First of all please watch the video (3 minutes)
Let’s remember -what is for – The Information Architecture:
Information architecture encompasses a few related concepts.
First and foremost, it is the structure of shared information.
It’s how the content on a website, intranet, online community, or other digital space is organized and labeled.
THE ABILITY TO CREATE AN INFORMATION STRUCTURE THAT MAKES IT EASY FOR USERS TO FIND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR IS KEY FOR ANY WEB DESIGNER OR WEB DEVELOPER.
Further, it’s the art and science of organizing and labeling those digital properties. The ability to create an information structure that makes it easy for users to find what they are looking for is key for any information architect. They need to have a firm grasp on how users are likely to access the information on your site, app, or intranet. They also need to have a good grasp on how to label and organize the information those users will want to access, in a way that is logical and rational.
Finally, there is the information architecture community, which aims to bring the practice of design and architecture to the digital landscape. This community is made up of practitioners, researchers, and educators, who want to bring the importance of good information architecture to the forefront of the user experience industry.
Types of Navigation
Your job is to sort them out. You must determine the purpose and importance of the navigation within your site, bringing similar options together and presenting them as a cohesive unit. (related between them)
Of course, there are conventions to get you started—bars and tabs are commonly used for the main navigation, others vertical mechanisms on the left for local navigation—but there are no set usage rules, and many variations exist.
To sort them out, try thinking like a visitor, not a designer. Take time to consider how visitors perceive the navigation mechanisms. Understanding the type of navigation a menu represents can help people predict links and reorient themselves on new pages.
- The type of content a mechanism accesses
- Behavior of the navigational links and transition to the next page
- The tasks and modes of seeking the mechanism supports
- Visual treatment of navigational options
- The position of a navigation on a page
What’s more, the type of page on which a navigational menu appears greatly determines the navigation’s purpose. The navigation on home pages is usually different from the navigation on product pages, for example, and visitors expect certain navigational elements to appear on search results pages. The role the page plays in the overall site also gives purpose to different types of navigation.
All of these aspects work together to allow site visitors to recognize that the main navigation is a main navigation and that local navigation is a local navigation. This sets the stage for interacting with the navigation and the site as a whole.
To help you ensure navigational concepts are immediately clear on your sites, this chapter surveys the various navigation types and their functions, as well as key page types. As you read on, however, keep in mind that there isn’t a standard language among designers. The terminology describing navigation and navigational types can vary greatly. Whenever possible, alternative names are provided with each of the descriptions. Still, you may find alternative (or even contradictory) uses of terms in your organization. In all cases, just remember that your goal remains the same: to understand the role and purpose of navigation.
References *Jesse James Garrett’s The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond (2nd Edition) *Presenting Information Architecture , Web Style Guide 3rd Edition, Wikipedia.
Elements of wireframes
The skeleton plan of a website can be broken down into three components: information design, navigation design, and interface design. Page layout is where these components come together, while wireframing is what depicts the relationship between these components.
Information design is the presentation—placement and prioritization of information in a way that facilitates understanding. Information design is an area of graphic design, meant to display information effectively for clear communication. For websites, information elements should be arranged in a way that reflects the goals and tasks of the user.
The navigation system provides a set of screen elements that allow the user to move page to page through the website. The navigation design should communicate the relationship between the links it contains so that users understand the options they have for navigating the site. Often, websites contain multiple navigation systems, such as a global navigation, local navigation, supplementary navigation, contextual navigation, and courtesy navigation.
User interface design includes selecting and arranging interface elements to enable users to interact with the functionality of the system. The goal is to facilitate usability and efficiency as much as possible. Common elements found in interface design are action buttons, text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons and drop-down menus.
Click on the image to see it better.
- Go to https://www.gliffy.com/ Sign up as a user for FREE to that page and create a map of your website according to the example of the map of this website. (Free trial only last 15 days) Take a screenshot and post it in WordPress. Write a blog about Wireframes for Websites.
- Go to QUIZLET.COM and follow the learning process in “INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE 2” and take a screenshot of the test result, submit it to your instructor via email.