Information Architecture

Information architecture (IA) is the process of expressing a structure by conceptualising the design of a shared information environment. Coined in the ‘60s, this term has since been adopted by web developers to describe the process of analysing applications, more specifically, a website.

The main purpose of an IA examination is to independently identify and rate the problem areas of an application and provide cost effective recommendations on how to improve or develop a practical alternative.

The process of conducting an IA report can be best described by the steps we take in order to get to our project deliverables. The process can be applied to both new and existing applications. This process includes the following:

Step 1 – Define the website’s goals and identify the key stakeholders. Understand the business/contextual objectives and the proposed content for the system. Read existing documentation as well as identify and interview key stakeholders. Gather a list of proposed extensions to the current site.

Step 2 – Identify the website’s audiences, both existing and intended. Conduct an analysis of stakeholders and current website traffic statistics.

Step 3 – Conduct a competitive analysis by first building a list of competitive websites. We then rank the competitors in terms of site functionality to ensure the client’s website is of a comparatively high standard.

Step 4 – Conduct inventory of current site content and develop a list of its functional requirements.

Step 5 – Conduct card sorting exercises with a number of representative users. Develop a draft IA based on the outcome of the analysis.

Step 6 - Develop a site map that reflects the navigation and main content buckets of the site. This will illustrate how users navigate from one section of the web site to another.

Step 7 – Define common user tasks and scenarios for the purpose of User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Conduct in-house UAT on current site and paper sketch tests on the proposed IA. Create a table analysing the results.

Step 8 – Develop wireframes and basic HTML prototype. These layouts will annotate with guidance for visual designers and developers. Conduct final in-house UAT on working basic HTML prototypes.

Step 9 – Complete final report and presentation to stakeholders.

The final report generally addresses issues of web standards compliance (W3C XHTML + CSS validation, W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). It also provides recommendations for a suitable content management framework.

IA reports can provide valuable assistance when either developing or redeveloping your web application. They provide a cost effective guideline for your developers and designer, saving you time and money.