Web Site Maps

[Louis Rosenfeld]

On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, TR Freund wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> I haven't posted much but this group has been so valuable to me.
> Our webmaster recently asked for feedback on a site map that he created.
> I provided what I thought but then got to thinking about the whole
> topic.  I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion about site maps for web
> sites? Do you like them, are they a useful piece of a site?  Does anyone
> have a favorite example of one that they think is the best they have
> ever seen?  
> Just curious as to other's perceptions.  Thanks a bunch for any feedback
> you provide.

I'm not crazy about site maps (I'm referring to graphic site maps, as
opposed to textual ones, which I think are more aptly called tables of
contents).  They may initially wow users, but their utility is limited. 
They tend to be hierarchically-oriented, and don't do a good job of
conveying non-hierarchical navigation (e.g,. across branches of a site's
hierarchy).  Site maps are usually really bad at showing large, complex
information spaces (such as Web sites with more than a dozen or so pages) 
on our tiny 2-D monitors.  Some dynamic site mapping programs do allow you
to jump from a map of one part of the site to another, but I'm not sure
that these add any value over simply traditionally navigating the site
from its main page on down.  For more griping about site maps, see my
colleague Peter Morville's Web Architect column on the topic
(http://www.webreview.com/97/05/16/arch/index.html). 

We've found that many of the sites we work on are better served by flat
alphabetical indexes that display a finer level of content granularity
than do tables of contents or site maps.  These indexes are particularly
useful for the known-item browsing of a site's repeat users.  And what the
heck, us librarians are really good at creating such indexes, so why not
show off our skills? ;-)

In any case, decide for yourself by checking out some site mapping
products; here are a few URLs: 

	www.dynamicdiagrams.com/products.htm
	www.merzcom.com/eng/merzscope/about.html
	www.sgml.net (click the sitemap button)



Louis Rosenfeld                                             lou at argus-inc.com
Argus Associates, Inc.                                   http://argus-inc.com
109 Catherine Street                                   voice: +1.313.913.0010
Ann Arbor, MI  48104  USA                                fax: +1.313.213.8082

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web  (L. Rosenfeld & P. Morville)
O'Reilly & Associates; Nov 1997.      http://www.ora.com/catalog/infotecture/