I had started preparing the graphic look by this point and we realized that there was enough room to offer that convenience without compromising the look or organization of the menu. Notice how the help button is jumping all over the page. We did not settle that feature in a permanent home until near the end of the project. In the initial stages of site development, I go between draft comps, usually in an illustration program, and hand written notes many times before the direction is set in stone. For this project, we worked on each menu area separately and were quite late in the project before we created a site map.
Some designers begin the project with a site map.
I find it very hard at the beginning of the project to lay the site out that firmly. Once I have the general look, and have sketched out or created very rough comp images in an illustration program, I can move ahead to a site map. At some point in your project, perhaps as a starting point, or as in this case, once the direction for the site is set, you will need a site map. I always have a site map approved by my clients, so tend to create mine in an illustration program. If you wish to have a closer look, I have included the full map .