Websites with a Plan: Information Architecture Matters
Remember browsing through eye-gouging sites such as this?
This site is an example of Information Architecture gone horribly wrong. We see blocks of information scattered across the page, very minimal classification and categorization of content in this layout, and essentially no rhyme or reason that dictates the best course a user could take to access information efficiently. High School Sports in Mississippi’s website is an extreme example; however, it highlights how integral a role Information Architecture plays in ensuring a delightful experience when designing and developing digital interfaces and experiences.
So what is Information Architecture exactly?
Information Architecture is the structural design of information or content — including text, photos and videos — within a digital product. IA focuses on the interplay of three main components, that when implemented correctly, can deliver a wonderful user experience:
1. Ontology
2. Taxonomy
3. Choreography
Ontology
Ontology refers to the particular meaning established for a product or service.
We use Labels and Tags to help provide meaning and to categorize information. For example, apples could be placed in a category labeled “Produce.” Or we could apply tags such as “healthy” or “seasonal’ to a recipe online to help make sense of the contents attributes.
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the arrangement of parts in the way we present information, it is a method to visually communicate the hierarchy and relationships between content. Taxonomies can be broken down into two concepts:
1. Classification — Used to put like elements together
2. Hierarchy — Used to rank information (importance, frequency, alphabetical, numerical, recency)
Choreography
Choreography refers to the rules for interaction among the parts, it is often defined in terms of a User Flow as a path through a product that a user takes to accomplish a task.
Case and Point
Spotify is a beautiful example that displays this intricate convergence of ontology, taxonomy, and choreography. Here are key IA elements on Spotify’s webpage that contribute to its world class user experience:
Ontology: Spotify labels content (music) into one of five categories: Overview, Charts, Genres & Moods, New Releases, Discover and organizes this content in the navigation panel.
Taxonomy: The Global Top 50 Page shows songs and artists (classification) organized by number of daily plays (a form of hierarchy, in this case the frequency of plays).
Choreography: From here, the user could take multiple paths to listening to music such as clicking on a specific song listed in the Global Top 50 list and hitting play, or resuming their search through various means outlined on the navigation bar on the left.
Information Architecture creates a consistent way to communicate information to users, building on familiarity around content, structures and flows. IA ultimately serves to remove a cognitive strain from users, enabling them to perform actions and reach their end goals in the most seamless manner possible.
Sources:
Designlab lectures:
· Intro to Information Architecture
· IA Heuristics