Design: Information Architecture

When users cannot locate what they’re after, they often blame the overall product when the real issue is with the information architecture (IA). Properly labeling and organizing everything on a Web site can result in users easily finishing a task rather than getting frustrated and leaving.

For example, I once spent close to 12 minutes searching for a simple product-return policy, which was a rather frustrating experience that made me realize usability does have tangible impacts. I clicked through Customer Service, then Help Center, and Support, growing more and more frustrated as each page failed to deliver what I needed. When I finally found the return policy buried under Legal Information, I muttered, “Why would they hide this there?” Read More

“The practice of information architecture is the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use information on the Web.”—DSIA Research Initiative

Over the past two decades, the volatile evolution of Web applications and services has resulted in organizational uncertainty that has kept our understanding and framing of the information architect in constant flux. In the meantime, the reality of getting things done has resulted in a professional environment where the information architect is less important than the practitioner of information architecture (IA). Read More

Throughout my career as a user experience designer, I have continually asked myself three questions:

• What should my deliverables be?
• Will my deliverables provide clarity to me and their audience?
• Where do my deliverables and other efforts fit within the spectrum of UX design?

I have found that, if I do not answer these questions prior to creating a deliverable, my churn rate increases and deadlines slip.

When attempting to answer the third question, I use a framework I discovered early in my career: The Five Competencies of User Experience Design.PDF This framework comprises the competencies a UX professional or team requires. The following sections describe these five competencies, outline some questions each competency must answer, and show the groundwork and deliverables for which each competency is responsible. Read More