Comments on: Task Maps

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I guess my first reaction is that a task map is for more interactive web sites, PHP/MySQL driven sites that allow a user to interact more. A blog by itself would probably not need this unless you are using a lot of features like typepad users can offer like a subscription to each posting being sent via e-mail or searching the site.

I think this is probably where we need to go to really understand our own site. It is one thing to organize content, it is quite a different to understand what a user has to do to use all the services of a site.

By: rob

rob — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

You know, I said I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that kind of bugged me about it. Terry’s comment helped me process it…

The site should be organized well enough so that a person can accomplish tasks without needing to go to a task map.

I think that’s what’s been nagging me. I think it’s still a decent idea, but if the site is designed well enough, it would seem you wouldn’t need a map like this…and I’m not sure a visitor would realize they needed to go to the map to accomplish the designer’s task.

By: Garrett

Garrett — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Sites should not have physical site maps or task maps. Rather, the idea behind task maps it that it is taking a different approach to organizing the site.

It’s a different way of thinking really. I really don’t think there should be a physical page on anybody’s site that links to all of the tasks. I was merely suggesting that people start approaching applications as a set of tasks instead of a set of pages.

Good comments though. Makes me do a better job of explaining myself.

By: rob

rob — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I’m bringing the conversation up to a post about Site Maps.