How do you adapt your labels and categories to different contexts and platforms?

1 Understand the context

The first step to adapt your labels and categories is to understand the context of your content and your users. Context refers to the situation, environment, and purpose that influence how users interact with your content. For example, the context of a blog post may be different from the context of a product page, or the context of a desktop website may be different from the context of a mobile app. To understand the context, you need to conduct user research, such as surveys, interviews, or usability tests, and analyze the data to identify the users' needs, behaviors, and preferences.

2 Choose appropriate labels

The second step to adapt your labels and categories is to choose appropriate labels that match the context and the users' mental models. Labels are the words or phrases that describe the content or the functionality of a website or an app. For example, the label "About" may indicate a page that provides information about the organization or the author, while the label "Contact" may indicate a page that allows users to communicate with the organization or the author. To choose appropriate labels, you need to use clear, concise, and consistent language, avoid jargon and ambiguity, and test your labels with users to ensure they understand them.

3 Organize your categories

The third step to adapt your labels and categories is to organize your categories in a way that makes sense for the context and the users. Categories are the groups or collections of content that share a common characteristic or theme. For example, the category "News" may contain content that provides updates or announcements, while the category "Products" may contain content that showcases or sells items or services. To organize your categories, you need to use a logical and intuitive structure, such as a hierarchy, a matrix, or a faceted system, and balance the breadth and depth of your categories to avoid confusion or overload.

4 Optimize for different platforms

The fourth step to adapt your labels and categories is to optimize them for different platforms, such as desktop, mobile, or voice. Different platforms have different constraints and affordances that affect how users access and consume content. For example, desktop platforms may have more screen space and input options, while mobile platforms may have less screen space and input options, or voice platforms may have no screen space and only voice input and output. To optimize your labels and categories for different platforms, you need to consider the platform-specific features, such as navigation menus, icons, buttons, gestures, or voice commands, and use responsive or adaptive design techniques to ensure your labels and categories fit and function well on different devices.

5 Evaluate and iterate

The fifth step to adapt your labels and categories is to evaluate and iterate them based on user feedback and performance data. Evaluation and iteration are ongoing processes that help you measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your labels and categories, and identify and resolve any issues or gaps. To evaluate and iterate your labels and categories, you need to use various methods, such as analytics, heatmaps, clickstreams, or card sorting, and collect and analyze the data to understand how users interact with your content, and what challenges or opportunities they face.

6 Learn from examples

The sixth step to adapt your labels and categories is to learn from examples of other websites or apps that have successfully adapted their labels and categories to different contexts and platforms. Learning from examples can help you gain inspiration, insights, and best practices that you can apply or adapt to your own projects. To learn from examples, you need to explore and compare different websites or apps that have similar or different goals, audiences, or content types, and observe how they use labels and categories to enhance their information architecture and user experience.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?