Information architecture is an integral part of creating interactive experiences that appeal to users. If you are looking to improve your design or level of expertise, knowing how to do information architecture is something worth developing!

Interactive interfaces consist of components such as buttons, headers, lists, images, and other decorations that contribute to the overall experience. How these components fit together and what order they appear in impacts the user’s perception of the interface and whether they find it easy to use.

Information architecture (IA) focuses on the placement, structure, and sequencing of these interaction elements to achieve this goal. It also looks at the underlying messages and functions of each element. For example, using a bulleted list instead of a longer sentence makes for a more concise way to describe a product.

There are several schools of thought about IA, but many consider the term vague and not clearly defined. This can be problematic since professionals need clear guidelines to work from when designing digital experiences.

Luckily, there are some key concepts related to IA that aren’t too esoteric. By being familiar with them, you will know what to look for in regards to applying the principles behind IA to your designs.

In this article, you will learn all about:

The three main types of IA

Some applications of IA theory

A primer on why information architecture matters

What is information architecture?

First off, make sure you understand what information architecture actually is.

History of information architecture

Over the past few years, information architects have been getting more attention and respect. Before now, they were still being called IA’s or IAs, but never really got the full recognition that is given to them these days. They are not only known as someone who designs interactive systems and applications, but also studies their influence in other areas such as communication sciences and design theory.

Information architectures actively promote understanding and use of knowledge by creating systematic ways to organize it. This way of thinking about how people process and relate to information has existed for quite some time.

It was first formally studied in 1922 when Walter Shewhart conducted his research at Bell Labs. Since then, many different academic disciplines have built off this work to explore various aspects of IA. These include psychology, sociology, anthropology, marketing, communication science, and others.

IA has even made its way into everyday language. We talk about “information density” and “overloading users with too much information” every day. An example of this is when media reports tell you everything about an event, making it hard to focus on anything else.

Professional associations like AIGA (the Graphic Designers Association) and UIUC (The University of Illinois College of Arts and Sciences) offer certification programs for information architects. There are also several universities around the world offering degree programs in information architecture.

Different types of information architecture

Over the past few years, IA has become one of the most popular terms in all areas of design. What originally started as an element focused on how documents are organized now has grown into a field that covers everything from color theory and typography to software applications and digital platforms.

In this article we will be talking about two different kinds of information architecture- theoretical concepts and practical examples. Both will help you hone your skills and understand the importance of IA for your career and personal life.

The first type is more abstract and applies to any area of design. This includes things like color theories (color psychology), graphic styles (typographies) and how best to organize content and features within a given space or platform. These are mostly applied through perception and understanding of what elements mean to the person using the product or service.

The second type is more specific to those who work with media and communication technology such as web sites and apps. Here, IA focuses on how well users can find and access needed information via intuitive navigation and labeling.

This article will talk about both! So get ready to learn some new tools and tips for bringing order to chaos.

Organization of information architecture

When talking about IA, there is one key word that many people get confused with – organization. This article will go into more detail about what organizational structure looks like for information architects, as well as some things you can do to improve yours.

The first thing we should talk about when defining information architect (IA) organizational structures are positions. It is very important to have clear definitions of what each position means within your department or company.

This includes titles such as project manager, creative director, senior designer, etc. Make sure everyone in the department knows what these positions mean so they don’t overlap or confuse each other.

Next we need to define who reports directly to whom. For example, if the design team report directly to the creative director then the design leader needs to know this.

After having those two defined, find out how much power each person has. Does the project manager have final say over everything? If not, then why would anyone listen to them?

Information architects need to be aware of what their superiors expect from them and make sure they live up to those expectations. A good way to do this is by having an open conversation about it and making changes where needed.

Wireframe or prototype

The first step in information architecture is wireframing or prototyping. A wire-prototype, or initial sketch of your site concept is often called a “wire”. This can be done using any medium – pencil, pen, Photoshop, you name it!

The important thing about this stage is to not make assumptions about what content and features will exist later. Only include things that are necessary for conveying your message and solving business problems.

By doing this at an early stage, you can save time and energy down the line by leaving out unneeded components.

This also helps mitigate risk, as you won’t invest resources into something that may not work. You want to be sure that everything you build is needed before investing more money in it.

A great way to do this is use interactive prototypes such as ProtoPie, where you can add, remove, and reorder elements easily.