Defining Information Architecture

[MUSIC] 0:00 Hey, I'm Dan. 0:09 And in this course we're going to discuss a concept known as information 0:09 architecture. 0:14 IA, for short, refers to the way we organize, label, and 0:15 connect the information on a website or app. 0:20 In other words, it refers to how we assign categories to our blog posts, 0:23 how we name each section or 0:28 page on our website, how we choose which links to put in our navigation menus. 0:29 And the options we provide to help people discover new content and 0:34 use search features, just to name a few things. 0:38 So if you're a designer or developer with website and 0:42 app projects of your own, information architecture is a big concern. 0:45 If you've ever built a website or app from scratch, 0:50 one of the first things you're gonna ask is, what's gonna be in the main menu? 0:52 How many choices will there be? 0:57 What are the choices? 0:58 What will they be called? 1:00 And where will they be linked to? 1:01 And in this menu, do we show a text link? 1:03 Do we show an icon? 1:05 Do we show both? 1:07 Providing clear navigation is a big part of information architecture. 1:09 And it's a huge concern because if users can't get around easily or they do not 1:13 know where to find things, they're gonna stop using your site or app very quickly. 1:17 Now if you've built a site with lots of content, 1:22 you might have struggled with how everything should be organized. 1:25 Should you use categories? 1:28 And if so, which ones? 1:30 Should there be subcategories too? 1:32 Should you provide filtering, or 1:34 display content based on popularity or user feedback? 1:36 And even if you perfectly divide your content into happy little categories and 1:41 determine the best menu to help people find their way, there's still more to do. 1:46 Today's websites have to do more than simply organize things in a nice and 1:51 neat manner. 1:55 With all the competition, you've got to find ways to keep visitors engaged and 1:56 using your site, and make them rely on it. 2:01 So how do you connect everything together? 2:06 Consider how much extra time you spend on YouTube because of those 2:10 related video list they show, or on Spotify because it 2:13 shows you a list of similar songs to the one you're listening to. 2:17 Creating an environment where content can be found through a logical sequence of 2:21 clicks and 2:25 by revealing related content is what today's successful websites and apps do. 2:27 So these are the questions we seek to answer here. 2:33 How can I organize my content in a logical and an easy to use way? 2:37 How can I properly name categories and label links within menus 2:42 that connects users to all the important stuff we provide? 2:47 And how can I create connections between everything so my users will spend more 2:51 time, consume more content, engage with us more, and perhaps buy more stuff? 2:56 If you've ever struggled with any of these questions, then you're in the right place. 3:03 I'm really looking forward to discussing information architecture with you. 3:07 So I'll see you in the next video. 3:11