Map of site layout and content blocks/types as determined by core modeling (content mapping), card sorting, or other research activities. By defining the content structures ahead of time, the design and development planning gets a hard start in determining approximately what types of modules will be needed on the final site. The output of the sitemap/content map is interactive, and following team agreement on the architecture, the content can be housed directly in the sitemap and matched up with page sections to provide a clear layout and plan for CMS admins.
Example
This sitemap example is from the Renewable Energy Group's website redesign project in partnership with Two Rivers Marketing. I used a tool called Slickplan to organize not only the pages needed on the new site but also what high-level content will be on those pages and what design/development components could be useful to support that content. This method of organization allows for flexible page designs and page creation within the final CMS and doesn't limit pages to only a certain template type.
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Example
Sitemapping
