Information Architecture

Hello Again,

Hoping to ever expand the knowledge out there in cyberspace, I am offering some clarity on Information Architecture.

What is Information Architecture?

Well, if you watch YouTube, you can be entertained and further confused on the role of an Information Architect. See this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv59MOxrOGA.

OK, so if you watched that video you should totally understand it! Just kidding, per Glenda Sims in Interact with Web Standards, Information Architects incorporate the following:
1 - Determine the Primary Audience Goals
2 - Develop Personas
3 - Complete Current Content Inventory
4 - Conduct a Competitive Analysis
5 - Develop a Content Strategy
6 - Create a Content Outline
7 - Conduct Content Gap Analysis
8 - Create a Site Diagram
9 - Create Page Description Diagrams
10 - Develop Wireframes

Wired's Webmonkey has a straight forward tutorial posted online which allows you to review and answer specific questions. There are 5 lessons plus an introduction. See the below link:
http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/02/information_architecture_tutorial/

Lesson 1 focuses on why IA is so important with simple points and questions. It covers defining the site's goals, asking questions, filtering answers and the design document which incorporates the site goals.

Lesson 2 focuses on the user experience. It covers defining the audience, creating scenarios, doing competitive analysis and adding to the design document - these three areas.

Lesson 3 gets into content. It helps you to identify content and functional needs, group and label content and incorporating these requirements into the design document.

Lesson 4 involves metaphor exploration where you can "refine your vision of the site's structure", setting it into stone where you create the site's structure, defining navigation and incorporating these into the design document.

Lesson 5 covered the layout grids, design sketches, page mock ups and further integrated into the design document.

It takes a little time to review the lessons and it is worth the effort as a companion to the Web Standards text.

I found both the online lessons and the chapters in Web Standards to be helpful for prompting questions that at first seem obvious but are often overlooked when there is not a structure and solid planning completed. Both featured good examples, adequate charts and graphics to help the new information architect.

More later. ch