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What’s All This I Hear About Information “Architecture?”

Learn about information architecture (IA) and how it plays a crucial role in organizing, labeling, and navigating information systems. Discover the challenges faced by information architects and uncover effective strategies for creating user-friendly websites. This guide provides practical tips and insights for website owners, content creators, and information architects.

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What’s All This I Hear About Information “Architecture?”

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  1. What’s All This I Hear About Information “Architecture?” InterLab 06 Joe Chervenak & Marsha Luevane National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  2. What is Information Architecture (IA)? IA Guru Lou Rosenfeld: “The combination of organization, labeling, and navigation schemes within an information system.”

  3. Translation • Web site information architecture: • Organizing content at the site level • Developing a site navigation system • Determining labeling/wording • Making the site more usable

  4. When Does IA Come Into Play? • Creating new sites • Undertaking redesigns • Adding significant new chunks of content to an existing site

  5. Who Are the Major Players? • Users • Site managers/owners • Content creators • Information architects

  6. Users • User behavior: • Are in a hurry • May not always know what they are looking for • Don’t always come in via your home page • Get lost easily

  7. Challenge of the Information Architect [1] • Help users know • Where am I? • What’s here? • Where can I go?

  8. Site Managers/Owners and Content Creators • “Organize the site the way my organization is arranged.” • “My content is unique, special.” • “What’s the big deal, isn’t it just like print?” • “Don’t mess with my content.”

  9. Challenge of the Information Architect [2] • Getting site managers and content creators to consider the user

  10. The How of IA • Consider the primary audience • Outline the content • Organize the content • Provide appropriate navigation/labeling

  11. Consider the Audience • Who’s your primary audience? • What are they looking for? • What tasks do they want to perform? • What information do you have about them?

  12. Outline the Content • New sites • Create an outline of the content • Redesigns • Inventory existing content What stays, what goes, what are the gaps? • Identify new content

  13. Organize the Site Content • The content drives the architecture • Determine what content bins make sense for users given the content • Determine appropriate order to present the content bins

  14. Labeling/Wording • Use terminology users are familiar with • “Jobs,” not “open positions” or “employment opportunities” • For the same content, use the same wording across the site

  15. Navigation • Content -- organized into labeled bins, in logical order -- makes up the navigation system [example]

  16. Challenge of the Information Architect [3] • Transcend today’s deadline and create • Holistic scheme for the site • Consistent navigation • Standard terminology

  17. Additional Tips • Establish a process • Review and adjust IA: content changes throughout the process • Maintain and promote a list of standard terminology • Bring in site managers and content creators by educating them as you go along

  18. Another Definition of IA • “The process of structuring and organizing information so that it’s easier for users to find and for owners to maintain.” Lou Rosenfeld [link]

  19. Disclaimer and Government License This work has been authored by Midwest Research Institute (MRI) under Contract No. DE-AC36-99GO10337 with the U.S. Department of Energy (the “DOE”). The United States Government (the “Government”) retains and the publisher, by accepting the work for publication, acknowledges that the Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for Government purposes. Neither MRI, the DOE, the Government, nor any other agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe any privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of the authors and/or presenters expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of MRI, the DOE, the Government, or any agency thereof.

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