Information Architecure for Dummies (including me)

Jump to Comments

If you’re a Web writer and you’ve found that you’ve been thinking more about how to better present your content, rather than just thinking about writing it, maybe it’s time you opened up to a whole new world of boxes and arrows, diagrams and flowcharts.

In other words, maybe you’re ready to start thinking about more than writing content. Maybe you’re ready to learn more about information architecture.

I’m sure that most of the top interactive agencies employ teams with interaction designers, usability experts and information architects to conceptualize, plan, build and test their products.

Worst Case Scenario? You’ve still got your web developers, technology managers and even account managers who are versed in mapping out site architecture and sketching user journeys.

But what if there’s no one around to do it? Do you just run along and let the designers ‘design’ a website? Or close an eye and just go back to your Word processor and pretend you didn’t notice that your site’s navigation doesn’t make sense at all?

Well, the way I see it, work needs to get done. If you think you’ve got enough understand of web structures and user behavior, then why not try it out?

Here are my favorite resources; if you’ve found other sites that you want to recommend, please drop the links in the Comments section. This is a new field of study for me, andthere’s really no such thing as knowing enough – well, not at this point, at least.

Jesse James Garret’s Visual Vocabulary for Information Architecture.

Christina Wodtke’s Elegant Hack.

Interaction-Design.org.

The Web Style Guide.

Digital Web Magazine.

The Information Architecture Institute.

Infodesign.com’s ‘What is card sorting?’.

Glen Doss’ Information Architecture Deliverables and Diagrams.

Web Design from Scratch.

evolt.org.

The sublime information aesthetics.

Information Architects Japan.

the geniant’s blog.

And if pictures are cooler at explaining things than words, there’s visual complexity.

But before you get too carried away, what if it’s actually dead?

3 Comments

Filed under , Accessibility, Design, Development, Usability, Web