Information Architecture (IA)

6 min readSep 21, 2022

A blueprint of the product representing its infrastructure, features, and hierarchy.

Information architecture is all about organizing information effectively in a clear and logical way. In design, information architecture is used to structure the entire product. Research indicates that a product with well-designed information architecture has 65% of customers achieving their goals. Let’s learn how to define IA for any kind of product application.

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Information architecture defines a content structure in the product according to users’ mental models. Information architecture is an intersection between three elements as shown below.

1. Users

Users constitute the main aspect that has to be completely thought through before creating the information architecture. The information that you must know about users are the User Personas.

User Personas: Identify the different user groups who will use your product as well as:

What kind of information the user will use;
The goal the user wants to achieve from the application; and
The proper research techniques to get the most information from the users.

If you are redefining the IA for an existing product, understand the user interpretations of the information available and how they are treating the information.

In the case of ambiguity, conduct user interviews to understand their mental models and create user persona documents.

2. Context

Based on the business goal and the user requirements, the information has to be organized in such a way that the user gets the right information at the right time. Identify the areas where the user will need information based on the scenarios. Also, get an understanding of:

When, Why & How the user is engaging with the content; and
What information the user requires to complete the task.

Based on the context (actions, situations, etc.) and business requirements, the information may vary.

Example: In an e-commerce application, users might want to compare different coupons for discounts possible.

3. Content

If you don’t have any data, give a research overview. Once you understand the users and the context, discuss with the relevant product stakeholders to understand the type of information they want in the product to reach the goal. It is also important to focus on certain aspects while defining the information. These include:

Business goal: Understand the main business goal the product wants to achieve. It could be generating revenue, reducing costs, helping the user to achieve their desired goals, etc. This would affect the information that has to be put in the application.
Standard Conventions: These conventions are usually defined based on a deep understanding of the users. In most cases, standard conventions will give you the best results.
For example, in an e-commerce application, users always expect to have search and filter functionality to find the desired product quickly.
The relevance of the information to users: Understand how much of the information the user is aware of. What is the new information that we are trying to add? How can we sequence and represent them in an understandable manner?

Taking these three aspects into consideration, create a document with the information that has to be added to the application.

Don’t forget to cater to any kind of constraints the business or user might have. For example, your product may not support online payment due to business constraints.

Thereafter, use the raw data to define a proper information architecture. The three-step process is explained below.

Defining Information Architecture

Step 1: Taxonomy (Group and sequence the information).
Taxonomy is all about consciously organizing content and naming it in ways that make sense to the users. Refer to the information document you created and start grouping and sequencing the information. Also, refer to standard conventions while doing the taxonomy.

Once the grouping is done, prioritize the information in the group. You will get 4–5 levels of content after the prioritization. Level 1 will act as the parent whereas the content below will be the children. Label each content group.

You can use card sorting techniques (where users are given different information cards and asked to categorize) to better understand users’ mental models and what information groups they are expecting.

The example above is a card sorting technique in which users categorize information related to girls’ clothes.

Step 2: Create a Sitemap
A sitemap is an artifact that usually lists the information groups according to the hierarchy defined and gives a structural format to taxonomy defined. Hence, create a sitemap with the list of all the groups defined. It appears as a tree diagram representing each group having one/many blocks. Every group will be a column followed by the content under it.

The image above is the sitemap drawn for a multi-purpose health application with the groups of content defined.

Step 3: Define the Navigation
Once the sitemap is ready, start linking the blocks with one another in all the possible pathways that the user might take to reach that information.

The image above is an example of the navigation mapped within a sitemap for a commercial website. Some of the navigational elements are Menu items, Footer Navigation, Breadcrumbs, Search & Filters, etc.

Each page can also be used as an information block when doing IA for an existing website.

At this stage, the information architecture is almost ready. Once the IA is done, test it with a group of users to ensure that they are able to understand and use information easily. For instance, you can use card sorting, usability testing, tree testing, etc. methods to test the IA with the users.

Example

The information architecture of a meeting application is shown in the image above.

Tips / Best Practices

Define a goal for the product.
Have a clear understanding of your ideal user personas.
Conduct user interviews/card sorting exercises to verify your assumptions.
Reduce cognitive load wherever possible.
Build a simple, adaptable IA.
Understand your customers, their needs, and how they intend to use your product.
Refer to standard conventions!
Ensure that the information groups are labeled in an understandable way.
Make every step in the IA logical and consistent.
Always validate IA with your end customers.

Checklist

Identify the user and business goals.
Have a clear idea about the user personas.
Have the information document before starting IA.
Group similar content and provide relevant names.
Plan the navigation for the information groups.
Conduct user interviews to get a clear understanding of the user’s mental model (if required).
Verify the content from all the stakeholders.
Validate IA with your end customers.

Quick Question

You are creating an IA for a learning platform and have two courses — Arts & Humanities, and Business. Match the list of topics shown with the appropriate course.

Leave your answer in the comments section below!