Planning and Information Architecture
A well-designed structure makes it easy for your website viewers or kiosk users to get what they need.
Information Architecture is the organisation of the kiosk or website content. As all of the design and production which follows will be based on this structure we make a big effort to get this right at the beginning.
The structure diagram of a website to be developed in two stages
Planning your website or kiosk starts with defining the goals of the project and identifying groups of people who will view or use it. We make decisions about the structure based on your goals and by identifying how and why users will interact with the website or kiosk.
A list of the information, content, and functionality required is the next step. This list is organised into an outline, which is then translated into a structure diagram.
The structure diagram is an easy way to visualise the paths users will take through the interface and to easily judge accessibility of content. It's a good tool for discussion with other people in your organisation.
In most cases we then develop an online prototype which allows you to test the structure. We call this a 'white site', because it is basically white pages with navigation and possibly text.
This process has proved valuable for our clients. If a major change is required, this is the best time to do it. If significant changes have happened during the structural phase this is a good time to re-assess estimates and deadlines.
Find out more about website planning, content, and writing , at www.webstrategy.co.nz.
