Usability and information architecture
Written 22.04.08 by: Sally Smith
Successful web design is much more than striking visuals - it is also about creating a user-friendly browsing experience. Visitor and their journeys are unpredictable; starting from a multitude of entry points. In this fluid world, a well devised Information Architecture (IA) focusing on user needs is central to the success of a site.
What is information architecture?
At a strategic level IA involves identifying your business objectives and translating them into a navigation structure which communicates effectively with key audiences. Practically, IA defines the organisation of a website’s content and functionality: the user experience, content labelling, intuitive navigation and how search fits into the wider picture. Combined, these elements create streamlined user journeys and simple location of information. Our usability process encompasses elements of the following:
- Definition of site goals and audiences with your key stakeholders
- Definition of the user experience: who makes up the audience? What are the audiences’ goals and objectives?
- Creation of user personas to imagine the audiences (e.g. teachers, creative professionals, parents, students, head teachers, Ofsted Inspectors) and scenarios to map the actions these personas are likely to undertake on the site
- Competitor Analysis – to see where you sit in relation to your competitors
- Definition and grouping of site content and functionality
- Formalise content mapping activity into an agreed sitemap; charting how sections are grouped and the priority order
- Definition of navigation, how we get from one area to another, the top level sections that appear in the global navigation, the subsections and sub pages which form the local navigation
- Visual design: wireframes, design sketches, design mock ups and web based prototypes. We reconcile the evolving design to the IA findings to ensure that the design fulfils both your objectives and the needs of audiences.
•Once the IA and design is formalised, the build begins – we use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to enable simple updates to the site’s look and feel globally or in certain sections. This offers maximum flexibility if you were to introduce a new term template or Christmas theme for example.
We can provide a full or brief review of your current web site or design and arrange small iterative usability tests to make sure your site has a great user experience. Contact us if you think that the usability of your site and its current information architecture is effecting your business.