If you’ve read my FREE Creative Brief post you know I believe any creative project will benefit from starting with a plan. Whether you are branding your company or building a Web site, putting your goals on paper is important.
In the spirit of FREE stuff, I will again offer a free questionnaire—this time for a Web site. Should you choose to fill it out with gusto, you will be rewarded with an collection of your responses in one neat and tidy document. After you submit the form I will send an email to you with a PDF document attached with my questions and your answers. When the day comes to contact a creative (like PCGS or the designer/developer of your choice) you will be better equipped to supply them with key information.
Branding vs. Site Planning
This may seem like pointing out the obvious but it must be noted that designing a Web site does not include logo design or branding for a business. Branding should be addressed before you have a site built. But sometimes it isn’t. Any designer worth their salt isn’t going to do it all for the same price as a Web site. So be forewarned. Branding or logo design is a separate project. If you haven’t already done so, check out my FREE Creative Brief post and get started on your first order of business. If you already have that aspect of your marketing plan completed—then by all means, let’s talk about Web site goals.
Part A: Create a Site Map
Here, your plan is broken into two parts: Part A is the Site Map, Part B is the questionnaire. Here, in part A, I challenge you to create a site map/flow chart. But don’t worry—it isn’t required and my tutorial, below, walks you through this very simple process.
The term “site map” will bring to mind a different meaning for a Webmaster than for most folks, but in this instance we are making a diagram. Something that looks like a genealogy family tree or a very simplified flowchart. Often times people sketch something like this on a napkin at a business lunch. If you have one—pull it out because you may need to refer to it soon.
This Web Site Questionnaire Part B is very similar to the Creative Brief questionnaire but sometimes the questionnaire is only half of the story. The site map will help communicate to your designer/developer what you hope to accomplish in an overlapping fashion. The site map is a additional means of communication that can help clear up any weaknesses that arise from responses in the questionnaire. This will be a visual representation of your goals for a web site. It can especially help with choosing an ideal site navigation scenario.
If you decide to participate completing Part A, I think you will be glad you made the effort. Part A will force you think about your site, “outside of the box.”
Before you start, I recommend that you:
- read through the rest of this article to determine whether you’re up for it now
- or choose to come back later to do this part
- or skip it completely and just do Part B.
Get Started with Google
If you don’t have a Google account yet, please sign up for a free Google.com account. Once you’ve completed their sign up form Google sends you a verification email. Click the link in your email and login to your new account. Remember whenever you login, your user name is the whole email address you used to sign up.
When you login to your new account navigate to the very plain, uncluttered “My Account” page. Click the link under “My Products” called “Docs.” On this new page you will find a little “Create New” button. Pull it down to select, “Drawing.” Now you are ready to make your site map.
You will find tools to create little colored boxes, add labels to them and even add lines with arrows to and from some of them. Seriously the tools are super simple. Experiment for yourself.
Google makes creating the simple drawing we need very easy. But seeing an example will help you to prevent being intimidated by this step. Be assured, only simple boxes and labels are needed. This is a rough idea but sometimes it can communicate concepts that don’t come through in a questionnaire.
Here, I provide my example of how a very simple site might represented in a site map. You are only drawing a simple diagram like the one on the left the image to the right of the red arrow is one interpretation of how the site map is interpreted.
Notice how this example on the left is broken into categories and sub categories? Please disregard the fact that the Home page being above everything else in the site map but on the same level as the three following items. Suffice it to say the Home page is an exception to the site map. So all the darker gold boxes represent the main navigation buttons that might appear in a navigation bar and the lighter boxes would be sub navigation buttons. Here, I would expect to have four main buttons on the navigation bar. Four because I would normally add in the Home button to the navigation.
Go for it!
As you have probably figured out, the hard part is now *you have to “think” about:
- your business,
- the content you would like on your site,
- how it might be condensed into an outline
- and then translated into a site map/flow chart.
So gather your thoughts, make your site map.
Once you are satisfied, name and save your drawing. Next, find the “File” menu option near the top left of your Google Account window (while you are still in the Draw app) and pull down to the item that reads, “Download As.” I would prefer you create a PDF and keep it on your hard drive somewhere handy because in Part B I provide an upload option so you can submit the site map.
Now You are Ready for Part B
There is no reason to delay. You’ve been challenged to think about your site in ways you probably hadn’t to this point. You probably won’t be any better prepared than now to fill out the Part B questionnaire—so let’s move forward.
* Consider making use of Google’s collaboration tools and have your marketing team work this site map. Just look around at the menu bar on this page. Google is all about file sharing and collaboration. I will leave you to discover those features as you work through.
Comments on this entry are closed.