In web design, Information Architecture (IA) is the art and science of organizing content on a site so that visitors can intuitively find what they are looking for. Good, logical organization on a site will make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for, even if their desired content is multiple levels below the top navigation.

Information Hierarchy

Good IA starts with a well-thought-out hierarchy of information or content. At the top of that hierarchy is your top-level navigation or menu. If you are reviewing or creating the information hierarchy of your site, try to come up with a maximum of 8 categories that all of your content can be classified under.

Organize your content so that even if a visitor to your site is looking for something that is located one or more layers below a top-level navigation item, they will intuitively know how to get to it. For example, if a visitor is looking for the phone number of a staff member in your department, a good information hierarchy would be to have a top-level navigation item called 'About Us,' which has a sub-item called 'People,' then another sub-item called 'Staff' which actually contained a listing for the staff member. So even though a visitor would have to drill down multiple levels to get the information they wanted, they would feel confident as they clicked through About Us > People > Staff > that they were on the right track. 

Labeling

Clear labels, titles and headings will help a site visitor quickly determine whether or not the page they are on contains either the content they are looking for or a link that will get them closer to that content. To use a helpful cliche, your users will 'follow their noses' when navigating your site, and clear labels will let them know they are on the correct 'information scent.'

The best labels will already be familiar to your site visitors. In the example above, About Us, People and Staff are familiar and clearly describe their content. Avoid the temptation to use 'unique' or 'clever' labels for your content. Such labels may be entertaining, but they will have a negative impact on your site's usability and your user's ability to navigate its information architecture. 

Site Maps

A Site Map gives a visual overview of your site and shows you the navigation structure, page and folder labels etc. It is a very useful tool when either creating or rethinking your site's Information Architecture. Web Technology Services can produce several styles of Site Maps for your site. Please email webhelp@mso.umt.edu to request them.