The playbook
Website Architecture: Template and Field Guide
This website architecture template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures page, parent, audience task, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
Group pages around recognizable tasks such as services, pricing, projects, and contact. Test whether a first-time visitor can find the relevant service from both the homepage and an article. A visitor entering through search may never see the homepage.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| page | Record the page associated with this page or interaction record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| parent | Record the parent associated with this page or interaction record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| audience task | Record the audience task associated with this page or interaction record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| navigation label | Record the navigation label associated with this page or interaction record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with page. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then group content around audience tasks. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, choose category labels people recognize. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as structuring navigation around internal departments customers do not know, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, test paths to important pages from common entry points. Put rename categories around the visitor's needs in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Structuring navigation around internal departments customers do not know |
| Action | Rename categories around the visitor's needs |
| First check | Group content around audience tasks |
| Follow-up check | Test paths to important pages from common entry points |
| Outcome to define | successful navigation tasks |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If parent changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep successful navigation tasks connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Design recovery as part of the experience. People enter incomplete information, use slow connections, and return to interrupted tasks. A clear error and a preserved input are often more useful than another decorative element.
Skip the manual steps. Let AgentixHUB run this for every client.
Start now