The Importance Of Information Architecture

By Author: Paul Zimmer
Total Articles: 9
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Information architecture, or IA, is the kind of method of structure and navigation on a web site. The IA model applied to a web site will have a striking impact on the functionality and design of the entire site. There are different IA models developed for all web sites existing today. One is the flat IA model. If all pages in a web site are regarded with equal importance, then the flat IA is the common model used, as it allows the browser to navigate from one page to another in a single click. Flat IA model is also referred as monocline grouping.

Next is the index structure, which resembles a directory. The homepage of the web site acts as the index of contents, navigating the browser to the right page within the directory. This IA works well for a small networking site, or a micro directory for web. If used in a large scale networking sites, index IA will break down.

In strict hierarchy, the structure of this IA is similar to an organizational chart of a large company, with the homepage, subdirectories and web pages comparably analogous to the positions of the boss, supervisor and employees respectively. Strict ...
... hierarchy is suitable for large social networking sites, in which an index IA cannot handle.

Multi-dimensional hierarchy is a kind of site architecture, wherein relationships of pages are visible and navigable from and to each other, achieving more efficient and more usable system for a definitely large site with complex navigation strings.

On search site architecture, different processes within the website are utilized. Search engine sites, like Google, use search algorithms to find items with specific attributes among the Web. The items are stored independently as records in a database, or sometimes elements of a search space are defined by strings of mathematical symbols and glyphs to translate the key words typed in the search bar into electronic pieces of data to be matched with the available resource in the Web.

Specific site architecture must be fitted perfectly into a web site, as browsers demand more efficient functionality and processing speed, from simply typing key words in search engines to finding a relative in a global networking site.