is architecture full
Information System
Architecture
I ndra Tobing
What is IS Architecture
I nform at ion archit ect ure is t he t erm used t o
describe t he st ruct ure of a syst em , i.e t he way
inform at ion is grouped, t he navigat ion
m et hods and t erm inology used wit hin t he
syst em .
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure enables
people t o st ep logically t hrough a syst em
confident t hey are get t ing closer t o t he
inform at ion t hey require.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
2
What is IS Architecture
Most people only not ice inform at ion
archit ect ure when it is poor and st ops t hem
from finding t he inform at ion t hey require.
I nform at ion archit ect ure is m ost com m only
associat ed wit h websit es and int ranet s, but it
can be used in t he cont ext of any inform at ion
st ruct ures or com put er syst em s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
3
The evolution of information
architecture
The t erm “ inform at ion archit ect ure ” was first
coined by Richard Saul Wurm an in 1975.
Wurm an was t rained as an archit ect , but
becam e int erest ed in t he way inform at ion is
gat hered, organised and present ed t o convey
m eaning. Wurm an's init ial definit ion of
inform at ion archit ect ure was “ organising t he
pat t erns in dat a, m aking t he com plex clear ” .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
4
The evolution of information
architecture
The t erm was largely dorm ant unt il in 1996 it
was seized upon by a couple of library
scient ist s, Lou Rosenfeld and Pet er Morville .
They used t he t erm t o define t he work t hey
were doing st ruct uring large - scale websit es
and int ranet s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
5
The evolution of information
architecture
I n I nform at ion Archit ect ure for t he World Wide
Web: Designing Large - Scale Web Sit es t hey
define inform at ion archit ect ure as:
The com binat ion of organisat ion , labelling ,
and navigat ion schem es wit hin an inform at ion
syst em .
2. The st ruct ural design of an inform at ion space
t o facilit at e t ask com plet ion and int uit ive
access t o cont ent .
1.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
6
The evolution of information
architecture
The art and science of st ruct uring and
classifying web sit es and int ranet s t o help
people find and m anage inform at ion.
4. An em erging discipline and com m unit y of
pract ice focused on bringing principles of
design and archit ect ure t o t he digit al
landscape.
3.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
7
The evolution of information
architecture
Today Wurm an's influence on inform at ion
archit ect ure is fairly m inim al, but m any of t he
m et aphors used t o describe t he discipline echo
t he work done by archit ect s. For exam ple,
inform at ion archit ect ure is described as t he
blueprint developers and designers use t o build
t he syst em .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
8
Common problems
The m ost com m on problem wit h inform at ion
archit ect ures is t hat t hey sim ply m im ic a
com pany ’ s organisat ional st ruct ure.
Alt hough t his can oft en appear logical and an
easy solut ion for t hose involved in defining
t he archit ect ure, people using syst em s ( even
int ranet s) oft en don ’ t know or t hink in t erm s
of organisat ional st ruct ure when t rying t o find
inform at ion.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
9
How to create an effective
Information Architecture
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure com es
from underst anding business obj ect ives and
const raint s, t he cont ent , and t he requirem ent s
of t he people t hat will use t he sit e.
I nform at ion archit ect ure is oft en described
using t he following diagram :
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
10
How to create an effective
Information Architecture
Business / Context
Content
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
Users
11
Business Context
Underst anding an organisat ions’ business
obj ect ives, polit ics, cult ure, t echnology,
resources and const raint s is essent ial before
considering developm ent of t he inform at ion
archit ect ure.
Techniques for underst anding cont ext
include:
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
12
Business Context
Techniques for underst anding cont ext include:
• Reading exist ing docum ent at ion Mission
st at em ent s, organizat ion chart s, previous
research and vision docum ent s are a quick
way of building up an underst anding of t he
cont ext in which t he syst em m ust work.
