Optimal Blog

In many ways, Information architecture (IA) is the backbone of a digital product or service. It is a conceptual structure for information, designed in a way that allows users to navigate and interact with it in a meaningful way. This is done by organizing, structuring, and labeling content that is intuitive for users. IA considers user needs and goals, as well as the relationships between different types of content, in order to create a user-centric design.

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An effective IA design approach leads to better user experiences as it ensures that information is presented in a logical and intuitive way. Essentially, good IA attempts to reduce the chance of a clunky, frustrating user experience by organizing information in a way that makes sense for the target user. 

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In this article, we’ll discuss the history of information architecture and how user research impacts its effectiveness. We’ll also discuss the roles of conceptual and structural design in user experience. And along the way, we’ll introduce Optimal Workshop’s IA tools, and how they can help you design exceptional IA.

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The Beginning of Information Architecture

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The world is full of information and humans have always had a knack for structuring and organizing it. Take libraries, for example. In ancient Egypt, workers in the Library of Alexandria created a catalog of 120 scrolls to order and describe the inventory. They needed to - estimates of the number of scrolls the library contained range between 40,000 and 400,000! Fast-forward to 1873, and Melvil Dewey came up with the Dewey Decimal System to further categorize and universalize much larger collections of books. Why come up with these solutions? To efficiently comb through, and navigate, masses of information.

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As computer technology started to rise more prominently in the 1950s and 1960s, we started organizing computer programs and system designs in a way that made them easier to navigate too. In fact, IBM first mentioned the term architecture in a computational context in 1959 [ref]. When the wonderful ‘worldwide web’ was born in the 1990s, digital information began to be displayed and interacted with on a much larger scale. And, like our librarians, the world decided that online order was desperately needed. This is where the foundations of information architecture as we know it today really started to take shape.

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In 1998, Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld wrote the book ‘Information Architecture for the World Wide Web’, which became Amazon’s best internet book that year. The authors integrated the ‘librarian’ approach to IA, where the main goal is to design a system where information is labeled for easy navigation and search. This focus on user-centric, logical design has become the backbone of user experience (UX) design today, and why Optimal Workshop’s Treejack tool, among other, exist for researching and designing great IA.

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Organizational Structures

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Information architecture is like the blueprint of your digital product - it’s a conceptual structure of how content is organized and arranged to create seamless interactions. But, no matter how much experience you have, or how much you trust your instincts, you will never truly get inside your end users' minds without performing user research. They will be the ones to tell you what information is relevant to them, how to structure it, and even how to label and categorize it.

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There are some best practices for organizing information. Start by ordering your content from most critical to least. Think like a web page. What will immediately engage a user, and what subsequent content will keep them engaged? This exercise helps to prioritize and order content. Next, think about how your information should be grouped or categorized. Content that is grouped intuitively helps users consume and navigate information on your website or digital product. Another useful exercise is to consider how different users might access your content. Mapping user journeys (often with entirely different users in mind), challenges how you design your organizational structures in a way that meets multiple users' needs.

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But, while those principles can get you started, user research is where designing modern, user-centric products really begins. In terms of information architecture and organizing content, card sorting is one of the most effective ways of designing conceptual structures. Card sorting, executed by Optimal Workshop’s OptimalSort tool, for example, involves asking people to arrange things like labels, articles, and products in a way that makes sense to them. People are different, and the benefit of this technique is that you can identify how information is most commonly organized. It also highlights potential ambiguity that you may need to address early on in the design of your IA.

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Conceptual and Structural Design

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The roles of conceptual and structural design in user experience are crucial in the development of effective information architecture and user experience (UX) design. Conceptual design involves the creation of a high-level, abstract representation of the overall structure of the information architecture, which helps designers to understand the content, functionality, and overall user experience. Generally, there are limited or no restrictions as to what shape the design can take. Structural design, on the other hand, involves the development of the actual information architecture, including the organization of content, navigation systems, and interaction design.

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Effective conceptual and structural design can significantly improve user experience by creating a clear and consistent design language. This allows your target users to easily understand and navigate through content, leading to better engagement and satisfaction. Essentially, well-structured IA can increase the accessibility of content, making it easier for users to find the information they are looking for, regardless of their level of experience with the website or digital product.

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Tools such as Optimal Workshop's Chalkmark tool can help designers to test and validate their conceptual and structural design decisions by enabling them to create and analyze user interactions with information architecture. This helps designers identify areas of the structure that are confusing or difficult to navigate, which can then be streamlined to create a more intuitive user experience.

