Diagrams and Site Maps
The site map covers the top levels of the Sony Corporation web site as of October 2003.
Objective: Create a site map for the top levels of a corporate web site.
Skills used:
- Audience analysis
- Usability
- Layout
Document features:
- Grouping
- Hyperlinks
- Inline images
Comments: I wanted the layout of the site map drawing to be uncluttered and easy to understand. I considered the alternative layouts presented in class, but settled on a design that resembles an org chart design that I have seen often. I wanted to site levels to be clear, so I positioned each level in a uniform way and used font size to show hierarchy.
Choosing an effective layout for the site map was an important step. After considering various options, it was apparent that a hybrid layout would be the best fit based on the number of nodes and screen/paper size I was targeting. The org chart layout best fit a single sheet of landscape paper and neatly fit on a computer display which made creation and editing much easier than the other layouts would have.
By the end of the academic quarter, Sony had redesigned their web site.