• St akeholder int erviews Speaking t o
st akeholders provides valuable insight int o
business cont ext and can uneart h previously
unknown obj ect ives and issues.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
13
Content
The m ost effect ive m et hod for underst anding
t he quant it y and qualit y of cont ent ( i.e.
funct ionalit y and inform at ion) proposed for a
syst em is t o conduct a cont ent invent ory.
Cont ent invent ories ident ify all of t he proposed
cont ent for a syst em , where t he cont ent
current ly resides, who owns it and any exist ing
relat ionships bet ween cont ent .
Cont ent invent ories are also com m only used t o
aid t he process of m igrat ing cont ent bet ween
t he old and new syst em s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
14
Users
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure m ust
reflect t he way people t hink about t he subj ect
m at t er. Techniques for get t ing users involved
in t he creat ion of an inform at ion archit ect ure
include:
• Card sort ing
Card sort ing involves represent at ive users
sort ing a series of cards, each labelled wit h a
piece of cont ent or funct ionalit y, int o groups
t hat m ake sense t o t hem . Card sort ing
generat es ideas for how inform at ion could be
grouped and labelled .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
15
Users
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure m ust reflect t he
way people t hink about t he subj ect m at t er. Techniques
for get t ing users involved in t he creat ion of an
inform at ion archit ect ure include:
Card - based classificat ion evaluat ion is a t echnique for
t est ing an inform at ion archit ect ure before it has been
im plem ent ed.
The t echnique involves writ ing each level of an
inform at ion archit ect ure on a large card, and
developing a set of inform at ion - seeking t asks for
people t o perform using t he archit ect ure.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
16
Styles of
Information Architecture
There are t wo m ain approaches t o defining
an inform at ion archit ect ure. These are:
• Top - down inform at ion archit ect ure This
involves developing a broad underst anding
of t he business st rat egies and user needs,
before defining t he high level st ruct ure of
sit e, and finally t he det ailed relat ionships
bet ween cont ent .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
17
Styles of
Information Architecture
There are t wo m ain approaches t o defining
an inform at ion archit ect ure. These are:
• Bot t om - up inform at ion archit ect ure
This involves underst anding t he det ailed relat ionships
bet ween cont ent , creat ing walkt hroughs ( or
st oryboards) t o show how t he syst em could support
specific user requirem ent s and t hen considering t he
higher level st ruct ure t hat will be required t o support
t hese requirem ent s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
18
Styles of
Information Architecture
Bot h of t hese t echniques are im port ant in a
proj ect .
A proj ect t hat ignores t op - down approaches
m ay result in well - organised , findable cont ent
t hat does not m eet t he needs of users or t he
business.
A proj ect t hat ignores bot t om - up approaches
m ay result in a sit e t hat allows people t o find
inform at ion but does not allow t hem t he
opport unit y t o explore relat ed cont ent .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
19
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
The following st eps define a process for creat ing an
effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure.
1. Underst and t he business/ cont ext ual requirem ent s
and t he proposed cont ent for t he syst em . Read all
exist ing docum ent at ion, int erview st akeholders and
conduct a cont ent invent ory.
2. Conduct cards sort ing exercises wit h a num ber of
represent at ive users.
3. Evaluat e t he out put of t he card sort ing exercises.
Look for t rends in grouping and labelling .
4. Develop a draft inform at ion archit ect ure ( i.e.
inform
groupings and hierarchy) .
I nform at ion at
Syst ion
em
Archit ect ure
20
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
5. Evaluat e t he draft inform at ion archit ect ure using
t he card - based classificat ion evaluat ion t echnique.
Don ’ t expect t o get t he inform at ion archit ect ure right
first t im e. Capt uring t he right t erm inology and
hierarchy m ay t ake several it erat ions.
6. Docum ent t he inform at ion archit ect ure in a sit e
m ap. This is not t he final sit e m ap, t he sit e m ap will
only be finalized aft er page layout s have been defined.
