IBE312: Information Architecture Summary 2013. Information Architecture: Part I - Introduction.
3 Information Architecture
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Transcript of 3 Information Architecture
© 2004 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Information Architecture
CGS2826 Web DesignProgram in Interdisciplinary ComputingFlorida State University
From Web Style Guide, Chapter 3: Information Architecture
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
“If the underlying organization of a site and its content is poorly constructed, usability goes down the toilet, regardless of the quality of the visual design and user interface.”
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Information Architecture (IA)
the overall conceptual models and general designs used to plan, structure, and assemble a site
encompasses a broad range of design and planning disciplines
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Information Architecture (IA)
the boundaries among information architecture, technical design, user interface, and graphic design are necessarily blurred by the need for all of these communities of practice to cooperate to produce a cohesive, coherent, and consistent experience for the site user.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Information Architecture (IA) Organizes the site content into taxonomies and
hierarchies of information Communicate conceptual overviews and the overall
site organization to the design team and clients Research and design the core site navigation
concepts Set standards and specifications for handling site
markup and format Design and implement search optimization
standards and strategies
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
5 Steps to IA Nirvana
1. Inventory your content
2. Establish a hierarchical outline, and create a controlled vocabulary for major content areas
3. Chunking: Divide your content into logical units
4. Draw site diagrams that illustrate site structure and navigation links
5. Test and Analyze the organization interactively with users
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Hierarchy
A hierarchy organizes website content from the most general to the most specific, and illustrate the relationships between the content.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Taxonomy
The science and practice of classification through a controlled vocabulary.
Information can be organized by category, time, location, alphabet, and/or continuum.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Tools for Organizing Content
Card sorting Whiteboard Brainstorming Sessions
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
The Value of Chunking
Short chunks of information are useful in that they:
1.are easy to read on computer screens
2.are convenient to place in a linked structure
3.provides a modular layout consistent throughout a site
4.provide good page layout
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Site Structure A site structure should match user expectations, be
logical and predictable, and utilize consistent methods and terminology.
A user’s mental model of a site should be clear, not confusing.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
“The goal is to build a hierarchy of menus and content pages that feels natural to users and doesn’t mislead them or interfere with their use of the site.”
Too shallow Too deep
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
“In a larger site, with maybe hundreds or thousands of pages of content, web search is the only efficient means to locate particular content.”
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Site Structural Themes
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Site Structural Themes
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
A Hierarchical structure should not force the user to back out to access another branch.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Site Structural Themes
Web structures are best suited for small Websites
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Site Diagrams
The pattern of directories and subdirectories of the site files should mirror the major content divisions and structures as shown on the site diagram.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Wireframes Wireframes force teams to stay focused on the information
architecture and structural design without getting sidetracked by the distraction of the visual layer.
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.
Canonical Form(presenting info)
© 2010 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.