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The Evolution of Information Architecture

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As we discussed earlier, modern information architecture is no longer limited to physical implementation, like libraries, but instead extends to digital platforms and software applications. With the rise of the internet and mobile devices, IA has become a critical aspect of UX design. The focus has shifted from organizing information in a static, hierarchical manner to creating dynamic and interactive information environments that adapt to the needs of individual users.

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One of the key changes in IA has been the shift towards a more user-centered design approach. This involves creating IA that is tailored to the needs and preferences of specific user groups, such as individuals with disabilities or users with different levels of technical expertise. This approach requires a deep understanding of user needs and behaviors, which is achieved through research and user testing. This research is increasingly done remotely and online using a suite of tools, like those provided by Optimal Workshop.

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Optimal Workshop's Reframer tool, for example, allows designers to collaborate and capture user insights and translate them into design solutions. This tool helps designers to identify patterns in user behavior and preferences, enabling them to create IA that is intuitive and easy to use.

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As technology continues to evolve, IA is likely to become even more integral to UX design. With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, designers will need to create IA that is capable of adapting to these new interfaces and provide solid structures that lead to seamless user experiences.

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Conclusion

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Information architecture is an essential aspect of user experience design that involves organizing, structuring, and labeling digital content in a way that makes it easy for users to find and understand. Great IA leads to better user experiences by presenting information in intuitive and logical designs. This is why information architecture is crucial for website design.

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The history of IA as we know it today dates back to the 1950s and evolved with the rise of the internet. Now, we think of modern IA design as being user-centric, which involves in-depth research to understand users' needs and goals. Optimal Workshop's IA tools, such as Treejack, OptimalSort, and Chalkmark, can help designers create exceptional IA by testing and validating conceptual and structural designs. 

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Well-structured information architecture can significantly improve the accessibility of content, which leads to better engagement and user satisfaction. This will become increasingly important as users interact with technology through new mediums, like virtual and augmented reality. So, remember to set solid foundations by investing in IA design when you start your next project!

When we first think of a beautiful website or app design, we rarely think of content structures, labels, and categories. But that’s exactly where great design and seamless user experiences begin. Beneath fancy fonts, layout, colors, and animations are the real heroes of user-centric design - information architecture and navigation.

Information architecture (IA) is like the blueprint of your website or app - it’s a conceptual content structure of how content is organized and arranged to create seamless interactions. And as useful as your information may be, if your navigation is flawed, users won’t be able to find it. They’ll simply leave your site and look elsewhere.

So, how does navigation and information architecture complement each other to create seamless user experiences?

Understanding Information Architecture

Information architecture refers to the practice of organizing, structuring, and labeling content and information to enhance the user's understanding and navigation of a website or application. It involves designing an intuitive, user-friendly, and efficient system to help users find and access the information they need easily. Good IA is essential for delivering a positive user experience and ensuring that your users can achieve their goals effectively.

IA is often confused with navigation structure. Navigation is a part of IA, and it refers to the way users move through a website or application. IA involves more than navigation; it encompasses the overall organization, labeling, and structure of content and information.

There are three key components of IA: organizational structure, content structure, and navigation structure. The organizational structure defines how information is organized, including the categories, subcategories, and relationships between them. The content structure refers to the way information is arranged and presented, including the hierarchy of information and the types of content used. The navigation structure outlines the pathways and components used for navigating through the information, such as menus, links, and search functions.

Some of the critical navigation components used in IA include menus, site maps, breadcrumb trails, and search functions. Site maps provide a visual representation of the site's structure, while breadcrumb trails show users where they are in the site's hierarchy. Search functions allow users to find specific information quickly.

Navigation: A Vital Element of Information Architecture

Navigation refers to the process of providing users with a means of moving through a website or application to access the information they need. Navigation is an integral part of IA, as it guides users through the organizational structure and content structure of a site, allowing them to find and access the information they require efficiently.

There are several types of navigation, including utility navigation and content navigation. Utility navigation refers to the elements that help users perform specific actions, such as logging in, creating an account, subscribing, or sharing content. Content navigation, on the other hand, refers to the elements used to guide users through the site's content, such as menus, links, and buttons.

Both types of navigation provide users with a roadmap of how the site is organized and how they can access/interact with the information they need. Effective navigation structures are designed to be intuitive and easy to use, minimizing the time and effort required for users to find and access the information they need.

