Information Architecture I

The best web sites start with careful planning, and avoid the "Winchester Mystery House" style of on-the-fly architecture.

As we've discussed, the difference between 741 and 737 is that in the former we talk about how to build pages while in the latter we talk about how to build sites. That's the focus of this week's lectures...how to effectively organize and present large amounts of information in a way that's useful to the intended audience.

Readings on Information Architecture

• Information Architecture is not Usability, from Digital Web Magazine
• Webmonkey's Information Architecture Tutorial
• Information Architecture the Adaptive Path Way: An Interview with Indi Young
• Web Site Architecture 101
• The Glass Wall, an internal document from a corporate web redesign project (download the 7.9MB PDF file from myCourses)

Information Architecture Schemas

Exact Organizational Schema

• Alphabetical: RIT Web Site Catalog
• Chronological: Most weblogs (like Widgetopia)
• Geographical: Weather Underground
• Numerical: Internet RFC Index

Ambiguous Organizational Schema

• Topical: A List Apart
• Task-Oriented: Cartoon Network
• Audience-Focused: FrontierOnline
• Metaphorical: Neopets

Hybrid Schema

• Ebay uses more than one kind of navigation...how many do you see?