Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, chapters 10 & 11

Chapter 10 of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web does well to acclimate the reader to the landscape of research methods that can be used to inform IA deployment in web development. Morville and Rosenfeld (2006) guide their readers through “a balanced approach to research” by focusing equally on context, content, and users, (p. 233), and reviewing different avenues to engaging with each area. Whether through mapping of the data contained in a site, using card sorting to get a sense of users’ organization of that content, or conducting surveys, the authors provide a lengthy list of approaches to doing the research necessary to affect good information architecture.

The usefulness of these chapters is not just in the laundry list of tools to conduct the research and develop the strategies necessary for a solid information architecture foundation; it is also in the way the authors offer words of caution about difficulties with some of the research tools and barriers to designing a comprehensive strategy. For instance, in the same way that at the outset of this course most students lacked the skills and vocabulary to speak about what we were reading or what we could do with the information we were synthesizing, Morville & Rosenfeld (2006) describe a problem with the input of focus groups, “most people don’t have the understanding or language necessary to be articulate about information architectures,” (p. 253). The even-handed approach in these two chapters—indeed, throughout the book–exactly represent the tension of doing the work of IA: to have a strong desire to improve organization to facilitate finding or use, while remaining cognizant of the pitfalls created by (1) outside forces, (resistance to change, politics), (2) technological limitations, and (3) even the very users that need to be continuously consulted to have an effective, progressive information architecture. The effective use of strategy seems to be at the very core of information architecture–if the work processes of an information architect can be described in stages, this stage is the essential, comprehensive battle plan. Morville and Rosenfeld’s use of the work on Weather.com is  helpful in detailing many of the essential steps for planning that will lead to the specifics of design, like designing a conceptual blueprint and wireframing, for IA product delivery. I look forward to reviewing these chapters again as a sort of guidebook upon my attempts at doing some of the work of an information architect.

References

Morville, P. & Rosenfeld, L. (2006). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (3rd ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.