IA
About information architecture (IA)
Information architecture is about structuring information systems (such as websites and intranets) in a way that allows people to:
- find information they need
- find information they didn’t know they needed
- make better decisions
- complete information tasks faster and more accurately
Information architecture skills are most needed for projects that involve organising and managing large amounts of content – providing structure, navigation and labelling.
IA skills are are also necessary for interactive applications – providing the structure, workflow, labelling and navigation for a system.
IA in a project
Information architecture activities are design activities, done toward the beginning of a project. Most IA-heavy projects will involve steps like:
- Elicit or articulate the business goals and context in which the project occurs
- Analyse content
- Undertake user research activities (which may include a card sort)
- Analyse the findings from the first three steps
- Develop a structure and labelling scheme
- Develop navigation and page layouts (this step may also require interaction design skills)
Deliverables
The most common deliverables for the information architecture portion of a project are a site map and set of wireframes.
A site map outlines the conceptual structure and detailed structure for the site. A site map may be represented as a diagram (for conceptual structures or small sites), or as a big spreadsheet that shows details for all content chunks.
Wireframes are page layouts without detailed visual treatment. They show what content should be included on a page and it’s basic positioning. Wireframes can be very conceptual, showing only rough content placement; or very detailed, with final page copy.
The IA step of a project will involve other deliverables as is needed to achieve your project goals.
When to get me involved
Information architecture parts of a project do not need to be done by someone who uses a title of ‘information architect’ – and in most cases a specialist information architect is not needed.
You may want to get me involved for:
- large sites of any kind
- sites with a wide range of content types and a range of topics
- content that people will want to access in more than one way
- sites that use more than a simple hierarchy
- implementing of a content management system
- implementing or improving a search facility
I rarely do IA work on small, simple sites, but am happy to provide mentoring you so you can improve your skills as you work.
Why choose me
I have been working intensely on information architecture for many years, in many different roles:
- I have designed the information architecture many large websites (university, government, private-sector and community) and intranets.
- I have been teaching information architecture workshops since 2003, have lectured at university and spoken about IA at many conferences.
- I have been blogging about information architecture since 2002
- And I’ve written two books (below) on information architecture
Books
I have written two information architecture books.
A practical guide to information architecture
‘A practical guide to information architecture’.
Card sorting: Designing usable categories
‘Card sorting: Designing usable categories’.
Audio
Interview with Tom Johnson (I’d rather be writing) on IA and technical communication:
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Interview with Jared Spool about what makes a great information architect:
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Interview with Adam Churchill on Organization schemes for web content
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