Either fold the content into the parent or create more child nodes to flesh out the
navigation.
Although mind maps are traditionally hand-drawn, there are several pieces of software
that aid in the process. NovaMind, Mindjet, MindMapper, among others, all accomplish
the same basic goals. FreeMind,2 an open source alternative, works well for both basic
sketches and later refinement.
Hierarchical diagrams
While mind mapping is one means of defining the architecture, any site of substantial size
also requires a top-down structure that displays the information in a hierarchy, where the
top represents the singular homepage and subsequent levels comprise more granular
menu options. This uses much of the same data as a mind map, but the alternative organization
provides an immediate view into the depth of the site. See Figure 4-2 for an
example.
WEB DESIGN AND MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS WEBSITES
72
Figure 4-2. A hierarchical diagram shows the architecture from the top down.
2. http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
A well-designed hierarchical model not only allows for a comprehensive view of the information,
but the shape of that information as well.
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