site structure will add value to the users’ experience of navigating your content.
Conversely, poor structures make it hard if not cause the user to work harder to get the information or key messages out of your content; Steve Krug’s message ‘Don’t make me think’ is valid here. This is usually observed when site grow organically; either because the stakeholders don’t seek to understand the content’s objectives or fail to understand the idea or indeed the importance of succinctness of a clear structure.
5. Think pages
The site map that you design should only represent pages. Keep it succinct. Sitemaps should show how content explicitly relates to structure and hierarchy; don’t get sucked into contaminating the site map with ideas, promotional panels or concepts.
6. Don’t fight it
Often a site redesign usually requires adjusting or adapting existing content. It is very rare that the investment in the content needs to be put completely aside. If content is being used by the audiences effectively work with it and ask how that content needs to change to become more effective; that is if it does at all.
Sites that need reorganising after they have grown organically are often the most difficult to rationalise because of the demands of senior individuals; what I have I hold and my department is the most important, makes the most amount of money, that gets the most complaints about (delete as appropriate).
7. Be decisive
Don’t add fluff – be as succinct and meaningful as possible.
8. Create a taxonomy
Ensure that you use common themes and ideas throughout your sitemap. Avoid mixing ideas and metaphors. If a user is engaged, they will naturally want to read more and explore all that you have to offer. Users will find it easier to dip into content to a level that they feel comfortable, allowing the user to come back for more if they deem it necessary at a later time or when they need more.
9. Dare to be different in your approach
Don’t just copy a competitors way of organising or structuring their site; chances are usually that they haven’t quite got it right either. Being different will also help you to distinguish your site from the competition.
10. Take them on a journey
Story telling is perhaps the oldest technique we have for providing a narrative within which to communicate ideas or for providing information. Avoid disparate brand terms that have no relevance in the user’s mindset, but there is still scope to show rather than tell and hopefully change minds as well.
Lastly, if your site is boring or boorish, and they’ll simply go elsewhere, find someone else or even worse completely dismiss what your company or organisation has to say. Be bold and really try to help your audience to achieve what they need to and they will love you for it.
Frazer Cooper 