IA Services
- IA Analysis
- Audience Analysis
- Flow design
- Navigation Maps
- Wire frames
- Site architecture
— Kathleen C., Medicalliance, Inc.
Information Architecture
You wouldn’t build a house without a plan. Don’t build a Web site without one.
Just as an architect’s plan provides a blueprint for the experience of living in a space, a plan for a Web Information Architecture (IA) provides the foundation for a great Web experience.
At Brook Group, developing a solid information architecture map is the key first step in designing the customer experience. Whether you are managing a Web site or developing a software interface, the IA map is the skeleton on which is built the design elements, content, and ultimately the user experience. Information architecture guides the user, ensures a logical flow, ease of use, and provides for fulfilling your business needs in branding, content, and product presentation.
The architecture of information
Information Architecture incorporates all aspects of a site that define where content elements reside, and how each element and all pages are related to one another. These elements include navigational elements, content placement, flow, visitor interaction, and visual design elements.
Information Architecture focuses on designing effective navigation, organization, labeling, and search systems. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws upon the research and practices of information and library science, computer science, graphic design, and psychology.
Brook Group has a unique approach to Information Architecture. Our Experienceware experts use a variety of tools to ensure maximum usability.
The Information Architecture Process
Discovery
This process of interviews determines business goals and success factors, analyzes audiences in terms of behavior, expectation, and sophistication, and lays out a clear set of guidelines for the entire user experience.
Mapping it all out
Once we meet with stakeholders and gather answers to our discovery questions, we begin the mapping process. We paint with broad strokes then we carefully modify the site map while tending to every detail.
Prototypes
These early sketches give us a basis for defining the overall experience.
Site maps
Next, we create site maps. These are wire frame maps that reflect navigation and main content areas. They look like flowcharts and provide a bird’s eye view of how users will navigate from one section to another.
Content maps
Our content maps show the specific content topics which will be addressed on every Web page. These maps show how content is related from one page to another.
Navigation maps
These maps are used as interdisciplinary guides illustrating page-specific information, links, content, promotional space and navigation. This map provides a basis for communication and idea-generation between programmers and designers.
Throughout the process, we work closely with clients to refine our understanding of the users’ needs and expectations, always with our eye on the ultimate success factors. Whether you need a quick upgrade of your existing information architecture, or are developing an extensive application from scratch, our IA process is built to provide a solid structure for your customers’ experience.