2. Today’s objectives:
1. Explain the 3 questions that navigation must answer at
all times
2. Apply the 3 questions to critique existing interfaces
3. Define “Information Architecture” (IA)
4. Recognize and create IAs using different organization
logics (task-based, audience-based, topical, life-event,
etc.)
5. Solve IA problems using card sorting

3. Main points
 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
from BGW 5

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

5. http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-architecture/4-presenting-information.html
Information Architecture
File naming > URL design!
http://www.slideshare.net/deanna.marbeck/url-design-for-
information-architects-presentation

6. Why does information
architecture matter?
*

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

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

9. How people navigate
Benefit
Cost

10. 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?

11. Broad Structure
Deep Structure

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

13. 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/

17. NAVIGATION
Where am I?
Where have I been?
Where can I go?

18. NAVIGATION
Where am I?
Where have I been?
Where can I go?
Site
Page
Section
What...

19. NAVIGATION
Where am I?
Where have I been?
Where can I go?
Site
Page
Section
What...

20. Card Sorting
 Usability method for developing site
organization