Information architecture (IA) is an aspect of UX design that refers to organizing the content in an interface. It relates to how information is structured and organized.
Information architecture works together with interface design. We design interfaces keeping the information architecture in mind. This is because this architecture determines how information flows in the interface and which information displays where. For this purpose, we use navigational patterns such as menus and buttons to incorporate the information architecture.
We can represent information architecture as the intersection of the users of an interface, the content presented there, and the context in which the content is used.
Good IA should increase the usability and user experience of the interface. One way we do this is by increasing the findability of the interface.
Findability is a crucial aspect of IA. It means that users should be able to navigate through the interface seamlessly, without spending time figuring out where information is placed. Here, navigation design also plays an important role. Therefore, it is essential to embrace a user-centered approach while coming up with the IA. We can do this by paying attention to the principles of information architecture.
The following is a list of the eight principles of IA:
The principle of objects: This states that we should treat all content like objects in object-oriented programming (OOP), with attributes, behaviors, and lifecycles.
The principle of choices: This states that pages in an interface should offer meaningful and specific choices to the user. Otherwise, the user may become overwhelmed and confused.
The principle of disclosure: This states that the information displayed should be limited enough for the user to understand how to move forward.
The principle of exemplars: This states that we should explain the content by showing examples.
The principle of front doors: This states that every page should contain enough contextual information, assuming that half the users won't enter the interface through the front door or the homepage.
The principle of multiple classifications: This states that users should be able to browse information on the interface in multiple ways.
The principle of focused navigation: This states that the focus should be on how the navigation works, instead of how it looks.
The principle of growth: This states that we should always assume that the content on an interface will grow in the future.
We must assume that the way we structure information in an interface is more important than the information itself. If users spend more time finding the required content than using it, they might abandon the interface altogether. This indicates a problem with the IA. If this problem exists, the user has to make a considerable effort to use the interface. This, in turn, reduces the quality of the user experience and violates the design principles.
To design IA, we must go through the following processes:
User research: User research and analysis are essential to designing a user-centered IA. We perform activities such as interviews and card sorting to get to know the potential users of the interface.
Navigation and hierarchy creation: As discussed earlier, navigation is a crucial aspect of IA. We make decisions about the structure of the content on the interface. These decisions include creating a hierarchy, finalizing how one page leads to the other, and what content the pages hold.
Taxonomies and labeling: We divide the content into taxonomies, or groups. It is also important to label and assign titles to these groups. The labels should be self-explanatory, searchable, and correspond to the group content.
Prototyping: After organizing the content, we help make a prototype and clickable wireframes to demonstrate the structure of the IA.
Usability testing: We use the prototypes created to perform usability testing. Usability testing helps us check the IA according to the users' needs. Then, we introduce and implement changes if needed.
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