The underlying information architecture (IA) of a website is an integral part of the design. This discipline involves not only the labelling and grouping of content on a website, but also the development of a website taxonomy, search, and navigation.
Some users are natural browsers who explore the website using the various forms of navigation present on a website. Other users naturally gravitate towards search before they would ever use other forms of navigation. It is important to consider both methods when designing an information architecture for a website in order to make the usability, navigation and findability of content easier for users.
This can involve activities like card sorting and task testing in order to derive a new IA or validate an existing IA for a website. This can be for an entire website or even just a portion and always gives us an insight into the mental models of the users for which we're designing the IA. It can also involve research and even the development of a full taxonomy for a website to make potentially the IA, the navigation, and the search a lot more powerful for users.
Deriving a mental model
My Experience
I have extensive experience conducting card sorts, either in-person or remotely, using online tools like OptimalSort. Analyzing card sorting results help derive IAs for content-based websites, for example like those found on external websites describing a business.
They apply equally to task-based websites (for example, the IA of a site you've signed into and wish to manage your account online). In these instances, your user goals involve accomplishing a task with your membership. This can be used at a high-level to create conceptual IAs or even more detailed IAs if the structure is small or if you choose to focus on a smaller section of a larger IA.
Task testing results
To evaluate current IAs, I have extensive experience using Treejack, a task-based, online usability testing tool. This approach allows us to evaluate the IA (either a portion or a full IA) in isolation from the page layout, page design, and search. Using these findings we can recommend changes and tweaks to the grouping and naming of elements in the IA.
I have also had experience designing navigation and search experiences for several clients including:
- membership portals
- larger external websites
- task-based account experiences
- intranets of many different types of companies