7. Define a num ber of com m on user t asks, such as
finding out about how t o request holiday leave. On
paper sket ch page layout s t o define how t he user will
st ep t hrough t he sit e. This t echnique is known as
st oryboarding.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
21
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
8. Walk ot her m em bers of t he proj ect t eam t hrough
t he st oryboards and leave t hem in shared workspaces
for com m ent s.
I f possible wit hin t he const raint s of t he proj ect , it is
good t o conduct t ask - based usabilit y t est s on paper
prot ot ypes as it provides valuable feedback wit hout
going t o t he expense of creat ing higher qualit y
designs.
9. Creat e det ailed page layout s t o support key user
t asks. Page layout s should be annot at ed wit h guidance
for visual designers and developers.
Developing an inform at ion archit ect ure in t his way
enables you t o design and build a syst em confident
I nform at ion Syst em
22
t hat
Archit ectit
ure will be successful.
Products from the IA process
Various m et hods are used t o capt ure and
define an inform at ion archit ect ure. Som e of
t he m ost com m on m et hods are:
1. Sit e m aps
2. Annot at ed page layout s
3. Cont ent m at rices
4. Page t em plat es
There are also a num ber of ot her possible by product s from t he process. Such as:
5. Prot ot ypes
6. St oryboards
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
23
Products from the IA process
1 . Sit e m a ps
Sit e m aps are perhaps t he m ost widely
known and underst ood deliverable from t he
process of defining an inform at ion
archit ect ure.
A sit e m ap is a high level diagram showing
t he hierarchy of a syst em . Sit e m aps reflect
t he inform at ion st ruct ure, but are not
necessarily indicat ive of t he navigat ion
st ruct ure.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
24
Products from the IA process
2 . An n ot a t e d pa ge la you t s
Page layout s define page level navigat ion,
cont ent t ypes and funct ional elem ent s.
Annot at ions are used t o provide guidance
for t he visual designers and developers who
will use t he page layout s t o build t he sit e.
Page layout s are alt ernat ively known as
wirefram es, blue print s or screen det ails.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
25
Products from the IA process
3 . Con t e n t m a t r ix
A cont ent m at rix list s each page in t he
syst em and ident ifies t he cont ent t hat will
appear on t hat page.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
26
Products from the IA process
4 . Pa ge t e m pla t e s
Page t em plat es m ay be required when
defining large - scale websit es and int ranet s.
Page t em plat es define t he layout of com m on
page elem ent s, such as global navigat ion,
cont ent and local navigat ion. Page
t em plat es are com m only used when
developing cont ent m anagem ent syst em s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
27
Products from the IA process
5 . Pr ot ot ype s
Prot ot ypes are m odels of t he syst em .
Prot ot ypes can be as sim ple as paper - based
sket ches, or as com plex as fully int eract ive
syst em s. Research shows t hat paper - based
prot ot ypes are j ust as effect ive for
ident ifying issues as fully int eract ive
syst em s.
Prot ot ypes are oft en developed t o bring t he
inform at ion archit ect ure t o life. Thus
enabling users and ot her m em bers of t he
proj ect t eam t o com m ent on t he archit ect ure
before t he syst em is built .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
28
Products from the IA process
6 . St or yboa r ds
St oryboards are anot her t echnique for
bringing t he inform at ion archit ect ure t o life
wit hout building it . St oryboards are sket ches
showing how a user would int eract wit h a
syst em t o com plet e a com m on t ask.
St oryboards enable ot her m em bers of t he
proj ect t eam t o underst and t he proposed
inform at ion archit ect ure before t he syst em is
built .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
29
IA and usability
Som e people find t he relat ionship and dist inct ion
bet ween inform at ion archit ect ure and usabilit y
unclear. I nform at ion archit ect ure is not t he sam e as
usabilit y, but t he t wo are closely relat ed. Usabilit y
encom passes t wo relat ed concept s:
1. Usabilit y is an at t ribut e of t he qualit y of a syst em :
“ we need t o creat e a usable int ranet ”
2. Usabilit y is a process or set of t echniques used
during a design and developm ent proj ect : “ we need
t o include usabilit y act ivit ies in t his proj ect ”
I n bot h cases usabilit y is a broader concept , whereas
inform at ion archit ect ure is far m ore specific.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
30
IA and usability
1. I A as an at t ribut e of t he qualit y of a syst em
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure is one
of a num ber of at t ribut es of a usable syst em .
