Usability and Information Architecture
Just as a physical store begins with an architectural blueprint for the building (or least a floorplan), a good Website begins with a well-designed information architecture. Information architecture is the framework of the site as determined by your business goals (what do you hope to accomplish?), and your audience and competitors (who are your intended users? what do they need to do, when and where they will do it, and why will they do it? How have your competitors addressed these requirements?). These factors establish the content and functionality your technical and creative teams must build. Likewise, your site's overall structure must be mapped according to the content and functionality it will contain, and in a way that makes sense to users in terms of overall organization, metaphors, and navigation. Finally, all of these factors together determine specifications for visual design that a graphic designer will use to create the look and feel of your site.

What Does an Information Architect Do?
The information architect (IA) participates in all phases of a Web project, coming in just as the initial business strategy is being developed or when the business strategy of an existing Website is being rethought. The IA studies the company's business goals and, using marketing data and primary research, assesses the audience and competition. At the end of the research phase, the IA has the necessary information about business goals, audience, and competitors to begin developing a plan for content and functionality. At this stage, the IA meets with project managers to determine the scope of the project. Next, the IA will develop high-level blueprints that map out the overall structure and navigation of the site. The IA consults with a technical team to assure programming feasibility and allow the technical lead to determine the appropriate platform for the project. Feasibility established, the technical team begins developing the primary application(s) while the IA prepares detailed functional, content, and design requirements for individual Web pages and applications, working closely with a graphic designer. The graphic designer then translates the blueprints and requirements into visual design. The graphic artist's page designs are handed over to interface developers, who transform them into the functioning Web pages that will be seen by customers. Before the site is launched, the IA reviews the site for any additional usability problems that crop up. After the site goes through quality assurance and is launched, the IA regularly reviews metrics and customer feedback from the live Website to assess actual usability and make ongoing adjustments.

Why Is a Dedicated Information Architect Needed?
It is the information architect's primary responsibility to represent the customer at all times--to view the Website from the customer's perspective. If the Website user's needs are not met, the site will likely be one of those that "lose almost half of their potential sales because users cannot use the site."

Consultation Available
If you are building a new Website or rethinking an old one, please contact me. I offer a variety of services on both contract and full-time bases.

Cassie Carter, PhD
Information Architect
CassieECarter@yahoo.com

Imagine you purchase a piece of property, and before you have the plans for your building, you hire an interior decorator. The interior decorator has all kinds of ideas – red walls, blinds on your windows, etc. But the fact is that your interior decorator can’t do anything until s/he knows the architecture of your building. How many floors? Do you have a fireplace? Is this a gourmet kitchen? Are we talking bay windows, or what? A web site works the same way. Just as an architect designs the structure of a building, an information architect determines the structure of a website. The builders are the programmers. The interior decorators are the graphic artists and copywriters.

If you think of a website as a virtual building on the web, if you’re looking at a great web site, what you are aware of are the efforts of web designers and copywriters. On a great web site, you move through the site smoothly, responding only to the graphics and text. On a badly architected site, it doesn’t matter how wonderful the graphics and text are because you just feel … confused, lost, or irritated. Generally, you’re only aware of information architecture when you have trouble using web site.

Information architecture is difficult to define because people are aware of it primarily when it is absent or badly done. To bring it into familiar terms, think of shopping in a mall. Imagine that you walk into a store in a mall. First, you must show ID to the security guard in front and fill out a form to enter. You then wander around in a store that has no signs describing what is contained in each aisle, and there are no clerks available to help you. After a while, if you have found some items you want, you look for the checkout counter. After wandering around for several minutes, you realize that what looks like a popcorn vendor is actually the checkout stand, so you go there with your cart. Unfortunately, you’ve been in the store for a while and the security guard who checked you in has gone off duty. You must show your ID again and wait while the clerk validates your registration. Really, can you imagine putting up with such shenanigans in the real world? Unfortunately, this kind of experience is common on the web.