It goes by many names. Information design. Information architecture. User experience design. IA. Over the past decade, it’s also become a buzz word on the Net and about the Net, and in your heart of hearts you may be afraid it’s the part of your website you chose not to buy. What is Information Architecture [...]]]>

IA: turning your site into paths.

It goes by many names. Information design. Information architecture. User experience design. IA.

Over the past decade, it’s also become a buzz word on the Net and about the Net, and in your heart of hearts you may be afraid it’s the part of your website you chose not to buy.

What is Information Architecture anyway? And what makes it special enough that you should care—and even pay extra for it?

Full disclosure: I’ve got some stake in this topic. Information Architecture (or IA from here on) is a substantial part of my job here at The Worthwhile Company. But I like to see that as a pro and not a con. I’m not justifying my job description in this post; I’m explaining why the topic is important enough that I’d make it my job. Short answer? It’s awesome.

Murray Thompson’s award-winning entry in The Information Architecture Institute’s “Explain AI Contest.”

IA is Delivery
We’re in the Information Age and, like it or not, getting out of bed in the morning also means getting flooded with communication. Billboards, radio, signage, conversations, documents—and, oh right, websites. As you might suspect, some of this communication really seems to work; some doesn’t. Why is that?

It’s because communication often works as well as its delivery system. You wouldn’t structure your annual report like an encyclopedia. You wouldn’t advertise with a toothpick. Yet, given the same logic, many companies design their website like it’s a set of cabinets. Each product, service or division is given its own space, and it’s up to the user to open the right cabinet. Did you pick the wrong door? Try again! Find the right door? OK, now figure out how to contact us! (Hint: it’s in another cabinet).

This is where IA comes in handy. According to one of the best definitions out there, it’s

The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities, and software to support findability and usability.

So, it’s organizing that promotes findability and usability. Sound like a good idea, eh? I agree. Essentially, IA is shaping your online information into a sleek information delivery system. But that’s not all.

Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville argue that IA is an understanding of where Content, Context and Users meet.

IA is Intuition
A good website is also intuitive. You can tell immediately where you want to go and where you don’t. The site’s options connect with the questions you want answered. The site feels made for you (the customer) and not for the company’s CEO. From start to finish, you get clarity about where to go, momentum to take you there and recognition when you’re done. Say, how about a website that works like a building?

The fine people at Information is Beautiful used IA principles to create this brilliant diagram of American politics.

IA is Extra
Even though a good site feels natural for the user, that doesn’t mean it was simple for the firm creating it. There’s a lot of work that goes into shaping your site’s information into hallways and rooms and bright signage and even exit doors that lead into the right parking lots. It takes user interviews and market research, content strategy, functionality options and an understanding of your sales process. Most of all, it takes thinking like your customer. That’s not easy for a company to do: have you ever tried looking at your back?

Here’s a simpler strategy: hire an Information Architect. At The Worthwhile Company, we incorporate IA into every new project, and even into some of our ongoing projects. For more info on the topic, visit the wonderful community at Boxes and Arrows.

What’s your experience with IA? Have some sites gotten you lost? Have others seemed to be one step ahead of you? Would you pay extra for a site like that?

I was searching through my faithful laptop bag and I found a gift certificate a friend had given me for Christmas this past year. I totally forgot about it, but between old receipts and expired coupons there was my Horizon Records gift certificate. If you haven’t been to Horizon, they have an eclectic variety of [...]]]>

I was searching through my faithful laptop bag and I found a gift certificate a friend had given me for Christmas this past year. I totally forgot about it, but between old receipts and expired coupons there was my Horizon Records gift certificate. If you haven’t been to Horizon, they have an eclectic variety of tunes, old vinyl records, books, movies, cds  and much more. Very cool place, and as a bonus if you go there mid-day you can enjoy the wafting of deliciousness from The Bohemian Cafe lunch menu (I recommend the Cuban sandwich, it’s magically delicious).

I realized that I had not been to a physical music store in a long, long time. I used to go to a place in Atlanta called Rainbow Records to get the latest cassette tapes of my favorite guitar players, or find an old Bee Gees album. What I remember most about those visits is that once I stepped in the store, I seemed to forget all about what I came in for– I couldn’t resist the urge to scour every single rack, from A to Z. This time was no different. I had an idea of some things that I wanted, but when I walked in I stood still for a minute, not sure which direction to go. I was the feeling the same “I wanna browse” feeling I used to feel. It was great.

After looking around for a little while I asked the girl at the register for help. “I can’t make up my mind, I could browse all day. Maybe some blues. What good blues would you recommend?” I asked her. She whipped out a Muddy Waters album that she said they could barely keep in stock–live 1966 show at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Sweet, sold. I also picked up a copy of the Dave Matthews Band’s latest album that I was planning on getting through iTunes. It was on sale here.

My experience at Horizon make me realize just how ‘easy and convenient’ the internet is trying to be. Facebook serves ads that I may have interest in, Ebay and Amazon suggest things I might wanna buy, but all of this can’t match the user experience I get when I walk into a store and interact with a human. Maybe I’d be more comfortable if websites had a weird smell or if they cracked dumb jokes instead of trying to perfect the art of guessing what I’m thinking. Maybe I’m just weird myself, and I probably smell funny. Meanwhile, I’ll keep trying to achieve that ultimate user experiences as I build websites. Hmmmm.