Ot her fact ors involving t he usabilit y of a
syst em , include:
• visual design
• int eract ion design
• funct ionalit y
• cont ent writ ing.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
31
IA and usability
2. I A as a process during Design & Develop
The process for creat ing an effect ive
inform at ion archit ect ure is a sub - set of t he
usabilit y act ivit ies involved in a proj ect .
Alt hough weight ed t o t he beginning of t he
proj ect , usabilit y act ivit ies should cont inue
t hroughout a proj ect and evaluat e issues
beyond sim ply t he inform at ion archit ect ure.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
32
Who creates the IA?
I ncreasingly com panies are realizing t he im port ance
of inform at ion archit ect ure and are em ploying
specialist ‘ inform at ion archit ect s’ t o perform t his
role.
But inform at ion archit ect ure is also defined by:
• int ranet designers and m anagers
• websit e designers and m anagers
• visual designers
• ot her people designing inform at ion syst em s
• program m ers
• librarians
nform at ion Syst em
33
• IArchit
t echnical
writ ers
ect ure
Conclusion
I t sim ply isn ’ t good enough for organizat ions t o build
funct ionalit y or writ e cont ent , put it on t heir
com put er syst em s and expect people t o be able t o
find it .
Developing an effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure is
an essent ial st ep in t he developm ent of all com put er
syst em s.
Effect ive inform at ion archit ect ures enable people t o
quickly, easily and int uit ively find cont ent . This
avoids frust rat ion and increases t he chance t hat t he
user will ret urn t o t he syst em t he next t im e t hey
require sim ilar inform at ion.
Rem em ber: people can only appreciat e what t hey
can
act ually find.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
34
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
35
Architecture
I ndra Tobing
What is IS Architecture
I nform at ion archit ect ure is t he t erm used t o
describe t he st ruct ure of a syst em , i.e t he way
inform at ion is grouped, t he navigat ion
m et hods and t erm inology used wit hin t he
syst em .
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure enables
people t o st ep logically t hrough a syst em
confident t hey are get t ing closer t o t he
inform at ion t hey require.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
2
What is IS Architecture
Most people only not ice inform at ion
archit ect ure when it is poor and st ops t hem
from finding t he inform at ion t hey require.
I nform at ion archit ect ure is m ost com m only
associat ed wit h websit es and int ranet s, but it
can be used in t he cont ext of any inform at ion
st ruct ures or com put er syst em s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
3
The evolution of information
architecture
The t erm “ inform at ion archit ect ure ” was first
coined by Richard Saul Wurm an in 1975.
Wurm an was t rained as an archit ect , but
becam e int erest ed in t he way inform at ion is
gat hered, organised and present ed t o convey
m eaning. Wurm an's init ial definit ion of
inform at ion archit ect ure was “ organising t he
pat t erns in dat a, m aking t he com plex clear ” .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
4
The evolution of information
architecture
The t erm was largely dorm ant unt il in 1996 it
was seized upon by a couple of library
scient ist s, Lou Rosenfeld and Pet er Morville .
They used t he t erm t o define t he work t hey
were doing st ruct uring large - scale websit es
and int ranet s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
5
The evolution of information
architecture
I n I nform at ion Archit ect ure for t he World Wide
Web: Designing Large - Scale Web Sit es t hey
define inform at ion archit ect ure as:
The com binat ion of organisat ion , labelling ,
and navigat ion schem es wit hin an inform at ion
syst em .
2. The st ruct ural design of an inform at ion space
t o facilit at e t ask com plet ion and int uit ive
access t o cont ent .