The key elements of effective navigation include clear labeling, logical grouping, and consistency across the site. Clear labeling helps users understand what information they can expect to find under each navigation element, while logical grouping ensures that related content is grouped together, making it easier for users to find what they need. Consistency ensures that users can predict how the site is organized and can find the information they need quickly and easily.

Designing Navigation for a Better User Experience

Since navigation structures need to be intuitive and easy to use, it goes without saying that usability testing is central to determining what is deemed ‘intuitive’ in the first place. What you might deem intuitive, may not be to your target user

We’ve discussed how clear labeling, logical grouping, and consistency are key elements for designing navigation, but can they be tested and confirmed? One common usability test is called card sorting. Card sorting is a user research technique that helps you discover how people understand, label and categorize information. It involves asking users to sort various pieces of information or content into categories. Researchers use card sorting to inform decisions about product categorization, menu items, and navigation structures. Remember, researching these underlying structures also informs your information architecture - a key factor in determining good website design.

Tree testing is another invaluable research tool for creating intuitive and easy to use navigation structures. Tree testing examines how easy it is for your users to find information using a stripped-back, text-only representation of your website - almost like a sitemap. Rather than asking users to sort information, they are asked to perform a navigation task, for example, “where would you find XYZ product on our site?”. Depending on how easy or difficult users find these tasks gives you a great indication of the strengths and weaknesses of your underlying site structure, which then informs your navigation design.

Combine usability testing and the following tips to nail your next navigation design:

• Keep it simple: Simple navigation structures are easier for users to understand and use. Limit the number of navigation links and group related content together to make it easier for users to find what they need.
• Use clear and descriptive labels: Navigation labels should be clear and descriptive, accurately reflecting the content they lead to. Avoid using vague or confusing labels that could confuse users.
• Make it consistent: Consistency across the navigation structure makes it easier for users to understand how the site is organized and find the information they need. Use consistent labeling, grouping, and placement of navigation elements throughout the site.
• Test and refine: Usability testing is essential for identifying and refining navigation issues. Regular testing can help designers make improvements and ensure the navigation structure remains effective and user-friendly.

Best Practices for Information Architecture and Navigation

Both information architecture and navigation design contribute to great user experience (UX) design by making it easier for users to find the information they need quickly and efficiently. Information architecture helps users understand the relationships between different types of content and how to access them, while navigation design guides users through the content logically and intuitively.

In addition to making it easier for users to find information, great information architecture and navigation design can also help improve engagement and satisfaction. When users can find what they're looking for quickly and easily, they're more likely to stay on your website or application and explore more content. By contrast, poor information architecture and navigation design can lead to frustration, confusion, and disengagement.

So, when it comes to information architecture vs navigation, what are the best practices for design? We discussed some of the best practices for navigation design in the last section i.e. keep it simple, provide clear labels, and be consistent. Great navigation structure generally considers two factors: (1) what you want your users to do and, (2) what your users want to do. Strike a balance between the two, but ultimately your navigation system should focus on the needs of your users. Be sure to use simple language and remember to nest content into user-friendly categories.

Since great navigation design is typically a result of great IA design, it should come as no surprise that the key design principles of IA focus on similar principles. Dan Brown’s eight design principles lay out the best practices of IA design:

• The principle of objects: Content should be treated as a living, breathing thing. It has lifecycles, behaviors, and attributes.
• The principle of choices: Less is more. Keep the number of choices to a minimum.
• The principle of disclosure: Show a preview of information that will help users understand what kind of information is hidden if they dig deeper.
• The principle of examples: Show examples of content when describing the content of the categories.
• The principle of front doors: Assume that at least 50% of users will use a different entry point than the home page.
• The principle of multiple classifications: Offer users several different classification schemes to browse the site’s content.
• The principle of focused navigation: Keep navigation simple and never mix different things.
• The principle of growth: Assume that the content on the website will grow. Make sure the website is scalable.

Conclusion

Information architecture and navigation are the unsung heroes of website design that work in synchrony to create seamless user experiences. Information architecture refers to the practice of organizing and structuring content and information, while navigation guides users through the site's structure and content. Both are integral to creating intuitive user experiences.

In many ways, navigation and information architecture share the same traits necessary for success. They both require clear, logical structure, as well as clear labeling and categorization. Their ability to deliver on these traits often determines how well a website or application meets your users needs. Of course, IA and navigation designs should be anchored by user research and usability testing, like card sorting and tree testing, to ensure user experiences are as intuitive as possible!

