This document discusses the basic steps of information architecture, which includes creating a content inventory, establishing a hierarchical outline, chunking content, drawing diagrams, and testing. It outlines the process of creating a content inventory spreadsheet that catalogs each page, and discusses strategies for organizing information like using categories, time, location, or alphabetical order. Finally, it notes that effective information architecture groups content into logical chunks and structures sites consistently to match users' mental models.

1. Information
architecture
Organizing and categorizing website
content

2. 5 Basic steps
1. Content inventory
2. Establishing a hierarchical outline
3. Chunking
4. Drawing diagrams
5. Analysis through testing

3. Content
inventory
• Detailed listing of all content in the site
• Major database for all the pages
• Usually tabulated in spreadsheets

4. The Content
inventory sheet
1. Unique ID number
2. Page title
3. Page template or type
4. URL
5. General type of content
6. Person responsible for content
7. Keep/revise/discard decisions
8. Create content?
9. Review status
From the Web Style Guide 3rd Ed. (2009)

5. Hierarchical
outline
• Ranking the importance of each piece of
information
• From broad overviews to specific submenus
• Taxonomy: use of descriptive terms
• Controlled vocabulary

6. Five hat racks
to organize information
1. Category
2. Time
3. Location
4. Alphabetic
5. Continuum
From Information Anxiety (1989): Wurman, R.

7. Other
strategies
• Brainstorming
• Card sorting
• White-board sessions
• Paradigm-setting

8. Common site
organizations
• Identity
• Navigation
• Novelty
• Org chart
• Service
• Flashy
• Tool-oriented

9. CHUNKING
INFORMATION
• Modular chunks
• Logically organized
• Convenient for readers

10. SITE
STRUCTURE
• Organization of pages
• The users predict on where to find things
• Leading through logic, consistency and
familiarity

11. Confusing mental
models

12. Browsing
functionality

13. STRUCTURAL
THEMES
• Sequences
• Hierarchies
• Webs

14. SEQUENCES

15. hierarchies

17. WEBS