1.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
6
The evolution of information
architecture
The art and science of st ruct uring and
classifying web sit es and int ranet s t o help
people find and m anage inform at ion.
4. An em erging discipline and com m unit y of
pract ice focused on bringing principles of
design and archit ect ure t o t he digit al
landscape.
3.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
7
The evolution of information
architecture
Today Wurm an's influence on inform at ion
archit ect ure is fairly m inim al, but m any of t he
m et aphors used t o describe t he discipline echo
t he work done by archit ect s. For exam ple,
inform at ion archit ect ure is described as t he
blueprint developers and designers use t o build
t he syst em .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
8
Common problems
The m ost com m on problem wit h inform at ion
archit ect ures is t hat t hey sim ply m im ic a
com pany ’ s organisat ional st ruct ure.
Alt hough t his can oft en appear logical and an
easy solut ion for t hose involved in defining
t he archit ect ure, people using syst em s ( even
int ranet s) oft en don ’ t know or t hink in t erm s
of organisat ional st ruct ure when t rying t o find
inform at ion.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
9
How to create an effective
Information Architecture
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure com es
from underst anding business obj ect ives and
const raint s, t he cont ent , and t he requirem ent s
of t he people t hat will use t he sit e.
I nform at ion archit ect ure is oft en described
using t he following diagram :
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
10
How to create an effective
Information Architecture
Business / Context
Content
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
Users
11
Business Context
Underst anding an organisat ions’ business
obj ect ives, polit ics, cult ure, t echnology,
resources and const raint s is essent ial before
considering developm ent of t he inform at ion
archit ect ure.
Techniques for underst anding cont ext
include:
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
12
Business Context
Techniques for underst anding cont ext include:
• Reading exist ing docum ent at ion Mission
st at em ent s, organizat ion chart s, previous
research and vision docum ent s are a quick
way of building up an underst anding of t he
cont ext in which t he syst em m ust work.
• St akeholder int erviews Speaking t o
st akeholders provides valuable insight int o
business cont ext and can uneart h previously
unknown obj ect ives and issues.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
13
Content
The m ost effect ive m et hod for underst anding
t he quant it y and qualit y of cont ent ( i.e.
funct ionalit y and inform at ion) proposed for a
syst em is t o conduct a cont ent invent ory.
Cont ent invent ories ident ify all of t he proposed
cont ent for a syst em , where t he cont ent
current ly resides, who owns it and any exist ing
relat ionships bet ween cont ent .
Cont ent invent ories are also com m only used t o
aid t he process of m igrat ing cont ent bet ween
t he old and new syst em s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
14
Users
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure m ust
reflect t he way people t hink about t he subj ect
m at t er. Techniques for get t ing users involved
in t he creat ion of an inform at ion archit ect ure
include:
• Card sort ing
Card sort ing involves represent at ive users
sort ing a series of cards, each labelled wit h a
piece of cont ent or funct ionalit y, int o groups
t hat m ake sense t o t hem . Card sort ing
generat es ideas for how inform at ion could be
grouped and labelled .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
15
Users
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure m ust reflect t he
way people t hink about t he subj ect m at t er. Techniques
for get t ing users involved in t he creat ion of an
inform at ion archit ect ure include:
Card - based classificat ion evaluat ion is a t echnique for
t est ing an inform at ion archit ect ure before it has been
im plem ent ed.
The t echnique involves writ ing each level of an
inform at ion archit ect ure on a large card, and
developing a set of inform at ion - seeking t asks for
people t o perform using t he archit ect ure.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
16
Styles of
Information Architecture
There are t wo m ain approaches t o defining
an inform at ion archit ect ure. These are:
• Top - down inform at ion archit ect ure This
involves developing a broad underst anding
of t he business st rat egies and user needs,
before defining t he high level st ruct ure of
sit e, and finally t he det ailed relat ionships
bet ween cont ent .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
17
Styles of
Information Architecture
There are t wo m ain approaches t o defining
an inform at ion archit ect ure. These are:
• Bot t om - up inform at ion archit ect ure
This involves underst anding t he det ailed relat ionships
bet ween cont ent , creat ing walkt hroughs ( or
st oryboards) t o show how t he syst em could support
specific user requirem ent s and t hen considering t he
higher level st ruct ure t hat will be required t o support
t hese requirem ent s.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
18
Styles of
Information Architecture
Bot h of t hese t echniques are im port ant in a
proj ect .