Every month we have fun and informative “bite sized” presentations to add some inspiration to your lunch break.  These virtual events allow us to partner with amazing speakers, community groups and organizations to share their insights and hot takes on a variety of topics impacting our industry. 

Join us at the end of every month for Lunch n' Learn.

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Susanna Carman

The post-pandemic landscape is defined by increased levels of uncertainty and disruption in both personal and professional contexts. Tech sector layoffs as well as education and health care employee burnout are just some examples of the human resource challenges we face at a time when our best, most creative selves are required to meet the challenge of larges-scale systems change. Regardless of our functional roles within orgs, conditions demand we enhance our capacity for self-leadership in ways that make us more adaptive at navigating change.

Susanna Carman joins us to lead an exploration of our very human resistance to change. Together we will be introduced to a practice that reveals the gap between our great intentions, the results we actually produce, and the potential for adaptation that is available to us when we unlock the energy bound up in this polarising tension.

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Speaker Bio

Susanna Carman is a Strategic Designer and research-practitioner who helps people solve complex problems, the types of problems that have to do with services, systems and human interactions. Specializing in design, leadership and learning, Susanna brings a high value toolkit and herself as Thinking Partner to design leadership and change practitioners who are tasked with delivering sustainable solutions amidst disruptive conditions. 

Susanna holds a Masters of Design Futures degree from RMIT University, and has over a decade of combined experience delivering business performance, cultural alignment and leadership development outcomes to the education, health, community development and financial services sectors. She is also the founder and host of Transition Leadership Lab, a 9-week learning lab for design, leadership and change practitioners who already have a sophisticated set of tools and mindsets, but still feel these are insufficient to meet the challenge of leading change in a rapidly transforming world.

Grab your lunch, invite your colleagues and we hope to see you at our next Lunch n' Learn

Every month we have fun and informative “bite sized” presentations to add some inspiration to your lunch break.  These virtual events allow us to partner with amazing speakers, community groups and organizations to share their insights and hot takes on a variety of topics impacting our industry. 

Join us at the end of every month for Lunch n' Learn.

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Sarah Pulis

Annotating designs with accessibility information is a powerful way to focus on accessibility in the design phase, as well as communicate your accessibility decisions to others in your team.

In this presentation, Sarah will talk about why accessibility annotations are useful, what they can be used for and how you can use popular design tools such as Figma to document accessibility requirements.

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Speaker Bio

Sarah is co-founder and director at Intopia. She has been working in accessibility and inclusive design for 13 years. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience helping organisations create more inclusive digital products and services. One minute she may be talking with senior leadership about strategic accessibility programs, the next she is getting technical with designers and developers. She is also affectionately known as the walking WCAG by her team.

Sarah is an extremely passionate accessibility advocate. She is founder of A11y Bytes and A11y Camp, Australia’s largest accessibility and inclusive design events which supports the sharing of knowledge and community connection.

Grab your lunch, invite your colleagues and we hope to see you at our next Lunch n' Learn

Optimal Workshop, a leading provider of User Research and Information Architecture tools, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Ting to its board of directors. Ting, who is currently the Chief Design Officer at Totango, brings a wealth of expertise in design and user experience to the Optimal Workshop team.

“We’re so excited to have Anne join our board,” said Andrew Mayfield, CEO of Optimal Workshop. “We are confident that she will make a significant contribution to the company's future success and that her unique perspective will be instrumental in shaping the company's culture and values.”

Ting has over 20 years of experience in marketing, operations and design. At Totango, she is responsible for leading go-to-market, research, and user experience across web, product, and the entire customer journey. Prior to joining Totango, Ting held senior roles at several technology companies, including Unity and Wishlife, where she was responsible for operations, growth and customer success. 

"I am thrilled to join the board of directors for Optimal Workshop. The company is dedicated to empowering designers and researchers around the world to create better digital experiences, and I look forward to contributing my expertise to help drive their mission forward," said Anne Ting, Chief Design Officer at Totango.

About Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop is a user research platform that gathers fast, actionable insights necessary for understanding user needs and making informed decisions. Our superior analysis tools, testing methods and participant recruitment options increase efficiency and empower teams to deliver customer focused solutions. Our products have created value for a diverse range of roles including UX designers and researchers, content strategists, information architects, and more. Learn more about how we can help you create better user experiences today!

