Basics of Information Architecture and Analysis of the 1979 NYC Subway Map
“Clarity is king.” — John Tauranac
In the field of user experience, information architecture (IA) kneads in clarity to a cluster of content. The Information Architecture Institute states, “good IA helps people to understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for — in the real world as well as online”.
IA provides a clear foundation and structures information through the interplay between ontology, taxonomy, and choreography.
· Ontology – meaning of content (think labels and tags)
· Taxonomy – organization of information (classification and hierarchy)
· Choreography – showing users how to move through space (navigation, search, and user flow)
With a basic understanding of IA, I’ll be analyzing a print example — the 1979 NYC Subway Map.
John Tauranac, a New Yorker and former copywriter, began to extensively explore his passion for the city’s pathways in the underground subways. He drafted an underground map, which was published in New York Magazine, and was hired by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to write travel guides in 1974.
From there, Tauranac came to lead in the design of the classic subway map in 1976, to be finally printed in 1979. Although the previous map variation of 1972 had been schematic (system displayed in abstract symbols) for the sake of aesthetics, Tauranac had the new map designed from a geographic perspective for clarity.
The IA of Tauranac’s NYC subway map can be analyzed in the following ways. Looking at the ontology, the map is made up of visual components such as color-coded trunk lines, differentiating shapes for express and regular service, and numbers and letters to represent different trains.
For taxonomy, trains that travel along a specific trunk line are color-coded to it so that users understand quickly which trains go on which route. The geographic perspective is also part of the taxonomy, by organizing map information for a clearer understanding of surroundings.
Last but not least, the choreography of the subway map can be seen in the legend, which serves as a navigation that directs users on how to make sense of the map.
As Tauranac succinctly puts, “clarity is king” when it comes to information architecture in the real world as well as online.