A proj ect t hat ignores t op - down approaches
m ay result in well - organised , findable cont ent
t hat does not m eet t he needs of users or t he
business.
A proj ect t hat ignores bot t om - up approaches
m ay result in a sit e t hat allows people t o find
inform at ion but does not allow t hem t he
opport unit y t o explore relat ed cont ent .
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
19
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
The following st eps define a process for creat ing an
effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure.
1. Underst and t he business/ cont ext ual requirem ent s
and t he proposed cont ent for t he syst em . Read all
exist ing docum ent at ion, int erview st akeholders and
conduct a cont ent invent ory.
2. Conduct cards sort ing exercises wit h a num ber of
represent at ive users.
3. Evaluat e t he out put of t he card sort ing exercises.
Look for t rends in grouping and labelling .
4. Develop a draft inform at ion archit ect ure ( i.e.
inform
groupings and hierarchy) .
I nform at ion at
Syst ion
em
Archit ect ure
20
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
5. Evaluat e t he draft inform at ion archit ect ure using
t he card - based classificat ion evaluat ion t echnique.
Don ’ t expect t o get t he inform at ion archit ect ure right
first t im e. Capt uring t he right t erm inology and
hierarchy m ay t ake several it erat ions.
6. Docum ent t he inform at ion archit ect ure in a sit e
m ap. This is not t he final sit e m ap, t he sit e m ap will
only be finalized aft er page layout s have been defined.
7. Define a num ber of com m on user t asks, such as
finding out about how t o request holiday leave. On
paper sket ch page layout s t o define how t he user will
st ep t hrough t he sit e. This t echnique is known as
st oryboarding.
I nform at ion Syst em
Archit ect ure
21
Creating an effective IA in 9 steps
8. Walk ot her m em bers of t he proj ect t eam t hrough
t he st oryboards and leave t hem in shared workspaces
for com m ent s.
I f possible wit hin t he const raint s of t he proj ect , it is
good t o conduct t ask - based usabilit y t est s on paper
prot ot ypes as it provides valuable feedback wit hout
going t o t he expense of creat ing higher qualit y
designs.
9. Creat e det ailed page layout s t o support key user
t asks. Page layout s should be annot at ed wit h guidance
for visual designers and developers.
Developing an inform at ion archit ect ure in t his way
enables you t o design and build a syst em confident
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t hat
Archit ectit
ure will be successful.
Products from the IA process
Various m et hods are used t o capt ure and
define an inform at ion archit ect ure. Som e of
t he m ost com m on m et hods are:
1. Sit e m aps
2. Annot at ed page layout s
3. Cont ent m at rices
4. Page t em plat es
There are also a num ber of ot her possible by product s from t he process. Such as:
5. Prot ot ypes
6. St oryboards
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
1 . Sit e m a ps
Sit e m aps are perhaps t he m ost widely
known and underst ood deliverable from t he
process of defining an inform at ion
archit ect ure.
A sit e m ap is a high level diagram showing
t he hierarchy of a syst em . Sit e m aps reflect
t he inform at ion st ruct ure, but are not
necessarily indicat ive of t he navigat ion
st ruct ure.
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
2 . An n ot a t e d pa ge la you t s
Page layout s define page level navigat ion,
cont ent t ypes and funct ional elem ent s.
Annot at ions are used t o provide guidance
for t he visual designers and developers who
will use t he page layout s t o build t he sit e.
Page layout s are alt ernat ively known as
wirefram es, blue print s or screen det ails.