If you're more of a visual person, you can watch a 20 minute talk which explains how to use the narrative arc in your in-person research.

The power of stories

Stories are powerful things. You don’t need me to tell you that! You’ve probably read a book, seen a play, a film or a TV series and thought: “Man*, that was brilliant! The way they drew all those threads together in that last scene. I was totally with them!”

We’ve been telling each other stories for millennia - they were the way we explained the world around us as well as the way in which we entertained ourselves.

From an early age, the logic of stories is hard-wired into our minds through repetition. This is why, two thirds of the way through a story you have a fair idea of where things are headed and can take a good guess at what is going to happen in the end.

*Except you didn't say 'Man', as you aren't as old as me.

The narrative arc

In 1863 Freytag developed this pyramid which he used to explain what was happening in stories:

• EXPOSITION: The characters, the context are introduced
• INCITING INCIDENT: Something happens to begin the action
• RISING ACTION: The story builds
• STORY CLIMAX: The point of greatest tension
• FALLING ACTION: Events that happen as a result of the climax
• RESOLUTION: The problem is wrapped up and solved
• DENOUEMENT: The end, what happens to our characters

Many, many stories follow this arc; they may miss off the exposition or skip the resolution but they will have that story climax where all the threads come together.

The narrative arc in in-person research

So, the narrative arc is interesting, but how does it relate to in-person research? How does knowing the plot of Little Red Riding Hood help you become a better researcher?

The problem with in-person research

In-person research can be very nerve-wracking for you and for your participants.

I’ve seen people conducting interviews who know what they want to find out get lost in futile questions having taken the wrong turn, or ‘spoiling’ an interview by revealing too much about the subject or mentioning it too soon.

Participants can also find interviews nerve-wracking. They might struggle to understand the context of questioning and may feel they have ‘done a bad job’ as they haven’t given useful answers. As apparently random questions come at them, they can feel off balance and concerned. The whole experience can start to feel like a police interview*. There’s no thread for them to follow.

*Real police interviews are not like they are shown on TV. Real police interviews are thorough, repetitive, detailed and rational. No shouting or table-tipping.

Let’s look at the steps in the narrative arc and how they apply to an in-person research situation.

Exposition

Start the story by introducing the characters - yourself and who else is in attendance but also give the participant the chance to say something about themselves.

Give a little backstory or context about the research - not so much that you ‘give away the plot.’ Explain ‘why we’re here’, let the participant answer some really simple questions so that they can get some 'runs on the board' and get over any nerves.

Inciting incident

Ask the first question that gets things moving. Usually something that lets the participant give their context. For example, “Tell me about the last time you…”

Rising action

Here’s where you can ask questions that build on each other and let the participant really expand on their story. Your job is to guide them towards the story climax which is where you hit them with your most important question.

The trick in the rising action is to reduce the bias as much as you can by carefully ordering and phrasing the questions so that you don’t give away too much and so the participant can respond without feeling driven to an answer.

Climax

You've got your participant to the point where they have all of the context to answer your most important question or questions, so go ahead and ask them.

Strictly speaking in stories, you tend only to have one story climax. In your research you may have several, but not so many that the participant feels like a quote machine. The story climax is going to line up with the research objectives you set before you wrote your discussion guide. If it doesn’t, your research is not going to give you the insights you were looking for.

Falling action

Now that the cat's out of the bag, your participant will understand why you asked some of the questions in the rising action. Go ahead and give them the chance to reflect. You can also tie up those loose ends, things you skated over as they might color the key response: “So earlier, when I asked you about X you said Y. Tell me about that.”

Resolution

Every session ends with a final word from the participant. People like to ask the ‘what if you had a magic wand’ question, but I find it better to ask about people’s feelings towards something. Whether that’s an existing issue or a future opportunity.

Denouement

It’s a fancy French term for 'ending' and all sessions must have one. This is where you thank the participant for their time, give them their incentive, encourage them to reach out if they have further thoughts. For some participants, it's important as they may have all the time in the world and need to be given the right signals that ‘we’re done, thanks’!

Summary

Use the narrative arc to help you order your thoughts when you're writing your discussion guide and when running your sessions.

If your in-person session shows clear drive in a direction - has subtle guiding story cues - even if the participant doesn’t know exactly where you are heading, they will be able to contribute meaningfully. The arc of the story that you are both telling will provide enough context for them to answer each question you ask - at the point you ask it.

Furthermore, your participant will leave your session feeling good about the experience and your organization. It’s a win-win!