What do you do if your Information Architecture project is at risk of failure?

1 Assess the situation

The first step is to identify the root causes of the issues and the potential impacts on your IA project. You can use a SWOT analysis to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your current IA approach. You can also conduct a risk assessment to prioritize the most urgent and critical problems and their likelihood and severity. This will help you focus on the most important aspects of your IA project and avoid wasting time and resources on less relevant or minor issues.

2 Communicate effectively

The second step is to communicate clearly and frequently with your team, stakeholders, and users. You need to establish a common understanding of the goals, scope, and deliverables of your IA project and align them with the expectations and needs of your audience. You also need to share your progress, challenges, and feedback regularly and solicit input and feedback from others. You can use various tools and methods to communicate your IA, such as personas, scenarios, user journeys, sitemaps, wireframes, prototypes, or usability tests. You can also use online platforms, meetings, workshops, or surveys to facilitate collaboration and feedback.

3 Adapt to changes

The third step is to be flexible and agile in your IA project. You need to be able to respond to changing requirements, feedback, or circumstances and adjust your IA accordingly. You can use an iterative and user-centered design process to test and refine your IA based on user needs and behavior. You can also use a modular and scalable IA structure that allows you to add, remove, or rearrange content and functionality without affecting the overall coherence and usability of your website, app, or system.

4 Document and evaluate

The fourth step is to document and evaluate your IA project. You need to keep track of the decisions, changes, and outcomes of your IA project and document them in a clear and consistent way. You can use a style guide, a content inventory, a content audit, or a metadata schema to document your IA standards, rules, and guidelines. You can also use metrics, analytics, or user feedback to measure and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of your IA. This will help you demonstrate the value and impact of your IA project and identify areas for improvement or optimization.

5 Learn and improve

The fifth step is to learn and improve from your IA project. You need to reflect on the lessons learned, the best practices, and the challenges faced in your IA project and apply them to your future projects. You can use a post-mortem analysis, a retrospective, or a feedback session to review and discuss your IA project with your team, stakeholders, and users. You can also use a portfolio, a case study, or a testimonial to showcase your IA project and highlight your achievements and skills.

6 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?