This document discusses information architecture and how to design effective navigation structures. It covers topics like what information architecture is, different organization logics like task-based and topical structures, using card sorting to develop site organizations, and design recommendations around breadth and depth of navigation. The key goal of information architecture is to organize available information to best support the user's tasks by minimizing navigation costs as people forage for information on a site.

2. Information Architecture

3. Main points from BGW 5
 What is IA?
 How do you represent IA in documents?
 Card sorting
 Topology: Breadth vs. Depth
 Organization logics: task-based, user type, topical, org.
structure, life event, implementation

4. Information Architecture
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-architecture/4-presenting-information.html

5. Why does information
architecture matter?
*

6. Organize
available information to
support
the user’s tasks.

7. How people navigate
 Optimal rationality  Satisficing
(Information
Foraging Theory)

8. How people navigate
Benefit
Cost

9. Navigation costs
 Scanning page
 Reading links / menus
 Finding / Deciding where to click
 Waiting for page to load
 Clicking through to find desired page
How can you
minimize them?

10. Minesweeping

11. Depth Breadth

12. Broad Structure
Deep Structure

13.  Magic number 7 ± 2 ????
 Recommended depth: 3 levels
 Recommended breadth: 16 options
Primacy & Recency
effects
Breadth & Depth
Design Recommendations

14. Card Sorting
 Usability method for developing site
organization

15. Organization Logics
 Semantics (conceptual)
 Task-based
 Audience-based (user type)
 Organization-based
 Life event
 Implementation
 See also
http://wd.onepotcooking.com/2010/02/13/information-
architecture-navigation/

19. URL design
 http://www.cgt256.edu/assignments/info_archit
ecture.html
 http://www.cgt256.edu/files/afs/2345.html