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
3 . Con t e n t m a t r ix
A cont ent m at rix list s each page in t he
syst em and ident ifies t he cont ent t hat will
appear on t hat page.
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
4 . Pa ge t e m pla t e s
Page t em plat es m ay be required when
defining large - scale websit es and int ranet s.
Page t em plat es define t he layout of com m on
page elem ent s, such as global navigat ion,
cont ent and local navigat ion. Page
t em plat es are com m only used when
developing cont ent m anagem ent syst em s.
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
5 . Pr ot ot ype s
Prot ot ypes are m odels of t he syst em .
Prot ot ypes can be as sim ple as paper - based
sket ches, or as com plex as fully int eract ive
syst em s. Research shows t hat paper - based
prot ot ypes are j ust as effect ive for
ident ifying issues as fully int eract ive
syst em s.
Prot ot ypes are oft en developed t o bring t he
inform at ion archit ect ure t o life. Thus
enabling users and ot her m em bers of t he
proj ect t eam t o com m ent on t he archit ect ure
before t he syst em is built .
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Archit ect ure
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Products from the IA process
6 . St or yboa r ds
St oryboards are anot her t echnique for
bringing t he inform at ion archit ect ure t o life
wit hout building it . St oryboards are sket ches
showing how a user would int eract wit h a
syst em t o com plet e a com m on t ask.
St oryboards enable ot her m em bers of t he
proj ect t eam t o underst and t he proposed
inform at ion archit ect ure before t he syst em is
built .
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IA and usability
Som e people find t he relat ionship and dist inct ion
bet ween inform at ion archit ect ure and usabilit y
unclear. I nform at ion archit ect ure is not t he sam e as
usabilit y, but t he t wo are closely relat ed. Usabilit y
encom passes t wo relat ed concept s:
1. Usabilit y is an at t ribut e of t he qualit y of a syst em :
“ we need t o creat e a usable int ranet ”
2. Usabilit y is a process or set of t echniques used
during a design and developm ent proj ect : “ we need
t o include usabilit y act ivit ies in t his proj ect ”
I n bot h cases usabilit y is a broader concept , whereas
inform at ion archit ect ure is far m ore specific.
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IA and usability
1. I A as an at t ribut e of t he qualit y of a syst em
An effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure is one
of a num ber of at t ribut es of a usable syst em .
Ot her fact ors involving t he usabilit y of a
syst em , include:
• visual design
• int eract ion design
• funct ionalit y
• cont ent writ ing.
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IA and usability
2. I A as a process during Design & Develop
The process for creat ing an effect ive
inform at ion archit ect ure is a sub - set of t he
usabilit y act ivit ies involved in a proj ect .
Alt hough weight ed t o t he beginning of t he
proj ect , usabilit y act ivit ies should cont inue
t hroughout a proj ect and evaluat e issues
beyond sim ply t he inform at ion archit ect ure.
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Who creates the IA?
I ncreasingly com panies are realizing t he im port ance
of inform at ion archit ect ure and are em ploying
specialist ‘ inform at ion archit ect s’ t o perform t his
role.
But inform at ion archit ect ure is also defined by:
• int ranet designers and m anagers
• websit e designers and m anagers
• visual designers
• ot her people designing inform at ion syst em s
• program m ers
• librarians
nform at ion Syst em
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• IArchit
t echnical
writ ers
ect ure
Conclusion
I t sim ply isn ’ t good enough for organizat ions t o build
funct ionalit y or writ e cont ent , put it on t heir
com put er syst em s and expect people t o be able t o
find it .
Developing an effect ive inform at ion archit ect ure is
an essent ial st ep in t he developm ent of all com put er
syst em s.
Effect ive inform at ion archit ect ures enable people t o
quickly, easily and int uit ively find cont ent . This
avoids frust rat ion and increases t he chance t hat t he
user will ret urn t o t he syst em t he next t im e t hey
require sim ilar inform at ion.
Rem em ber: people can only appreciat e what t hey
can
act ually find.
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