Information Architecture & UX

User-centered Design & Usability Testing

Welcome to the IA Research Guide!

Welcome to the Information Architecture and User Experience research guide! This guide covers information architecture, user experience, accessability, and other related topics.

If you are looking for general information on IA or UX, or just want to peruse some web resources on them, use the main tabs of this guide.

If you are currently taking LIS 7470 and are looking for specific information or references concerning IA or UX pertaining to the course, please refer to the sub-pages underneath the main tabs of this guide.

So You Want to Learn Information Architecture?


Information Architecture Defined

Information architecture (IA) is:

1. The structural design of shared information environments.

2. The combination of organization, labeling, search, and navigation systems within websites and intranets.

3. The art and science of shaping information products and experiences to support usability and findability.

4. An emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principles pf design and architecture to the digital landscape. 


Morville, P. and Rosefeld, L. (2007). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. Sebastabol, CA: O'Reilly.

Related Links

Information Architecture Trefoil

Books on Information Architecture

General Links to IA Websites

Information Architecture Concepts and Applications with Dan Klyn

"User experience design is a broad concept with a vast range of applications, especially if we use Steve Jobs' definition of "design" as encompassing how something works in addition to how something looks. As taught by Dan Klyn and Shari Thurow, architecture is the "what" to design's "how," and information architecture is the discipline and set of practices for specifying the "what" of products and services that are made of information."