Yippee IA: Six principles for creating a successful information architecture

Users report difficulty finding products and navigating websites, describing the experience as needing a “treasure map,” going in circles, and not knowing whether desired content exists. When content cannot be found, well-written and well-designed material fails to produce outcomes, because publishing is not the measure of success; consumption and action are. Stakeholders also rely on external search engines like Google because internal navigation and findability are unclear. Similar feedback indicates a need for a critical review of information architecture. A set of six principles guides improvements, starting with how global navigation names and order shape the site’s story and visitor invitation, and continuing with organizing content around audience tasks and their mental models.

"“I can't buy a product I can't find on the site ... it feels like to find anything I have to get my treasure map out.” This is the moment the product team observing the session hit their heads on the desk or scream. A poor information architecture leads to a drop in sales."

"“I'm not sure how I got here. I'm just going round in circles. I can't find what I want to find. Perhaps it doesn't exist.” You've put effort into creating the content, but if it can't be found, however well-written and designed it is, that effort is all in vain. Publishing content is not the measure of success; a user who consumes and acts on it is."

"“When I need to find something on our website, I just use Google. I have no idea how our consumers find anything.” How can you expect users to navigate your website when your colleagues who know the content exists find it an impossible task?"

"“The names and sequence of global navigation terms will determine the proposition, personality and story you are communicating. What's the story your primary navigation tells about your website? What's your invitation and offer to the site visitor? What journeys into the site are you surfacing as the most useful for visitors?”"

Read at Medium