Website Design: Information Architecture

Users can feel lost even in a relatively small information space that is not well organized. The problem becomes even greater when you consider the possibility that people can arrive at any given web page from any other page on the web. They may not always enter your site from your home page.

Information architecture focuses on designing effective navigation, organization, labeling, and search systems. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws upon the research and practices of information and library science, computer science, graphic design, and psychology. The role of the information architect is crucial to the planning and conceptual design/redesign stages of web development, as good information architecture lays the foundation upon which a website is built.

For a quick reference, see our Tips for creating usable navigational systems.

The steps to take in coming up with an architecture for your website include:

1. Finding out what the mission or purpose of the website is--why will people come to your site?
2. Determining the immediate and long range goals of the site--are they different?
3. Pinpointing the intended audiences and conducting a requirements analysis for each group.
4. Collecting content and doing inventory.
5. Determining the organizational structure of the website, which can include:
   • hierarchical
   • narrow and deep
   • broad and shallow
   • sequential
6. Creating an outline of the site, which can include:
   • site maps: maps that reflect navigation and main content areas. They are usually constructed to look like flowcharts and show how users will navigate from one section to another.
   • content maps: detailed maps that show what exists on each page and how content on the pages is related.
7. Creating a visual blueprint of the site, which can include:
   • page schematics: black and white line drawings or block diagrams to hand off to a visual designer. These may or may not reflect layout and are used mostly to inform the designer and the client exactly what information, links, content, promotional space, and navigation will be on every page of the site. Schematics help illustrate priority.
8. Defining the navigation systems
   • global
   • local

Tips for creating usable navigational systems:

Navigation should:

• Be easy to learn.
• Be consistent throughout the website.
• Provide feedback.
• Use the minimum number of clicks to arrive at the next destination.
• Use clear and intuitive labels.
• Support user tasks.
• Have each link be distinct from other links.
• Group navigation into logical units.
• Avoid making the user scroll to get to important navigation or submit buttons.
• Not disable the browser's back button.