Summary

When you design a SharePoint solution, you are building a structure for the organization of information. There is no value to that organization if your users can’t find what they’re looking for. The navigation is something that is difficult to change after the site is live, so an investment has to be made in ensuring that it is going to work well.

In this chapter, we looked at card sorting as a method for discovering the concepts, groupings, and mental models of the people who will become the eventual users of the intranet site. This relatively simple and practical approach will give you a treasure trove of useful information.

Once you get down to laying out the site navigation, the use of mind mapping as an interactive tool will give you a shared understanding of the options and possible choices in a highly efficient way of working with your stakeholders. I have found this tool to be the best and quickest way to get to signoff via a process that can be easily understood through graphical maps that have been shared for feedback and adjustment prior to going live.