Information architecture

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Information architecture describes the process of designing the structure of an information offer.

The information architecture of an information offer includes the meaningful subdivision of the content, the navigation paths and search options within the offer and the usable design of the access to the information. When designing the information architecture, it is determined how a user can interact with an information system . For this purpose, information units and functions are first defined and named and these units and functions are grouped and placed in the information offer.

The term information architecture is mainly used in connection with the planning and design of websites , intranets , apps, kiosk and database systems.

The aim of the information architecture is a user-friendly design ( usability ) that is as target-group-oriented as possible , in order to create the best possible usability of the information offer to be transported.

Concept history

Richard Saul Wurman (2012)

Lyle R. Jonson and Frederick P. Brooks at IBM spoke of architecture in computer science as early as 1959 to describe the structure of the stretch supercomputer .

In 1970, a group of natural and library scientists was commissioned at Xerox to create an " information architecture ". In the past, the term information architecture was also used in computer science to denote network architectures or to denote chip design .

The term “ information architect ” is traced back to the architect and graphic artist Richard Saul Wurman (* 1935). In 1976 he gave a conference of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) the topic " The Architecture of Information " and gave a lecture there with the same title. In 1996 he published a book entitled " Information architects ". The topic of information architecture attracted attention in 1998 through the book " Information Architecture for the World Wide Web " by Lou Rosenfeld and Peter Morville.

aims

When designing an information architecture, the aim is to make the contents of an information system accessible in such a way that both the needs of the users and those of the operator are satisfied as best as possible. The system should be easy and intuitive to use. It should provide quick and easy orientation and adapt to the search behavior of the target group for which the information is intended. In this context, methods of usability testing are particularly helpful for the design of an information architecture.

At the same time, the design must include the wider context of the system. There can be financial or technical barriers or certain business goals determine the purpose of the system, which must be met as well as the needs of the user. The content of the information system is structured under these conditions. Depending on what kind of content it is, this can influence the design. In addition, the information should be structured in such a way that it is easy to find and retrieve. At the same time, easy expandability can be a requirement when structuring the content.

"An effective IA was and is a structure that does not get in the way of the user, but rather helps to achieve a desired goal within a (mostly digital) information system."

- Jan Jursa : In an interview, “ […] What actually is information architecture? "

layout

The design of an information architecture comprises several components. This includes the organization and naming of the content, the navigation and the search. Information architecture deals with the questions of how the content should best be structured based on the given requirements and how this content should then best be named. It deals with how the navigation between the contents could work best and which elements the navigation system of the information offer needs for this. Last but not least, this also includes the question of how the content is found in the search, how the search engine should work, i.e. according to which principles should be indexed and the search results returned.

The information system is designed for a specific user. So it should be known who is using the system and how they are using the system. Which information would like to be used by the users should also be determined. The methods of usability testing are particularly suitable for this .

Various aspects of the content of the information offer influence the design of the information architecture. First there is the scope of the content to be structured. An information architecture for a lot of content has to be structured differently than one for very little. The format of the content is also crucial. Is it text, or maybe pictures or something completely different? The structure of the content is also important. In which units can the content be presented? How finely can the elements be separated from one another? How much and what metadata is there for the content? And finally, it must be considered how dynamic the corpus of the content is, how often it is e.g. B. needs to be renewed. Last but not least, it can be important who has the rights to the content, as this can have consequences for its use.

Top-down information architecture

When designing the information architecture for a website, one can think of the information architecture from two sides. One approach is the top-down information architecture. You work out what the most wanted information will be in advance. When designing in this direction, one usually assumes that the user enters on the start page and wants to orientate himself further through the offer from here. The entry point should therefore be able to make it clear to the user where he is and how he can navigate through the offer. It should be clear at a glance what kind of page it is and what he can do with it. If he already knows what he wants, he should be able to quickly grasp how to find it.

Bottom-up information architecture

When designing websites, in particular, it can be of advantage to realize that the user will not always navigate down through the offer from above, but may land in the middle of the information offer, e.g. B. by entering via a search engine. From this point of view, too, the information architecture must be able to convey to the user where he is, what he can find on the website for an offer and how he can proceed from there.

