🎨Design Strategy and Software Unit 3 – Information Architecture & User Flows

What's Information Architecture?

• Organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way
• Focuses on arranging the parts of something to be understandable
• Combines principles of design, architecture and information science
• Helps users find information and complete tasks
• Encompasses different taxonomies, metadata schemas and categorization
• Involves creating site maps, hierarchies, categorizations, navigation, and metadata
• Ensures content is findable and understandable

Key Principles of IA

• The principle of objects (content should be treated as a living, breathing thing with a lifecycle, behaviors, and attributes)
• The principle of choices (less is more - keep the number of choices to a minimum)
• The principle of disclosure (show only enough information to help people understand what kinds of information they'll find as they dig deeper)
• The principle of exemplars (describe the contents of categories by showing examples of the contents)
• The principle of front doors (assume at least half of the website's visitors will come through some page other than the home page)
  • Ensure each page has the right context and navigation options
• The principle of multiple classification (offer users several different classification schemes to browse the site's content)
• The principle of focused navigation (don't mix apples and oranges in your navigation scheme)

User Flow Basics

• A user flow is the path a user follows through an application or website
• It's a diagram showing the steps a user takes to complete a task
• User flows help designers understand how users will navigate through a system
• They are useful for identifying potential pain points or areas of confusion
• User flows should be created early in the design process
  • Can be refined as more information about users and their needs is gathered
• They typically include the entry point, steps the user takes, and the final interaction or goal
• Different shapes or symbols are used to represent different types of actions or steps

Mapping User Journeys

• A user journey map is a visualization of the process that a user goes through to accomplish a goal
• It's a more holistic view of the user's experience, beyond just a single task or flow
• Journey maps include the user's emotions, motivations, and questions throughout the experience
• They often incorporate storytelling to create a narrative around the user's experience
• Key elements include personas, timeline, emotion, touchpoints, and channels
• Helps identify gaps or pain points in the current experience
  • Provides insights into opportunities for improvement
• Journey maps are created collaboratively with cross-functional teams
• They should be based on user research and data, not assumptions

IA Tools and Techniques

• Card sorting (a method used to help design or evaluate the information architecture of a site)
  • Participants organize topics into categories that make sense to them
  • Helps reveal how users think about and categorize information
• Tree testing (a way to evaluate a proposed site structure by asking users to find items based on the structure)
  • Helps identify where users get lost or confused in a site's navigation
• Wireframing (a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website or application)
  • Focuses on space allocation, prioritization of content, functionalities, and behaviors
• Sitemaps (a hierarchical diagram showing the structure of a website or application)
  • Provides a bird's eye view of the site's organization and navigation
• Taxonomies (a system of classification)
  • Used to organize and categorize content in a logical way
• Metadata (data that describes other data)
  • Helps with content findability and organization

Creating Effective Wireframes

• Start with low-fidelity sketches before moving to digital wireframes
• Focus on layout, not visual design
• Use placeholders for images and content
• Annotate wireframes to explain functionality or interactions
• Create wireframes for key pages or screens
  • Home page, main navigation pages, key landing pages, etc.
• Use consistent conventions and labeling throughout the wireframes
• Get feedback from stakeholders and iterate based on input
• Use wireframes to test and validate IA and navigation with users
  • Can be done through usability testing or click-through prototypes

Testing and Refining IA

• Usability testing (evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users)
  • Can be done on wireframes, prototypes, or live sites
  • Helps identify issues with IA, navigation, and overall user experience
• A/B testing (comparing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better)
  • Can be used to test different IA or navigation approaches
• Analytics (analyzing user behavior and site usage data)
  • Can reveal patterns and insights about how users navigate and interact with a site
• User feedback (collecting input from users through surveys, interviews, or other methods)
  • Provides qualitative insights to complement quantitative data
• Iterative refinement (making continuous improvements based on testing and feedback)
  • IA should be treated as a living, evolving system

Real-World IA Examples

• E-commerce sites (Amazon, eBay)
  • Complex IA with many categories, filters, and search options
  • Focus on helping users find and purchase products efficiently
• News sites (New York Times, BBC)
  • IA organized around topics, sections, and content types
  • Emphasis on discoverability and engagement
• Government sites (USA.gov, GOV.UK)
  • IA designed to help citizens find information and services
  • Focus on clear labeling and task-oriented navigation
• Educational sites (Khan Academy, Coursera)
  • IA structured around learning paths, subjects, and skill levels
  • Aim to support self-directed learning and progression
• Social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn)
  • IA centered on user profiles, connections, and content feeds
  • Designed to facilitate sharing, interaction, and community-building