A short discussion about Information Architecture
What we will cover
1	Organization
2	Navigation
3	Labeling
4	Searching and Browsing
5	Conceptual Design
Organizing Information
•	how we organize our information tells the world about who we are, what we are, what we stand for 
•	challenge of ever-growing WWW: more freedom to publish information, greater responsibility in organizing information
Organizing Information
•	classification systems are built on language which is often ambiguous (not clear)
•	challenge of putting together information in different formats: text, graphics, sound, etc. 
•	as information providers our view of how information should be organized may differ with those of the users
Organizational Schemes
•	alphabetical
•	chronological
•	geographical
•	topical
•	task-oriented
•	audience-specific
•	metaphor-driven
•	hybrid schemes
Organizational Structures
•	heirarchy: top-down approach
•	relational database model: bottom-up approach
Designing Navigation Systems
Provide Context 
•	it should be clear to users that they are in your site
•	indicate to user here location within the heirarchy of the site
Provide Flexibility
•	allow user to jump across branches (lateral navigation), or 
•	between multiple levels (vertical navigation)
Types of Navigation Systems
•	Heirarchical 
•	Global
•	Local
•	Adhoc
Navigation Elements
•	navigation bars
•	frames
•	pull down menus
•	remote navigation elements like: table of contents, index, site map, guided tour
Labeling
•	labels are needed to represent large groups of information effectively and efficiently without taking up too  much of a page’s vertical space
•	can be textual (use words) or iconic (use graphics)
•	used as links to information in other pages 
•	used as headings that break up and identify groups of information on the same page (
Example of labels
•	Main, Main Page, Home, Home Page
•	Search, Find, Browse, Search/Browse, Site Map, Contents, Table of Contents, Index
•	Contact, Conctact Us, Contact Webmaster, Feedback
•	Help, FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions
•	News, What’s New
•	About, About Us, About <organization’s name>, Who We Are
Why use labels?
•	users’ time is precious
•	we want our users to feel that we are reliable
•	we want the site’s labels to speak the same language as our users (this is real challenge in Asia!) 
A good labeling systems should be 
planned.
Some Tips
•	make your labels descriptive and differentiated from one another (example global vis-à-vis international)
•	use the same label consistently across your the site
•	scope notes can be helpful
•	study how other sites use labels 
•	consult existing thesauri
•	consult intended users
Searching or Browsing?
•	Users need to find information in our site more easily
•	Confusion over searchability and findability
•	Some many users want to search a site, others just want to browse
Users have different needs
•	some users don’t have time to browse
•	some users serach when they don’t necessarily need know what they are looking for
Users search for information differently 
•	known-item searching: they know exactly what they are looking for
•	existence searching: they know what they want but don’t know how to describe it
•	explanatory searching: they know how to phrase their question but don’t know exactly what they are hoping to find, they are just exploring 
•	research: they want everything that’s available  on a given topic 
Not all users are looking for the same thing. Anticipate the most common types of needs and ensure that these needs are met. 
Search Engines, when to 
build them
•	when the site has grown in volume of informaton and in complexity of organization
•	if the site contains highly dynamic content, e.g. updated on a daily basis
•	when you are ready with the responsibility of designing, configuring and maintaining a search engine
Searching and Browsing
•	users often alternate between searching and browsing
•	users often don’t know if they need to search or to browse
Conceptual Design
Designing our Web site involves answering the following: 
•	How should the information be organized?
•	How does the heirarchy look like?
•	How will the information be labeled at the highest level of heirarchy?
•	Are we implementing searching or browsing or both?
Collaborative Methods for Designing
•	Using White Boards and Flip Charts to illustrate the architecture
•	Using metaphors to communicating complex ideas and generating enthusiasm
•	Using scenarios
•	Using Architecture Blueprints
•	Using Architectural Page Mockups
•	Using design Sketches
•	Using Web-based Prototypes