{"id":627,"date":"2009-09-30T12:44:41","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T12:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agconsult.com\/en\/information-architecture-the-basics\/"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:22:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:22:13","slug":"information-architecture-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agconsult.com\/en\/usability-blog\/information-architecture-the-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Information architecture: the basics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-our-definition\">Our definition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applied to websites, intranets and extranets, we define information architecture as the discipline that puts <strong>the right information in the right words in the right place<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-is-a-good-information-architecture-important\">Why is a good information architecture important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If your visitors can\u2019t find the information they\u2019re looking for it might as well not be there.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surfers are extremely impatient. If they can\u2019t find what they want where they want it when they want it, they&#8217;ll leave. Too bad if it&#8217;s on your website somewhere else. They didn\u2019t find it. And left.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our user research shows that 7 out of 10 usability problems are related to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Confusing navigation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Missing information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Too much information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unclear presentation of the information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incomprehensible content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-information-architecture-only-a-concern-for-big-websites\">Is information architecture&nbsp;only a&nbsp;concern for big websites?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Absolutely not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just because your website only has 20 pages doesn\u2019t mean the information architecture can\u2019t be a problem. True, it\u2019ll probably be easier for a visitor to find the page they\u2019re looking for on a smaller website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the story doesn\u2019t end when the user gets to the right page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does the page contain all the information he needs?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can he understand everything on the page?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is the answer to his question clear?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-do-we-mean-by-information\">What do we mean by \u2018information\u2019?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Information is everything you put on your website. Not just text but also pictures, movies, forms, \u2026 &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-right\">What is \u2018right\u2019?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018Right\u2019 has very little to do with what you think is right. It has everything to do with what the visitor thinks is right. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-right-information\">The right information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In general\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Which information do your visitors expect to find on your site?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why do they visit your website?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are their top tasks?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In detail\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are the most important things your visitor wants to know about each of your products and services?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does your product page have all the information your visitor needs?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What kinds of pictures do your visitors like? Do you need any pictures at all? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-right-place\">The right place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In general\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Where do people look for certain information?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does your navigation structure reflect the way your visitors think or the way you think?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which information should be on the homepage? And where on the homepage?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What should your overview pages look like? What do people expect to find there?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which lay-out directs their attention most efficiently?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In detail\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Which information do your visitors want to see first about a product?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which lay-out works best for your particular product: <a href=\"\/en\/usability-blog\/anchor-links-dos-and-donts\">anchor links<\/a>, in-page tabs, \u2026?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where should you put the action-button or the contact information?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should the picture be on the left or on the right?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-right-words\">The right words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In general\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do your visitors understand the words in your navigation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do they know what they\u2019ll find when they click on an item in your navigation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In detail\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do you speak your visitors\u2019 language?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are your headings, sub-headings, <a href=\"\/en\/usability-blog\/meaningful-links-are-a-must\">links<\/a> and texts clear to all your potential customers?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are you sure? Have a look at our <a href=\"\/en\/usability-blog\/8-writing-tips-to-increase-the-impact-of-your-website\">copywriting tips for a better website<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-it-hard-to-get-it-right\">Is it hard to get it right?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, yes. Making a successful website is not easy. For starters, you need answers to these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Who are my visitors?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What do they want?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which words do they understand?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re not going to find the answers to these questions by having a good old think about it. A brainstorm session with your coworkers won\u2019t cut it either. And don\u2019t even think about looking for it in your corporate mission statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s only one way to get these answers right: thorough user research. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-do-you-need-to-do-user-research\">What do you need to do user research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An <strong>open mind<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The strength to <strong>put your ego aside<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Basic knowledge of a few key techniques <\/strong>that have proven their merit. Techniques that aren\u2019t all that complicated but nevertheless need to be used correctly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>power of persuasion<\/strong> to convince your co-workers and bosses that their gut feeling isn\u2019t necessarily right. Armed with the results from&nbsp; the user research that shouldn\u2019t be too hard. Facts trump opinions every time. &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is information architecture? Why is it so important?<br \/>\n<span class=\"note-blauw\">What can you do to make sure your website has a good information structure?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[69],"class_list":["post-627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information-architecture","tag-navigation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Information architecture: the basics | AGConsult<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is information architecture? 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