Information Architecture
Virtually everyone has had the experience of trying to find information or products on the Internet but being unable to do so.
In parallel, many organisations find their business has outgrown their original content structure or they have difficulty creating it in the first place.
Making information as accessible as possible ensures that users achieve their objectives and in turn your organisation achieves its business goals.
Information architecture at Foviance
Successful Websites
The most successful websites can contain vast amounts of information, features and functionality. However, there is a very real challenge in organising this information coherently to aid navigation and orientation. Addressing usability at the development stage can significantly reduce costs further into the cycle. Foviance experts can develop your Information Architecture to help your organisation to create a content structure that delivers to your current needs and is scalable for the future.
IA Tools
There are a variety of tools that are employed as part of the Information Architecture service but typically the UX Consultant will create wire-frames (page mock-ups of individual screens) of the web site following careful consideration of the site’s intended content, audience, scenarios of use and technical constraints. Each element in the wire-frame is verified employing specialised techniques such as card sorting, to elicit user feedback on the developing information architecture.
Wireframes
Wireframes are low-fidelity diagrams that illustrate the structure of all elements on specific templates or pages. They allow people to visualise the unique pages first identified by the sitemap. Numbered and colour-coded annotations outline the basic behaviour of the elements on each wireframe. Wireframes are typically delivered for all templates and a small number of illustrative pages. They are a fast and cost effective way to produce an idea of how a page in a website or mobile device might behave. They can be developed in parallel to creative concepts, and redrawn easily.
The wire-frame is constantly revised based on feedback from user testing and any necessary design modifications are made. Information Architecture can pinpoint usability issues long before the first foundations of the website have been laid and make sure that the user requirements are built in, rather than bolted on, late in the development cycle.
Ultimately, wireframes allow development teams to start developing functional aspects highlighted in the wireframe templates before visual design begins. They render the structure of the site from a concept into a skeleton of the final design, ready for the surface design.
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Information architecture applies structure to your website. Improve conversion and increase customer loyalty.