Information Architecture Basics, Main components of IA: organization schemes, structure, labeling, logic, search Card sorting, Tree testing, IA performance, Content modeling, Task Flows, Site Maps

1. IAINFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
BASICS
http://www.findwise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Building-Block.jpg

2. How information is organized,
structured, and presented to users
What is IA?
Good IA
helps users find information
and complete tasks
Bad IA
reduces site
effectiveness
The goal of IA is to HELP USERS understand WHERE THEY ARE,
what they’ve FOUND, what’s AROUND, and what to EXPECT

3. Sorting Candies Workshop
There are many ways how to sort
candies (or anything else). Always
care about users who do you sort
for, context and content.

4. IA: users, content, context
To do this, you need to understand how the pieces
fit together to create the larger picture, how items
relate to each other within the system.

5. 1. Organization Schemes:
How you categorize information
2. Structure
Information Hierarchy
3. Labeling
How you represent information
4. Logic
How users browse or move through information
5. Search
How users look for information
IA: 5 main components

6. 1. Organization schemes

7. Organization schemes
Such as:
• Topic
• Task
• Audience
• Social
• Time*
• Geography*
• Format
• Alphabet*
Grouping content, features, and
functionality by shared characteristics
Most content can be categorized in MULTIPLE WAYS.
*exact org.schemes - others are subjective

8. 2. Structure

9. Structure
Successful structures allow users to PREDICT where they will FIND
INFORMATION on the site.
It’s important to take into account USER EXPACTATIONS and implement
consistent organizing so that users can EXTEND their KNOWLEDGE
from FMILIAR PAGES to UNFAMILIAR ones.

10. • Familiar representation / easy to
understand
• Encourages disciplined organization
Structure: Hierarchy
Best way to organize complex body of information.
There is a TOP DOWN APPROACH or PARENT/CHILD
relationships between pieces of information.

11. Pros:
• Easier for users to select a
path (from the homepage)
because of limited choices
Cons:
• Can bury important content
• Poor navigation choices (i.e.,
cascading fly-outs)
• Unwieldy breadcrumbs
• Poor way-finding from deep links
Extreme: Narrow and Deep

12. Pros:
• See all/many options
Cons:
• Crowded global navigation
• Overwhelmed users
• Link blindness
Extreme: Broad and Shallow
Too many options: Overwhelmed users! Link blindness.

13. Hierarchy: Broad and Shallow
example of overwhelmed page

14. Hierarchy: tips
Try to avoid structures that are
too shallow or too deep
Structures that are too shallow require massive menus
Structures that are too deep bury information beneath too many layers
STRIKING THE BALANCE IS NEVER EASY - it is an important
goal of any architecture. Users rely on information architects to
create logical groupings.

15. Hierarchy: tips
Create Sustainable Structures
Allow room for growth
It’s important to ensure that it takes into account content
updates in the future. Allow room for growth.

16. Pros:
• No structure to maintain
• Good for user-generated content
• Good for exploration
Cons:
• Difficult for users to understand
and predict
• Must have exceptional search
indexing
Structure: Web/Matrix

17. Structure: Web
example of web structure

18. Good for tasks such as:
• Purchasing
• Applying
• Customizing/Personalizing
• Learning sequential content (e.g., training materials)
Structure: Linear
Websites with SEQUENTIAL STRUCTURES require users to go
STEP-BY-STEP, following a specific path through content.

19. Structure: Linear
There is OPTIMAL ORDERING of content that is
THE MOST EFFECTIVE

20. 3. Labeling
Labels should ATTRACT THE RIGHT ASSOCIATION in the user's mind -
DESCRIBE chunks of information.
The goal of a label is to COMMUNICATE INFORMATION EFFICIENTLY

21. Starting point - Get ideas from:
• Search logs
• User testing results
• Card sorting
• Competitors
Labeling
Learn how do users CALL Things

22. No standards but common variants
• Main, Main Page, Home
• Search, Find, Browse
• Site Map, Contents, Table of Contents, Index
• Contact, Contact Us
• Help, FAQ
• About, About us, About <company>, Who We are
• ….
Labeling

23. Use distinct categories
Navigation is successful when the commands are:
• Representative
• Non-overlapping
US is different from World; Health is different from Money
• Understandable, simple terms
Not jargony, user-centric
Labeling

24. Labeling
NEVER USE “click here”!!! Labels
“Click here” are not informative

25. 4. Logic

26. Logic: Metadata & Taxonomy
A taxonomy describes RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TERMS by
organizing them in a HIERARCHY. Each term INHERITS the
properties of all terms above it.

