{"id":2100,"date":"2016-11-29T11:30:32","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T11:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/web\/?p=2100"},"modified":"2016-11-29T09:20:25","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T09:20:25","slug":"an-introduction-to-information-architecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/web\/2016\/11\/29\/an-introduction-to-information-architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Information Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my post about our minimalist approach to the web<\/a>, I said that you should respect your users\u2019 time by only providing them with essential information, and by guiding them through your website in a helpful way.<\/p>\n

The best way\u00a0to do this is by having good information architecture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Information architecture is about deciding how something is organised<\/strong>. It\u2019s not just about where your content is, it\u2019s about the placement and design<\/strong> of that content, and what message that sends to your users.<\/p>\n

I think the best way to explain this is with an example…<\/p>\n

Example<\/h2>\n

In this example from the old Faculty of Medical Sciences website, five postgraduate taught programmes appear as sub-menu items in the sidebar, while the rest appear as bulleted list items on the page.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

Some degree programmes appear as menu items in the left-hand navigation, others appear as links in the main body of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n

In reality, there is no significant difference between these programmes, but the way they\u2019re organised gives a false impression of hierarchy. It ascribes importance to the ones in the sidebar. Users could leave this page with the impression that the faculty values the programmes in the sidebar more highly than the ones in the list.<\/p>\n

Here is the same page on the new Faculty of Medical Sciences website.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

All degree programmes appear as links in the main body of the page. The list is separated by subject and ordered alphabetically.<\/p><\/div>\n

All of the taught programmes are now listed in alphabetical order in the main part of the page. They all look equally important and they\u2019re easier for the user to navigate.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0links take the user to the central postgraduate website. This fits in with our university-wide web strategy; creating a seamless browsing experience and ensuring that the user will receive the most accurate and appropriate course information.<\/p>\n

For another example of how information architecture works, read\u00a0Understanding information architecture via my bookshelf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Benefits of good information architecture<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good information architecture aids the user journey<\/strong>. It helps people to navigate through your site in a way that makes sense, before arriving at the information they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

Bad information architecture hinders the user journey. It confuses people by providing the wrong information at the wrong time, in the wrong place.<\/p>\n

Information architecture also\u00a0helps control the interpretation of your content, and communicate what you<\/strong> intend<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Websites with good information architecture are better for users because:<\/p>\n