CRyder Design

What Is An Information Architecture?

If you are not familiar with the world of design, the phrase ‘information architecture’ may be unfamiliar to you. You may be thinking, “What does architecture have to do with an app or a website?” This is completely understandable, but let me explain the concept.

An information architecture is the process of laying the foundation for an app or website. It allows designers to ensure that everything is correctly placed and will work together with other elements, similar to planning to build a house. Author Nick Babich explains, “If you want to build a great house, the person to call is an architect. We all know this, but architecture applies not only to traditional buildings but also to the information space. Similar to buildings, digital products require a solid foundation.” Though this analogy may have cleared things up a bit, I’m sure you’re still thinking, “Okay, it’s a blueprint. But how does it work? What does this thing look like?” Let me tell you.

How Does It Work?

Each information architecture will look a bit different from the next. Designers can customize them to fit the specific needs of their projects. The colors and typeface may look a bit different, they may be oriented differently, and they may have a different method of organization. But although they may all look a bit different, every information architecture should have a few key elements. According to Babich, these include but are not limited to, hierarchy, navigation, taxonomy, and labeling. It is important for the information architecture to be easily understood by anyone who looks at it, design background or not. So sometimes, the designer will also include a key for the viewer to follow throughout and make sense of the information.

Information Architecture In Action

Recently I was tasked with choosing a website for a town or city and mapping out its current information architecture. I chose to do the website for my hometown, Roscoe, NY.  After looking through the navigation and moving throughout the site to gain an understanding of how the information is currently organized, I developed an information architecture to reflect it.

Although the existing information architecture works, everything has room for improvement. I developed a new and improved information architecture to improve the user experience. Because I had already familiarized myself with the contents of the site, I was able to move around elements to group them in a different manner so that users could find them more easily.

Next Steps

In Part B of this project, I discuss the benefits of developing information architectures, as well as how they can be utilized in the development of an app or a website. I also begin to explore the idea of building a companion app for Roscoe’s website. Check out Part B here.