https://youtu.be/Ij4WquJaRTc

Information architecture (IA) is the discipline of making information findable and understandable. It includes searching, browsing, categorizing, and presenting relevant and contextual information to help people understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for online and in the real world.

IA is used in physical spaces like museums or department stores, as well as in websites and applications. For instance, in a natural history museum, you will find fossils from the Jurassic period exhibited together, just as your favorite packet of chips will always be in the snack aisle of your supermarket.

Information architecture operates from two perspectives:

1. People perceive information, products, and services as places made of language.
2. These places or information environments can be arranged for optimal findability and understandability.

Language in this instance means visual elements, labels, descriptions, menus, and content. We can arrange this language so that it works together to facilitate understanding.

This phase involves organizing and structuring information in a way that is easy to navigate and understand. The goal of IA is to ensure that users can find what they need quickly and efficiently, leading to a better user experience.

To create an effective IA, designers must consider several key factors. These include the goals and needs of the user, the structure of the information being presented, and the context in which the information will be used.

Practical information and examples of IA include creating clear and concise labeling and organizing information into logical groups, creating a navigational structure that allows users to easily move between pages, and providing clear and concise instructions for completing tasks.

For example, when designing a website for a clothing brand, IA could involve organizing products into categories such as Men's, Women's, and Children's, then further breaking them down into subcategories such as Tops, Bottoms, and Accessories.

Key takeaways from the Information Architecture phase include the importance of understanding the user's needs and goals, creating a clear and logical structure for presenting information and ensuring that the navigational structure is easy to use and understand. Ultimately, an effective IA leads to a better user experience, making it more likely that users will return to the product and recommend it to others.

In the book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango describe the concept of “information ecology” which comprises users, content, and context “to address the complex dependencies” that exist “in information environments”. The Venn diagram above illustrates the nature of these relationships. “The three circles illustrate the interdependent nature of users, content, and context within a complex, adaptive information ecology.”

Context relates to business goals, funding, culture, technology, politics, resources, and constraints. Content consists of the document or data types, content objects, volume, and existing structures. Users comprise the audience, tasks, needs, experiences, and how they seek information.

Good information architecture is informed by all three areas, all of which are in flux depending on the information environment.

IA and UX design

As with all aspects of UX design, information architecture starts with understanding people—namely, their reasons to use a product or service. A methodical and comprehensive approach to structuring information is needed to make it findable and understandable irrespective of the context, channel, or medium employed by the user.

Once you understand how a user behaves and seeks information, you can design a successful sitemap (like the one shown below), website navigation, user flows, and so on.