Information Architecture

Several years ago (2003 - 2005) when I was an Information Architect at Creo (a once-upon-a-time tech darling in BC that got bought out by Kodak) I learned a very valuable lesson about the weight that data and evidence carried over my in-depth knowledge of the content and IA (information architecture) of the site.

Companies spend a lot of money developing a navigation structure but often do not spend much time testing it with users. We know it’s important to test our navigation structures, especially on content-rich websites but testing often gets shortened, pushed to the end of a project or eliminated all together.

Recently a friend of mine asked me if I knew any freelance writers who would be interested in a temporary gig. He needed someone to write a few general audience pamphlets about his gaming company. Nothing too technical. 

Both. Information Architects often complain about doing content audits and try to pass the task to someone else. Yes it can be laborious to do one, especially on a large website, but it is a valuable tool for developing an information architecture. In fact, I find the best way to understand your content is to do a content audit.

Last week a client asked me that very question, “What are the best labels to use on this website?” ADGi had been engaged to complete an assessment of the company’s current website's information architecture.

The subject of information architectures based on audience types has cropped up around the office a lot lately. A number of our clients are talking about it. It is a popular approach, one that seems to logically support user-centered design principles. But it is an approach that can reduce the findability success rate of a site and disrupt the user experience.