The document discusses information architecture and why it is important for designers. It defines information architecture as the structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content. It then outlines the key steps in developing an information architecture, including gathering requirements, qualifying and organizing features, validating the framework with technical teams, and creating low-risk wireframes. Finally, it notes that information architecture is important for designers because it establishes functionality independent of design, provides a framework to inform solid design, and promotes design expertise through a focus on usability.

1. Information Architecture & Why You Care About It As a Designer

2. The structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content. Definition Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville Organizing info so people can find stuff >

3. Metaphor – Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Detail from Water Lilies Claude Monet 1906

4. Metaphor – Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Detail from The Entombment Raphael 1507

5. Metaphor – Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Detail from The Entombment Raphael 1507

6. The Key is Balance A beautifully designed interface might satisfy the business vision but imply things about the function of a site that can’t be realized An elegantly coded back-end system might meet basic business requirements and still be wholly un-usable

9. The Context of Development It doesn’t matter what development processes your client or your company subscribe to. They all have the same thing in common Plan Build IA IA Idea

10. The Context of Development We’re going to focus on the first gap between an Idea and a Plan Idea Plan Build IA IA

12. Steps: Feature List Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction Granular breakdown and description of all potential features and functions

16. Steps: Process & Page Flow Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction Page Agnostic Page Specific Better for Linear Applications

17. Steps: Site Map Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction Better for Broad Content Sites

18. Steps Review your framework with the technical team to validate the way the system will support it Are there any constraints that might influence the way the user will be able to encounter the information? Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction

19. Steps Create a low-risk model of a page to account for the features and functions that have been scoped. This is the first time that the team will be able to see and think of the site in terms of pages. Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction

20. Steps: Wireframe Gather | Qualify | Organize | Validate | Interaction Functional Model, Few if any Design Elements

21. Why Do You Care? IAs promote the expertise of design by couching its impact in terms of usability Form Follows Function – IAs establish the function of a page independent of design elements. This keeps the client from designing for you IAs provide the framework to inform a solid design scheme Your grade depends on it

22. Q & A