The Process of Information Architecture(IA)

A Quick Guide to Information Architecture in UX

Published in

Bootcamp

4 min readOct 15, 2020

After the user research, one of the earliest steps in the UX design process is Information Architecture(IA). It is one of the most important section in the UX design process, In this article, I am going to discuss the process of IA and the factors need to be considered while designing IA.

What is Information Architecture(IA)?

Information Architecture is organising the options and functions according to users needs in a logical way right from sign-up until the completion of the task. IA is necessary to make the flow of a website or an app seamless.

Process of Information Architecture:

As mentioned by Soojin Sielle Kim in her article, the process of Information Architecture is

1. Card sorting:

Card sorting is the process of grouping the relevant functions by engaging the user in the process, the functions and feature necessary for the app or website are written down in cards and the users are asked to group the relevant information. This gives a deep understanding of user expectations.

There are two different types of card sorting, they are

i. Open card sorting:

In open card sorting, the user can group the features in any way they like and as many groups they want.

ii. Closed card sorting:

In closed card sorting, the categories are given previously and the user is asked to group the cards based on the given categories.

2. Site mapping:

Site mapping is listing the pages in the website and arranging them based on the results obtained in the card sorting process, the pages are arranged based on information hierarchy. The numbers are given to pages based on the hierarchy and flow of the website. For example, 1.0 Home, 2.0 Payment, 2.1 Add Pay Method, etc.

3. User flow:

User flow is the steps taken by the user to complete a task. For example, booking a flight ticket includes searching for a flight, choosing the flight, choosing the seat, Passenger details, payment methods, ticket details, conform booking. So separate screens should be provided for every function to complete the task.

4. Competitor function analysis:

The functions in competitors website should be analysed, the factors like the reason for placing a menu at a particular place, the importance of information provided in the card, etc., should be analysed. The changes should be made on the site maps based on the competitor function analysis.

5. Heuristic evaluation:

Heuristic evaluation is used to test the usability of the interface, there are ten major rules to evaluate the usability of the interface.

Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/xgKmXwMfAqqkERGE9

Shapes to differentiate functions in IA:

To make the structure more readable and understandable, different shapes are used to differentiate the functions. In the example given below, the rectangle is used for screens, oval is used for pop-ups, the diamond shape is used for action and the polygon is used for tab.

Source: https://www.behance.net/queendychan

Factors need to consider during the IA process:

There are some nuances which needs to be considered while making an IA. Cognitive psychology is an important factor that needs to be considered while arranging the functions of a website. Cognitive psychology is understanding how the human mind works and how it can be influenced, Cognitive psychology includes the following as listed by Nick Babich, November 20, 2017.

i. Cognitive load:

Cognitive load is the maximum capacity of information that can be processed by human minds at a time, understanding this will help in limiting the information at a page and makes the tasks easier to complete.

ii. Mental model:

Mental models are assumptions that the user has before using the interface. For example, expecting a pop-up/confirmation message after the completion of a task.

iii. Gestalt principles:

Gestalt’s explains the visual perception of the user, this can be used to bring a significant amount of visual hierarchy, grouping and continuity in the interface.

Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/t5ZtqF8JyeeGXHyBA

iv. Visual hierarchy:

Visual hierarchy is the readability of the content in the interface, Placement of the elements also plays a major role in readability. The scanning patterns like F and Z are widely used to increase the readability of the content in the webpage.