How do you define information architecture for your project?

1 Step 1: Define your goals and scope

Before you start designing your IA, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your project and what features and content you will include. You can use a project brief, a scope statement, or a product roadmap to outline your goals and scope. These documents will help you align your IA with your project vision, objectives, and requirements.

2 Step 2: Research your users and context

To create an IA that meets the needs and expectations of your users, you need to research who they are, what they want, and how they behave. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, personas, scenarios, and user journeys, to collect and analyze user data. You also need to consider the context of your project, such as the platform, the device, the environment, and the culture, that may affect how users interact with your IA.

3 Step 3: Inventory and audit your content

To create an IA that reflects your content and functionality, you need to inventory and audit what you have and what you need. You can use a spreadsheet, a database, or a tool to list and categorize your content and functionality, such as pages, sections, topics, features, media, and links. You also need to evaluate the quality, relevance, accuracy, and consistency of your content and functionality, and identify any gaps or redundancies.

4 Step 4: Create your structure and navigation

To create an IA that organizes and connects your content and functionality, you need to create your structure and navigation. You can use various techniques, such as card sorting, tree testing, sitemaps, wireframes, and prototypes, to design and test how you will group, label, and arrange your content and functionality into hierarchies, categories, and subcategories. You also need to design and test how you will enable users to move through your structure and navigation, such as menus, breadcrumbs, search, filters, and buttons.

5 Step 5: Define your metadata and taxonomy

To create an IA that describes and classifies your content and functionality, you need to define your metadata and taxonomy. Metadata is the data that provides information about your content and functionality, such as title, description, author, date, format, and keywords. Taxonomy is the system that defines the terms and relationships that describe and classify your content and functionality, such as tags, categories, synonyms, and facets. You can use standards, guidelines, and tools to create and manage your metadata and taxonomy.

6 Step 6: Document and communicate your IA

To create an IA that is easy to understand and maintain, you need to document and communicate your IA. You can use various formats, such as diagrams, tables, charts, and reports, to document your IA decisions, rationale, and specifications. You also need to communicate your IA to your stakeholders, such as clients, developers, designers, and content creators, to ensure that they understand and agree with your IA and can implement it correctly.

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?