What is a sitemap? And why is it needed when creating a site?

When creating your site, at the initial stage you need to create a site map and a task flow diagram in order to understand what your project will look like, what pages it will consist of, and what actions it will perform. At this stage, it is very easy to change and modify the site without complex changes in design and software. Therefore, the initial stage is the foundation for the further creation of the site in order to build the correct mechanism of work and achieve the necessary results.

What is a sitemap?
Let’s start with the simplest of all definitions: a sitemap is a visual representation of the main and internal pages of a site. A simple sitemap usually fits on one sheet of paper and resembles classic org charts. However, maps are built not only for websites, but also for applications, interfaces, software, and other programs in which it is appropriate to identify pages, views, states, and any information displayed.

The sitemap serves as an assistant for the development team and the customer to properly organize the content on the site. The sitemap displays how the site navigation will look and shows all the page transitions.

What is a task flow diagram?
In addition to site maps, it is developed for more complex projects, such as stores or portals, and task flow charts.

It serves to show what paths and actions users will take, and what results they will get when they finish working with the site or application.

The difference between the task flow diagram and the site map is that the site map shows the number of all pages on the site and their hierarchy in order to understand the complexity of the project during its further development (design, programming, testing, filling), and the task flow diagram shows options for action and the path in which the user will move.

These two elements complement each other and are very useful for the development team and the client team to set up the right process, and show how many pages there are and where to move through them, why to do it, and where it will lead.

In some format, it’s like a traveler’s map, where we have a path, and we move along it, choosing the right route. The more detailed the map, the faster we will find our way and get the desired result.

Which programs can create a sitemap and task flow diagram

The most popular, which are used for work by designers:

AxureRP Pro
Figma
vision
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe XD
Sketch
principles
Balsamiq
Mockflow
HTML/CSS

You can choose any program you like to create a sitemap, or you can practice on paper or in your notebook first. The next step will create the design of the website.