27. When are taxonomies needed?
• Large sites
• Sites that provide access to data records
• Intranets and web sites of large corporations
• Government agencies and universities
Logic: Metadata & Taxonomy

28. Good taxonomies help users discover content
Logic: Metadata & Taxonomy
good taxonomy example

29. Bad taxonomies decrease discoverability
Logic: Metadata & Taxonomy
bad taxonomy example

30. 5. Search

31.
browsing vs. searching
• How specific menu names are versus more general terms
• Individual preference driven by previous experiences with
site search
• The semantic match between the item name and menu
label is a key decision determinant
• Visual prominence of search or browse
Search

32. Low vs. High Information Scent
Low scent
• Basics
• Active Wear
• Business Wear
• Evening Wear
• Classics
• Specialty Items
Search: information scent
High scent
• Skirts
• Pants
• Jeans
• Tops
• Suits
• Shoes
Matching task & information scent = browsing / otherwise searching

33. Search: information scent
Task: Find a white dress / clear and easy, right?

34. Search: information scent
Task: Find a white dress / Weaker information scent leads to search

35. Search: visual prominence
Encouraging search by the Visual prominence

36. Search: visual prominence
Not encouraging search

37. • Pay attention to the wording, placement and design
• Repeat Search box & original query
• Suggest alternative queries
• Suggest popular content
Search: no results page
Guidelines for “no result” page

38. Search: no results page
Bad example

39. Search: no results page
Good example

40. Designing the IA

41. 1. Card sorting
• Understand users’ mental models
• Discover label options
2. Content modeling
• Discover structure & org scheme
3. Site Map
Designing the IA

42. 1. Card sorting
OBJECTIVE
Discover HOW PEOPLE ORGANIZE
your content

43. 1. Create index cards with items names, and/or descriptions
2. Give participant a shuffled stack of these index cards
3. Have each participant sort the cards into
personally meaningful piles, then:
1. Start with loose piles and refine
2. Name the piles
3. Prioritize the piles
4. Record
Card sorting process

44. Purpose
• Provides insight into users’ mental models
• Helps group concepts and define names of groups
Does not
• Create the information architecture
• Structure content into multiple levels (develop a hierarchy)
Card sorting
WHY DO WE DO IT?

45. Analyzing results
Look for:
• Similarity: Number of times two cards are placed in
the same pile by users
• item labels ideas
• Rationale: Why people group things together
Card sorting process

46. Card sorting tools
Discover how other people
organize your content
https://www.optimalworkshop.com/optimalsort

47. Card sorting tools
https://www.optimalworkshop.com/optimalsort-demo

48. Card sorting tools
Result: Dendrograms
Visualize content groups and the top labels by participants.

49. Measuring IA performance
• Evaluating intuitiveness of existing labels, grouping, schemes
• Results by task
• Test each iteration of the IA, and compare results to evaluate
improvements
Tree testing
“Tree” = your planned IA hierarchy

50. Measuring IA performance

51. Know where and why people get
lost in your content
= reverse card sorting
https://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack
IA performance tools

52. Card sorting tools
STEP 1: Setup your tree

53. Card sorting tools
STEP 1: Set your tasks

54. Card sorting tools
https://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack-demo
STEP 3: Recruit participants

55. Card sorting tools
STEP 4: Results
Task by task breakdown

56. Card sorting tools
STEP 4: Results
Detailed path analysis

57. • Identify essential content objects and how they relate
• Breaks down complex subjects into the aspects people
actually care about. (E.g. for health: symptoms,
diseases, treatments)
• Not necessarily hierarchical
• Helps identify critical connections
2. Content Modeling
Helps site structure mirror
people’s mental models

58. Content Modeling
Ask users:
• How do they use the site?
• Why do they use the site?
• How is the site organized?
Define users’ mental models

59. Content models show
relationships & paths
Content Modeling

60. • Illustrate pathways to complete a task
• Based on background knowledge of users and tasks
• Helps identify how essential elements should be
organized to meet user needs
Content Modeling: Task Flows
“How’s it going to work?”

61. • Illustrates hierarchy, not paths
• Diagram:
• Major areas
• Content/pages within
• Start with quick, rough sketches
• Work up to a clarifying site map
3. Site Map
Designer’s View

62. Collaborative, online site map tool:
gliffy.com
Site Map Tools

63. Site Map Tools
Site map automated tool:
PowerMapper

64. Further reading

65. Zdeněk Lanc
UX designer
web:
www.yd.cz
e-mail:
yd@yd.cz
twitter:
@ZdenekLanc
Thank you!