Information architecture

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Short description: Structural design of shared information

Information architecture is the structural design of shared information environments, in particular the organisation of websites and software to support usability and findability.

The term information architecture was coined by Richard Saul Wurman. Since its inception, information architecture has become an emerging community of practice focused on applying principles of design, architecture and information science in digital spaces.[1]

Definition

The term information architecture has different meanings in different branches of information systems or information technology.[2]

User experience

In user experience design, information architecture has been described as the structural design of shared information environments,[3]: 4  comprising the study and practice of organising and labelling web sites, intranets, online communities, and software to support user experience, in particular, the findability and usability of information.[1][4][5] It has also been described as an emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.[3]: 4 [6]

Information systems

Technically speaking, information architecture comprises the combination of organization, labeling, search and navigation systems within websites and intranets,[3]: 4  serving as a navigational aid to the content of information-rich systems.[7]

Data architecture

Systems design

In the field of systems design, for example, information architecture is a component of enterprise architecture that deals with the information component when describing the structure of an enterprise.[2] Some system design practitioners regard information architecture as strictly the application of information science to web design, which considers such issues as classification and information retrieval, and not factors like user experience and information design.[2]

Principles

Principles of information architecture include the following:[8][9]

  • The principle of objects
  • The principle of choices
  • The principle of disclosure
  • The principle of exemplars
  • The principle of front doors
  • The principle of multiple classification
  • The principle of focused navigation
  • The principle of growth

History

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "What is IA?". Information Architecture Institute. https://www.iainstitute.org/sites/default/files/what_is_ia.pdf. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dillon, A (2002). "Information Architecture in JASIST: Just where did we come from?". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 53 (10): 821–23. doi:10.1002/asi.10090. .
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Morville & Rosenfeld 2007.
  4. Morville & Rosenfeld (2000). p. 4. "The art and science of shaping information products and experienced to support usability and findability."
  5. "Information Architecture". Mozilla Developer Network. 8 June 2023. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Information_architecture. 
  6. Resmini, A. & Rosati, L. (2012). A Brief History of Information Architecture. Journal of Information Architecture. Vol. 3, No. 2. [Available at http://journalofia.org/volume3/issue2/03-resmini/]. Originally published in Resmini, A. & Rosati L. (2011). Pervasive Information Architecture. Morgan Kaufmann. (Edited by the authors).
  7. Toms, Elaine (17 May 2012). "Information interaction: Providing a framework for information architecture". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 53 (10.1002/asi.10094): 855–862. doi:10.1002/asi.10094. 
  8. Brown, Dan (2010). "Eight principles of information architecture" (in en). Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 36 (6): 30–34. doi:10.1002/bult.2010.1720360609. ISSN 1550-8366. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bult.2010.1720360609. 
  9. "Information Architecture" (in en). https://webfirst.uark.edu/. 

Bibliography

Further reading