Information Architecture(AI) design is a collaborative effort where designers, developers, and content strategists contribute to come up with a definite rule for organizing website content. No matter how crucially one regards IA, there are boundless tools and resources that are worth investigating.
“Information architecture is about helping people easily understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for, in the real world as well as on the web”
Information Architecture acts like a UX blueprint that helps a designer in mapping out the content hierarchy of the website. While talking about the User Experience Design, which is undoubtedly the indispensable need of every design today, Information Architecture is the prime asset. It describes the information flow through a set of guidelines to be followed throughout the design.
This article will guide you through some of the most effective practices in determining a better Information Architecture to your design.
Library Science
Too many definitions are given to the Library Science. But the one that I find most apt is; it is a development of “knowledge-organization systems.” It is the study of how to categorize, catalogue, and locate the available resources efficiently. Not only in design, but Library Science is applicable to various other departments as well. Any design project should use Library Science to determine the content organization.
Architecture
Information Architecture is a broad concept and there are experts aside of the designing grounds who decide how information should be structured in the same way as a building is structured with a solid foundation. Similar to the usual architecture design, information architecture may take different forms which is based on a precise, intended structure and a solid foundation of ideas. Moreover, it consists of libraries and other components that can be a part of it.
User Research and Analysis
To make study of the audience type, IA experts will need to evaluate the results of usability tests. Information Architect may take into the account an active role in enabling interviews or card sorts where they can see how a prospective user would categorize different terms. Using the research, information architects learn how users will act on the application, how people will have the access to the information, and what mental situations they have while using the application.
Creating a Wireframe Design
Designing wireframes for a design project is a proven technique to represent and connect different screens and visualize how the site will work from a practical perspective. As per the information collected during the research and based on the Hierarchy decisions, an IA will be able to map out several key screens in order to determine how a user will interact with the available information.
Important Read: Achieving Expertise In Website Wireframe Design
Data Modeling
Similar to the content modeling, this work can be shared and discussed with the content strategist. Data modeling allows interaction of IA with developers to figure out the structured content types depending on the user needs, business idea and requirements. While redesigning your website, new data models are required to be mapped to the existing structure to ensure a smooth content migration.
That’s a brief about the Information Architecture. However, Information Architecture is really a broad concept and demands the expansion of above listed ideas. The IA is a powerful component that can amazingly boost the USer experience of any design project.
Other Useful Articles:
A Proper IA Is The Need Of Every Website
Creating A Balance Between UX And Content Strategy