Methods and tools

A website wireframe for a personal profile

There are many things to consider and discuss when designing an information architecture. The design is definitely interdisciplinary. The methods are therefore diverse, but are also used in other areas. To find out what the user wants and how he uses an information system, usability testing methods are suitable . Also, the interaction design provides methods and tools that can be helpful in designing an information architecture.

The structure of a website is often visualized. Wireframes are suitable for recording the basic structure of a single website . The individual elements of the website and their positioning are shown here. In addition, schemes are often drawn, which should show the navigation paths through the offer or the structuring of the content in the form of a mind map or a tree diagram. Participatory methods such as card sorting can be used to determine a suitable menu structure . Possible or future users of an information system are asked to name and arrange the elements as they would expect to find them. Also customer journey -Maps can assist in designing the information architecture. Here, the user's "path" is traced in the interaction with the offer.

job profile

The profession of information architect is not a protected term. Another name is also conceptual . Depending on the professional environment, experience designers, visual designers, researchers and strategic planners also take on the tasks of an information architect . There are also many ways to get into this profession. They range from studying computer science to library and information science, computational linguistics, human-computer interaction, German studies and journalism. Information architects often work in agencies or independently. Closely related to this are services in the field of web design, communication, interaction design and software development.

The Information Architecture Institute is a non-profit organization of information architects and concepts. You are committed to promoting information architecture in research and education worldwide. With the GermanUPA there is also a German professional association in which information architects and concept developers are organized.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Remo Aslak Burkhard: Information architecture . In: Wibke Weber (Ed.): Kompendium Informationsdesign . Springer: Berlin 2013, p. 308
  2. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd edition O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 4
  3. ^ Pake, GE (1985). Research at Xerox PARC: a founder's assessment. IEEE Spectrum, October 1985. Quoted by Hearst, Marti A. Research in Support of Digital Libraries at Xerox PARC. Part I: The Changing Social Roles of Documents. D-Lib Magazine, May 1996.
  4. ^ Remo Aslak Burkhard: Information architecture . In: Wibke Weber (Ed.): Kompendium Informationsdesign . Springer: Berlin 2013, p. 306
  5. ^ Richard Saul Wurman awarded for Lifetime Achievement by Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. (No longer available online.) In: "wurman.com". May 4, 2012, archived from the original on February 15, 2012 ; Retrieved December 14, 2012 (the source is a frame from www.wurman.com/rsw/index.html ). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wurman.com
  6. ^ R. E. Wyllys: Information Architecture. In: "Graduate School of Library and Information Science" of the University of Texas at Austin . October 16, 2001, accessed December 14, 2012 .
  7. ^ Richard S. Wurman: Information Architects . The Design of Information to Improve, Clarify and Facilitate the Process of Communication. Ed .: Peter Bradford. Graphis Press, Zurich 1996, ISBN 1-888001-38-0 (other ISBN 3857094583 ). Richard Saul Wurman: "Information" architects "on Google books
  8. ↑ Andrea Resmini; Luca Rosati: A brief history of Information Architecture In: Journal of Information Architecture Vol. 3 (2011), No. 2, p. 35
  9. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd edition O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 25
  10. ↑ Jan Jursa: The silent secret of good websites: What actually is information architecture? In: "better2.0". Frank Wolf, January 28, 2010, accessed December 14, 2012 .
  11. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd ed. O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 49
  12. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd edition O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 28
  13. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd edition. O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, pp. 27f.
  14. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd edition. O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 46f.
  15. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd ed. O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 48
  16. ^ Institute of Information Architecture - Tools Overview
  17. ↑ Jan Jursa; Stephen Köver, Jutta Grünewald (ed.): UX Storytellers. Connecting the dots . Berlin 2010.
  18. ↑ Peter Morville; Louis Rosenfeld: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . 3rd ed. O'Reilly: Sebastopol 2007, p. 483

literature

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