With 4 different user type: should I create a site map for each user?

Question

I'm currently working on a new project that has 4 different users types. Each user has a completely unique experiences in the application depending on their role. There is very little to no overlap in information that is shared between users.

While working on the site map, I was unsure about how to display the AI for each user. My first thought was to branch off the site map to show each user, but now I'm not sure this is the best approach.

Answer 1

As a general rule... yes. Information Architecture is meant to create the logical paths to access information in the easiest possible way. Thus, creating an IA with elements that aren't accessible to the user will create a lot of friction

Let's say you have this scenario:

User 1 Access:
 - Page 1
 - Page 2
 - Page 3

User 2 Access:
 - Page 4
 - Page 5
 - Page 6

User 3 Access:
 - Page 7
 - Page 8
 - Page 9

User 4 Access:
 - Page 10
 - Page 11
 - Page 12

So, let's say you're in User 1 journey... what benefit would it bring to display a sitemap with a link to Page 8 if only User 3 will be able to see that page?

In short: you're correct in your approach. You're basically creating 4 different sub-sites with its own flow, therefore you need 4 different sitemaps with no link whatsoever to forbidden items in order to avoid frustration