Mapping web site structures in a visual manner can improve communication within a web design team by helping each member of the team form consistent mental models of the site's hierarchy. Some methods of charting the structure of a web site are more effective than others, for example a site map presented in an isometric view can be more easily understood than one presented in plan view. Multiuser virtual environments could also help facilitate communication within a web design team who's members are separated over vast physical distances. Members of the web design team working at different offices in different cities could meet inside a virtual environment to view and discuss the structure of a web site the team is designing. The structure of a web site could be visualized in a three-dimensional format allowing team members to view the structure at all angles and different levels of detail. The primary intent of this thesis is to compare and analyze different methods of mapping web sites to discover which works best in which web design situations. Web site cartography can aid web designers and end users in many areas including site planning, development, management, and navigation.
The goal of this thesis is to provide new perspectives on the process of planning the structure of web sites using site diagrams, and the creation of navigational site maps for end-users. This thesis has concentrated the process of design research on comparing the current methods of mapping web sites, and making recommendations for new methods of web site cartography. By visualizing structure with site diagrams in the planning process, designers can better understand their audience by charting user scenarios visually. Color-coded user paths of interaction overlaid on a site planning diagram can give the designers a sense of what it looks like to travel around the site, and quickly see where potential navigation or usability problems might occur. User profiles and their corresponding scenarios become more understandable and clear when charted visually on a planning diagram or site map. Introducing planning diagrams early on helps streamline the design process, improve productivity, and save time in producing web projects. This thesis intends to illustrate the many benefits, to both web developers and end users, of using site planning diagrams and site maps in the web design process.
Some of the main topics discussed in this paper include how to:
•Map web site structure in a visual manner
•Visualize the abstract topology of a web site
•Improve communication within a web design team
•Introduce planning diagrams early on in the web design process
•Compare and analyze different methods of mapping sites
•Choose the most appropriate methods of charting the structure of web sites
•Present site maps in isometric view
•Create multiuser virtual environments for site mapping
•Visualize web site structure in different levels of detail
•Use web site cartography to aid in site planning, development, management, and navigation
•Better understand your site's audience by charting user scenarios visually
•Make recommendations for new methods of web site cartography and for further research
Some additional objectives of this paper include:
•Surveying similar flow-charting software and applications, such as Visio 2000
•Applying heuristic rules of interface design and usability to the design of an Interactive Site Mapping Application
•Conducting user testing to see if the Site Mapping Application is effective.
•Exploring how adding Z-depth information to a site map can enhance the usability, functionality, and communication of site map diagram
•Designing an Interactive Site mapping Application to provide a planning tool for web designers to chart out the structure and information hierarchy of their site before page layout begins
•Mimicking the forms of rapid structure planning, such as using index cards or marker boards, in electronic form
•Creating site mapping applications where there are pre-made nodes and flowchart graphics elements available to the web site planner
•Improving site mapping applications with the addition of Z-depth information, allowing different levels of detail