Before you dive in and start putting together a website or app, you need to figure out what you want it to do and construct a blueprint accordingly. When organized according to a well researched structure, the website or application will facilitate effective communication. Your users will be able to easily find what they seek and thus appreciate the experience.

Information architecture (IA) is essentially an aspect of design that focuses on simplifying users’ attempts to find content. It is the science of labeling and classifying information such that users can easily find their way around. IA also involves defining the components for searching information on a site or app. Consequently, good information architecture results in applications and products that are easier to use and information that is easier to find.

Information Architecture at Technogrips

Technogrips offers tailored services to help improve the information architecture of websites and applications. We often start with explaining to clients the necessity of arranging content and layout such that communication can happen with ease. As development progresses, we provide wireframes, user flows, controlled vocabularies, and hierarchical sitemaps to ensure effective navigation and an organized structure. Tools we often work with are Axure, Balsamiq, and Microsoft Publisher, but depending on the client’s preference, we may use other wireframing tools too.

To ensure the final product is structured and user friendly

• Find the mission and purpose of the design.
• Determine immediate and long-term goals
• Pinpoint intended audience and conduct requirement analysis for each segment
• Collect and develop a content inventory
• Determine the organizational structure and create an outline of the proposed solution
• Create wireframes and define the navigation systems
• Organize content in hierarchical order
• Perform usability testing and make changes in wireframes as required

Good information architecture yields

• improved navigation
• reduced search times
• greater task success
• better sales conversion
• search-engine friendly websites
• greater customer satisfaction

If you want to build a new application, improve your site’s conversion rate or enhance the usability of a product, information architecture is invaluable and should be a key step in project development. Find out how we can help.