23 Nov, 2008
Introduction to Information Architecture
Posted by: Sharma VJ In: Information Architecture
Information architecture (or IA) is the science of defining the structure, organization, navigation, labeling and indexing of a Website. It is the role of the information architect to decide how a site should be structured, what kind of content it should host, and how to accommodate future growth. In short, information architecture defines the backbone of a Website.
Information architecture is a vital component of defining the user experience. Considered architecture and sound planning improve the overall usability of a site. There are several things to consider as regards usability, but it all begins with well-structured information. The best kind of integration between the user interface and the site architecture occurs when the user is completely unaware of anything other than a wonderful experience on the Website — the user experience should be seamless.
The Forest for the Trees
Many sites start off small, with a handful of pages and not much in the way of structure. What happens when such a site grows? Often, pages and links are stuck pretty much anywhere. In many cases, the current model of a Website cannot successfully accommodate the multiple mental models of users, and the growth in scope and size of the site itself. If you’re working on an existing Website, you are probably saddled with an overgrown beast that neither you nor your customers can make much sense of. Here’s where IA helps you take a look at the big picture — the primary goal of your Website — and achieve that goal by effectively organizing your site. Let’s take a look at the various ways in which IA does this.
Clutter Clearing and Organizing
In organization lies the difference between customers finding the right pair of jeans on your Website or leaving in frustration. There is more than one way to organize information.
On the Web, everybody’s library collection is public, and you have to be concerned about organizing your information so that it can be found easily.
The classification scheme you use will depend on variables such as your business goals, the size of your Website, its future growth and expansion plans, the audience(s) you target, and more.
Turn Left at the Third Link
In the real world, people tend to find their way by use of landmarks. On the Web, there are no landmarks and no spatial clues. How do people find their way around a Website? Navigation is the only clue that users have in the virtual world. Consistent and persistent navigation, along with helpful hints like using breadcrumbs and creating homepage links through the logo, all help to keep the user oriented.
Whichever model you use, make sure that your navigation scheme fits into that model seamlessly. Again, let us refer to the goal of your Website. For example, browse or buy. Do you want your users to stay a while and browse your collection of recipes, or are you more interested in rushing them through the checkout? Let your navigation scheme direct users accordingly. The top-level navigation, combined with sub-navigation, can help give the user a sense of how your site is laid out and what’s important. The sitemap is another visual aid to help orient the user. Make liberal use of these roadmaps to your Website.
You say Tomato, I say Tomahto
Before your users call the whole thing off, it is absolutely essential you understand who the Website is for, and what the goal of the Website and its users is.
If your Website is designed for the end user, do not include engineering or marketing jargon in the copy — this will only serve to alienate your users (at best). Labeling must also be clear and consistent throughout the site. In a recent Website redesign, the client had created different content areas for individuals and corporate users. The problem? Users thought the word “individuals” smacked of personal use and, ultimately, they all clicked on the corporate content area.
Here’s a lesson: make sure your target audience understands the labels you use.
Search Me
Search systems are very simple at the interface level. All you need is a text box and a button, and you’re ready to go. But, it’s a whole different story at the back end, where the information architect has to define a vocabulary of keywords for the site, which will serve as the dictionary for the search. Every time a user performs a search, the keywords in the search will be checked against the keywords in the dictionary, and the results will be displayed to the user, based on the match(es) found. Again, it’s a good idea to know your users and understand how they use your Website.
The best example of search, of course, is google, which lets the users get away with all kinds of atrocious (did I spell that right?) spelling. Amazon does a good job by displaying results close to the word you key in if it doesn’t get an exact match (it displayed results with the word “toys” when I typed “Toyys”).
Remember: having a search that does not meet the standards set by the others in the industry may only frustrate your users. For smaller Websites, you might not need a search system.
How it all Fits
We know now what IA is, but how does it fit into the Web redesign cycle? Since IA defines the structure of the site and basically determines its content, it has to be done at the very early stages. The best phase in which to create IA will be right at the beginning.
The Requirements Gathering phase will give you the goals and the scope of the (re)design. With this information in place, you can create a structure for the Website, perhaps in the form of a site map and/or wireframes. Navigation and labeling can be addressed and keywords for the dictionary can be defined at this point. During the visual design and production, the interface is further defined and adjustments can be made to the structure of the site at this point.
Usability testing then reveals any flaws in the architecture, navigation or labeling of the site, if any, and these can be fixed prior to launch.
The information architect is solely responsible for (in small Websites), or, in medium to large Websites, leads a team of people that are focused on delivering some or all of the following:
- Competitive Analysis
- Site Requirements
- Site Goals with the help of all stakeholders
- Personas
- Wireframes and /or Use Cases for task flow
- Navigation and Labeling
- Prototype
- Vocabulary (if any)
- Sitemap
- Usability Testing of prototype and wireframes
