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 INF 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
- "Complete Beginner's Guide to Information Architecture"Great introductory guide to information architecture from uxbooth.com, with links to related websites and books.
Information Architecture Trefoil
Books on Information Architecture
Information Architecture by ISBN: 9781491911686Publication Date: 2015-11-10Information architecture (IA) is far more challenging and necessary than ever. With the glut of information available today, anything your organization wants to share should be easy to find, navigate, and understand. But the experience you provide has to be familiar and coherent across multiple interaction channels, from the Web to smartphones, smartwatches, and beyond. This provides essential concepts, methods, and techniques for digital design that have withstood the test of time. UX designers, product managers, developers, and anyone involved in digital design will learn how to create semantic structures that will help people engage with your message. This book includes: An overview of IA and the problems it solves for creating effective digital products and services A deep dive into IA components, including organization, labeling, navigation, search, and metadata Processes and methods that take you from research to strategy, design, and IA implementation
Pervasive Information Architecture by ISBN: 9780123820945Publication Date: 2011-03-30While well versed in designing navigation, organization, and labelling of websites and software, design professionals are faced the crucial challenge of how to apply these techniques to information systems that cross communication channels that link the digital world to the physical world. Pervasive Information Architecture provides examples showing why and how one would:
*Model and shape information to adapt itself to users' needs, goals, and seeking strategies
*Reduce disorientation and increase legibility and way-finding in digital and physical spaces
*Alleviate the frustration associated with choosing from an ever-growing set of information, services, and goods
*Suggest relevant connections between pieces of information, services and goods to help users achieve their goals.
*Find out the 'why' and 'how' of pervasive information architecture (IA) through detailed examples and real-world stories
*Learn about trade-offs that can be made and techniques for even the most unique design challenges
General Links to IA Websites
- Usability Body of Knowledge"The Usability Body of Knowledge is dedicated to creating a living reference that represents the collective knowledge of the usability profession. Such a collection of knowledge for the usability profession will necessarily be broad and inclusive in scope, because our profession is inherently multidisciplinary and draws on a wide range of other practices.
The Usability BoK is derived from published literature, conference proceedings, and the experiences of practitioners accumulated over many years. It is a guide to existing resources, and will evolve as the practice of usability evolves." - http://www.usability.gov/Usability.gov is the leading resource for user experience (UX) best practices and guidelines, serving practitioners and students in the government and private sectors. The site provides overviews of the user-centered design process and various UX disciplines. It also covers the related information on methodology and tools for making digital content more usable and useful.
- The Information Architecture InstituteThe Information Architecture Institute is a 501(c)6 professional organization, operated by a dedicated, multi-national group of people who are dedicated to promoting the concept, craft and community of information architecture.
- Journal of Information ArchitectureThe Journal of Information Architecture is an international peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Its aim is to facilitate the systematic development of the scientific body of knowledge in the field of information architecture.
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."