[IxDA Discuss] But where do the links go?

[Katie Albers]

>Hey all.  Having some discussions around here about where link destinations
>should be documented. We basically use three 'tools' here - the Business
>Requirements Document, the Wireframes, and the Composites.
>
>In your opinion, where is the best place to list where every link on a new
>site should go to?
>
>Thanks.

Assuming I understand the terminology (which -- as we all demonstrate 
here at least daily -- is a dangerous proposition) I'm accustomed to 
doing this:

The Business Requirements reflects links in a rough form...as in: 
within this process, there must be links to these capabilities and to 
those other processes (actually "links" may be inacurate here... but 
it's part of documenting what it's gotta do...you do not want to get 
specific here about any "how" stuff...hence my hesitation about 
calling out "links" as distinct from "buttons" for example.)

Wireframes are where you document links in a specific form: Selecting 
this activates a link to abc.html and the links that are a part of 
the persistent navigation and so forth. This is normally done as 
annotations to the wireframe.

I also like to see the composites annotated in a similar manner, 
simply because it saves flipping back and forth to what next and 
tends to prevent the errors that come up or persist in that process.

But if you want a single list of all the links (and...are you 
insane?) then you need a separate document. If you want separate 
lists by page, I'd attach it as a list to the wireframe *in addition* 
to the annotation attached to each instance of a linking behavior 
within the wireframe. And you need to keep in mind that as the Thing 
gets closer to reality, you will both add and remove links; make sure 
you keep the records. I'd put them all in the same list, make the 
removed ones italic (or something) and the added ones blue (or 
something) and keep notes on why you added or removed each one.

I realize that's probably more work than you were looking for, but 
it's amazing how often a collective, obviously correct decision winds 
up being discussed a month later by the same group, who have just 
determined collectively that it is obviously wrong.

So, I guess the answer is: All of the above. or It Depends.

Katie


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Katie Albers
katie at firstthought.com