Back to Phase 2: Conceptual Design
Information architecture (IA) is the scheme and structure defining the organization of your system’s content and features. An effective IA allows users to find information and complete tasks efficiently.
Scheme refers to how content is categorized or segmented. Schemes can either be objective (e.g. alphabetical, or chronological), or subjective (e.g. by topic, or by audience type).
Structure refers to the relationship between content. Two common structures are hierarchical (top-down), where initial categories are broad, and lead to more specific later categories; and sequential, where content is presented along a linear progression.
In this method, participants organize topics into categories that make sense to them. In an open card sort, the participants can assign their own labels to their groupings. In a closed sort, participants are only allowed to categorize within set categories. This method is an effective means of identifying or validating an appropriate topical architecture scheme.
To validate a hierarchical structure for your content, use tree testing. In this test, a participant is asked to choose a path along the hierarchy, or “tree,” they would follow in order to find a given piece of information.