How to communicate IA to non-IA Stakeholders?
By: Salima Barry
Tags: Ux Writing, Information Architecture, UX Design

(Team, 2015)

Information Architecture (IA) is the system of a great design. If designers do not devote time and effort to attaining it for their users, then their design will not advance and will fail instead. Information architecture is the talent of organizing information on a website, mobile or web application, in order to make the design simple and intuitive. It is more about the organization of the whole website or application which permits the user to browse through the content easily, without much effort. IA not as difficult to understand, the hard part is, how to communicate it to non-IA stakeholders. Furthermore, some people might know what information architecture is and not its value.

Information architecture is the backbone of a whole project. It is accountable for how a user navigates through websites or applications and retrieves significant information. The way in which users utilize a website or application totally varies on how the information is presented and organized. The lacking structure of a website or application will deter users and frustrate them. Pioneers of the IA field, Lou Rosenfeld and Peter Morville in their book “Information Architecture for the World Wide Web” have distinguished four main components: organization systems, labeling systems, navigation systems, and searching systems (Tubik, 2017).

Organization Systems

This refers to the groups or the categories in where information is divided. The organizing system helps users foretell where they can find specific information.

Labeling Systems

It contains the means of data representation. Since a great amount confuses users, labeling is a great way to make the design simpler. This is the very reason why designers make labels that signify lots of data in a few words. An example of this would be when there is the contact tab on a website. That contact tab usually contains the email, social media contacts, phone number, and even location at times. There is no way to represent all of that information on one page, so designers use the word “contact” the attention of the users. The goal of the labeling system is to unite the data effectively.

Navigation systems

This system is a set of actions and methods that guides users to navigate a website or application allowing them to achieve their goals and successfully interact with the product. It contains the ways users browse content. It’s a complicated system that uses many techniques and approaches.

Searching systems

When users fail to find what they are searching for, there is a big chance that they will abandon the product or website. Information architects devote their time constructing information, so it is easy for users to find what they are searching for. They construct information in places users expect to discover it. An example would be when a user is searching for contact information, the first thing they look for would be a tab that says “Contact Us” or “Contact. The more information a website or application has, the bigger the role of information architecture in the User Experience design process.

Knowing how to communicate is essential when it comes to everything and the same applies to information architecture. Information Architects must communicate efficiently with other development teams. Communication can be very difficult since information architecture is very intangible and abstract. Some ways to communicate is by having designers along with their team members speaking the language of their users whenever they communicate. Designers should use models, along with informal ones, in order to speak with users and tackle bigger problems of communication. Furthermore, designers should consider their users in every conversation, constantly looking for better ways to communicate. The success of a design project varies on successful communication skills and great collaboration between team members (Morville, 2013).

Content is the main reason for people visiting websites or applications. Just like it is important to make content that users find valuable, it is equally as important to make sure that the content is easy to find. Understanding the skeletons of the design right from the very start will save a massive amount of time, work, and finances in the long term. Well-considered information architecture is vital to guaranteeing users locating information on a website or application.

Information architecture is a fundamental part of an influential user experience design. Well-organized information architecture aids users to quickly and easily browse through content and locate everything they need without struggling. This is the very reason designers are encouraged to learn the basics of information architecture. The matter of information architecture is wide and there are many interesting and beneficial aspects.

Works Cited

Morville, P. (2013, February 14). Information Architecture for the World Wide web. Retrieved from O’REILLY: https://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/web2/infoarch/index.htm

Team, U. B. (2015, December 22). Complete Beginner’s Guide to Information Architecture. Retrieved from UXbooth: https://www.uxbooth.com/articles/complete-beginners-guide-to-information-architecture/

Tubik. (2017, May 25). Information Architecture. Basics for Designers. Retrieved from uxplanet: https://uxplanet.org/information-architecture-basics-for-designers-b5d43df62e20#:~:text=Pioneers%20of%20the%20IA%20field,navigation%20systems%20and%20searching%20systems.