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The task of organizing content at the site level is called “information design” or “information architecture.” The goal is to structure content so that it’s understandable and easy to use. Information design for the Web is more complicated than for print because few conventions exist, websites evolve over time and are never “finished,” and Web users have much more control over how they interact with the content than readers of books or magazines.
How to organize site content
- Take an inventory of existing and desired content.
- Put the content into logical groups, or “schemes.” Typical schemes include:
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Alphabetical, chronological, geographical
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Topical, task-oriented, audience-specific, metaphor-driven
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Combination (Audience and task, topical and alphabetical)
Then label the groups using names that the target audience will understand. For example, a website for doctors might include a section labeled "oncology." A site for patients might use the more common term "cancer."
- Establish a structure by figuring out how the content groups (from step 2) relate to one another.
By far the most common information structure is a hierarchy:
Hierarchy
This structure is
usually the best for complex information. It combines
orderliness with navigational freedom. A hierarchical Web
site has different levels--the home page is the first
level, the next set of pages is the second level and so
on. Higher level pages tend to be for navigation, and
lower level pages are often "destination pages"--they
contain the content that visitors come to the site for.
Other
structures include linear and matrix.
Linear
In linear structures, users have little
control because navigation is restricted to
backward-forward. In a modified form, this structure is
often used for tutorials and guided tours.
Matrix
A matrix requires highly structured
information, typically stored in a database. It works best
with experienced users who are familiar with the topic.
- Create a navigation system. Navigation
is based on links between pages. These links help users make
connections between chunks of information and understand site
structure. Links answer these questions:
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Where am I?
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Where have I been?
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Where can I go?
Primary links reveal the information structure. Secondary
links connect pages that are at the same level or that provide
additional related information.
Guidelines
- Favor breadth over depth in designing a hierarchy; it's better
to offer users many choices on the same page than have them click
through several levels of the site.
- Visually distinguish primary links from secondary links (using
fonts, layout, etc.).
- On the home page, make primary links more prominent than
secondary ones.
- Make links look like links.
- Links should clearly indicate their destination.
- Design the site's structure and navigation to be easily
expanded.
Key concepts: content inventory,
hierarchy,
information architecture,
navigation system,
organization scheme,
organization structure
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Examples
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More information
- 10 Questions About Information Architecture -- Describes roles, challenges, and standards (from
CNet)
- Boxes and Arrows -- A
peer-written journal dedicated to discussing, improving and promoting
information architecture
- Card-Based Classification Evaluation -- A detailed description of one technique for evaluating content categories; also see Card sorting: a definitive guide
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Conceptualize Your Site -- Describes four tasks: 1) establishing
your mission, 2) identifying your user, 3) creating mock-ups, and 4)
incorporating feedback; useful sample prototypes from real site
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Doing a content inventory -- Lists the elements to include in a site inventory and provides a downloadable Excel template for creating your own inventory
- InfoDesign Online -- Articles, resources, and events for information architects
- Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Louis Rosenfield, Peter Morville – Readable introduction to information architecture. Available on Amazon.com.
- Information architecture links -- List of useful resources from usability site "Usable Web"
- Information architecture tutorial -- Includes quizzes and exercises
- Principles of Web Design -- Strategies for planning the
structure and content of Web pages; covers information hierarchies,
navigation, writing, and graphic design. Available on
Amazon.com.
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A User-Centered Approach to Designing a New Top-Level Structure for a
Large and Diverse Corporate Web Site -- Case study for Kodak.com
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Web Category Analysis Tool (WebCAT) -- A free online tool for testing a proposed or existing categorization scheme of a website to determine how well the categories and items are understood by users
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Web Development Design -- Detailed description of the design process, focusing on information structure (chunking, layering, links)
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