Here's what the information architect component of a recent project at my firm involved for a major non-profit organization that needed to redesign a site that had not been touched since 2007:
1 - Document and structure the current site map in all its depth and unorganized glory. With over 50+ sections, 75 contributors, and 150,000+ pages, this content inventory was vital to communicate to the client what the current site architecture looked liked.
2 - Consolidate the architecture of the site. We began by overlaying analytics data on the site map to figure out the most popular sections and pages. This led to a series of conversations and recommendations on what to cut and why.
3 - We coupled the analytics data with user research and business requirements to come up with a new site map/site architecture [1]. This site map included renaming wholesale sections, adding new sections to the site based on what users want, and in general, making sure we were as logical as the client would allow us when designing the new site map.
4 - Once the initial site map was put together, we validated this by using TreeJack, a great IA and wayfinding testing tool. Read more about TreeJack on their site to learn what and why this tool is useful.[2]
5 - We iterated on the site map based on TreeJack findings
6 - Once the initial site map and labeling were locked down, then we began discussions on page archetypes and templates. At no point did we sketch or draw UI designs. These discussions were all about the purpose of each section, the user goals they'd satisfy, and what type of content may live on each page.
7 - Once we had the archetypes down and some agreement on the number of sections and templates, then we moved to the wireframing and UI sketching phase.
Obviously, this is just 1 example, and is by no means thorough. But, you'll hopefully realize that the role of an "IA" is absolutely vital for complex projects.
When it comes to building web applications, the IA work we do is different, the artifacts we create are different, but the end goal is still the same, and attempt to organize, simplify, and improve usability.
1 - Document and structure the current site map in all its depth and unorganized glory. With over 50+ sections, 75 contributors, and 150,000+ pages, this content inventory was vital to communicate to the client what the current site architecture looked liked.
2 - Consolidate the architecture of the site. We began by overlaying analytics data on the site map to figure out the most popular sections and pages. This led to a series of conversations and recommendations on what to cut and why.
3 - We coupled the analytics data with user research and business requirements to come up with a new site map/site architecture [1]. This site map included renaming wholesale sections, adding new sections to the site based on what users want, and in general, making sure we were as logical as the client would allow us when designing the new site map.
4 - Once the initial site map was put together, we validated this by using TreeJack, a great IA and wayfinding testing tool. Read more about TreeJack on their site to learn what and why this tool is useful.[2]
5 - We iterated on the site map based on TreeJack findings
6 - Once the initial site map and labeling were locked down, then we began discussions on page archetypes and templates. At no point did we sketch or draw UI designs. These discussions were all about the purpose of each section, the user goals they'd satisfy, and what type of content may live on each page.
7 - Once we had the archetypes down and some agreement on the number of sections and templates, then we moved to the wireframing and UI sketching phase.
Obviously, this is just 1 example, and is by no means thorough. But, you'll hopefully realize that the role of an "IA" is absolutely vital for complex projects.
When it comes to building web applications, the IA work we do is different, the artifacts we create are different, but the end goal is still the same, and attempt to organize, simplify, and improve usability.
[1] http://viget.com/inspire/ux-101-the-site-map
[2] http://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack.htm