Information Architecture
Information architecture is the practice of organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way. The goal is to help users find information and complete tasks.
IA web resources
Information architecture methods
- Organization Schemes: tasks, topics, audiences
- Organization Structures: hierarchy, sequence, matrix
- Tree testing: quickly evaluate menu labels and categories
Card sorting
Content strategy
- Content Inventory: list what you have, and then list what you want to keep as is, modify, add, delete
- Content Strategy Basics
- Organizing Your Information
Navigation
Audience-Based Navigation: 5 Reasons to Avoid It: don’t assume that organizing by types of students—undergraduate, graduate, transfer, etc.—is the best approach
User research
- Personas: fictional but representative descriptions of people who use your website
- Scenarios: stories about why certain types of personas come to your website and what they hope to accomplish there
Usability testing
- Running a usability test
- Downloadable usability test tools: script, checklist, consent form
IA publications
- Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, Jorge Arango
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Web Style Guide by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton (NOTE: The third edition of this book, which is still useful, is available online for free.)