What are the best methods for maintaining information architecture over time?

1 Audit your current IA

The first step to maintain your IA is to assess its current state and performance. You can use various tools and methods to audit your IA, such as analytics, user feedback, content inventory, card sorting, tree testing, and heuristic evaluation. These methods will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your IA, such as how well it matches user expectations, how easy it is to navigate, how consistent and clear it is, and how well it supports your business goals.

5 Monitor and evaluate your IA

To keep your IA relevant and effective over time, you need to monitor and evaluate it regularly. You can use tools such as analytics, user feedback, heatmaps, or eye tracking to measure your IA performance and impact. You should also set up key performance indicators (KPIs) and benchmarks to track your progress and compare your results with your goals and principles. You should also be aware of any changes in your user needs, expectations, behavior, or context, as well as any changes in your business strategy, content, or functionality.

6 Iterate and improve your IA

Based on your monitoring and evaluation, you can iterate and improve your IA as needed. You can use tools such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or user testing to gather user insights and feedback. You can also use tools such as brainstorming, sketching, or prototyping to generate and test new ideas and solutions. You should also follow the best practices and trends in IA design and development, and learn from the examples and experiences of other websites or apps in your field or niche.

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?