23 Information Architecture tips, tutorials, techniques & resources
Wireframing With InDesign and Illustrator
"There are a variety of tools used for interaction design. I’ve used them all and have settled on a framework using InDesign and Illustrator. It will require a series of articles to fully describe the framework I’ve developed. So, in this article, I’m going to focus on what led to the development of this framework and give you a brief overview."
Real Wireframes Get Real Results
"Wireframes do not clearly define what they mean to convey, leading to confusion. This is most apparent in wireframe usability tests with users who don’t know anything about the project or process. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps that will make wireframes be understood by anyone. They don’t even have to be much more work. It’s simply a matter of choosing to “get real” from the start."
Search Patterns
"A sandbox for collecting search examples, patterns, and anti-patterns. Over time, I hope to add patterns that illustrate user behavior and the information architecture of search."
Information Architecture 101
"Information architecture (IA) is the art of organizing content into a logical structure. In websites we need to organize all the information logically and put it in together for it to make sense to our users."
Improving Your Process: Site Planning Guides
"Sometimes improving your process not only helps yourself, it can benefit your clients as well. Using your time more effectively allows a client to receive more time and effort from you focused on enhancing the project as opposed to spending time resolving miscommunication."
Improving Your Process: Sitemaps and Design Preparation
"Sitemaps aren’t exactly a popular topic for conversation as of late. Given the improvements both in site architecture as well as search engine intelligence, it seems as though sitemaps have taken a backseat as far as priority is concerned. I’ve written specifically about sitemaps and whether or not they’re applicable today."
Mind your phraseology!
"Controlled vocabulary is aimed at getting people to what they are seeking. No matter what crazy thing they type in the search box. Let's see it in action."
Navigation Complex
"A combination of different types of navigation is the best way to go. A DHTML hierarchical navigation combined with a text navigation presents the hierarchical navigation on all pages and it gives experienced users the possibility to immediately jump to the page of their choice."
Better Living Through Taxonomies
"Large websites and intranets can benefit from improved methods of search and navigation. These include site maps, A-Z indexes, sophisticated search engines, and generally improved navigational design—and playing a potential role in all of these methods is well-planned taxonomy."
Information Architecture as an Extension of Web Design
"There are several information architecture techniques that Web designers can easily learn and apply to all of their projects. This involves looking at information architecture as an extension of Web design."
Don't Forget to Architect the Home Page
"One of the hardest things to do during Web site creation is to finalize a vision for the home page. So much to do, and so little real estate! How will users find anything? Where will it all fit?"
More Than Just a Footer
"While arguments about getting more links, content, and important elements “above the fold” are common, more sites are taking advantage of the entire Web page, adding useful elements to the bottom of the page."
How did you get here?
"Too frequently is it assumed that visitors are knowledgeable about the company and Web site, and that they enter through the home page. False assumptions about visitor entry can plague even a well-planned, well-designed site."
A User-Centered Approach to Selling Information Architecture
"The most common approach to selling IA involves introducing the basic concepts, along with explanations and examples of what deliverables are produced, and some discussion of the benefits. At that point, usually the client will comment, or ask about how these procedures can fit in to a specific project."
Making Cents from Information Architecture
"When it comes to Web development, everybody has taken short cuts over the years. This holds especially true when working on low budget projects. One of the most costly short cuts is skipping the development of a sound and highly functional information architecture (IA)."
Persuasive Navigation
"Persuasive navigation is navigation that persuades a user to do something. By understanding user needs and matching them up with business goals, you can persuade users to go where you want them to go, making them happy at the same time."
The Psychology of Navigation
"The navigation decision—whether or not to click—hinges on the mental image users create of the page they expect to see. Fortunately, a few tools are available to help influence the images in users’ minds: language, design, and the understanding of the expectations users bring to sites."
Eat Me, Drink Me, Push Me: In which the subtle arts of the interface are examined.
"You've gone through organizing content and designing interaction. Now you come to the last piece of the architecture pie: interface. How do you enable people to use all that brilliant structure?"
Information Architecture is not Usability
"The difference between information architecture and usability is vital to understand, because, as discussed last month, information architecture is more than just understanding what users want and need. A usability-only approach to IA is only one piece of the puzzle. Information architecture problems often account for a large percentage of usability problems, but there are many other things unrelated to IA that have an impact on usability."
The myth of User-Centered Information Architecture
"One of the first things you learn about information architecture is that your Web site needs to be organized the way users think it should be organized. Unfortunately, this never happens. In fact, it should never happen. User-centered information architecture is a myth."
Visual Architecture: The Rule of Three
"The object of this article is to discuss the universal language between words and visual objects (picture, illustration, graph, area boxing, layout, titling) and can be extrapolated to advertising, print, TV, Flash development and CD-ROM productions."
The Age of Information Architecture
"For the most part, information architects are communicators and strategists. While others merely tolerated the mishmash of responsibilities, they relished it."
An Introduction to Information Architecture
"Information architecture (or IA) is the science - some would insist art - of defining the structure, organization, navigation, labeling and indexing of a website."