Information architecture

Information architecture is the structural design of shared information environments, in particular the organisation of websites and software to support usability and findability.

The term information architecture was coined by Richard Saul Wurman.^{[ citation needed ]} Since its inception, information architecture has become an emerging community of practice focused on applying principles of design, architecture and information science in digital spaces. ^[1]

Typically, a model or concept of information is used and applied to activities which require explicit details of complex information systems. These activities include library systems and database development.^{[ citation needed ]}

Definition

The term information architecture has different meanings in different branches of information systems or information technology. ^[2]

User experience

In user experience design, information architecture has been described as the structural design of shared information environments, ^{[3] : 4} comprising the study and practice of organising and labelling web sites, intranets, online communities, and software to support user experience, in particular, the findability and usability of information. ^{[1] [4] [5]} It has also been described as an emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape. ^{[3] : 4  [6]}

Information systems

Technically speaking, information architecture comprises the combination of organization, labeling, search and navigation systems within websites and intranets, ^{[3] : 4} serving as a navigational aid to the content of information-rich systems. ^[7]

Data architecture

Information architecture can be described as a subset of data architecture where usable data is constructed, designed, and arranged in a fashion most useful to the users of data.^{[ citation needed ]}

Systems design

In the field of systems design, for example, information architecture is a component of enterprise architecture that deals with the information component when describing the structure of an enterprise. ^[2] Some system design practitioners regard information architecture as strictly the application of information science to web design, which considers such issues as classification and information retrieval, and not factors like user experience and information design. ^[2]

Principles

Principles of information architecture include the following: ^{[8] [9]}

• The principle of objects
• The principle of choices
• The principle of disclosure
• The principle of exemplars
• The principle of front doors
• The principle of multiple classification
• The principle of focused navigation
• The principle of growth

History

Richard Saul Wurman is credited with coining the term information architecture in relation to the design of information.^{[ citation needed ]}

From 1998 to 2015, Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld were co-authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.^{[ citation needed ]}

Other authors include Jesse James Garrett and Christina Wodtke.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• Applications architecture
• Card sorting  – Test in user experience design
• Chief experience officer  – Corporate officer responsible for overall user experience
• Content management  – Creation and presentation of information for an audience
• Content strategy
• Controlled vocabulary  – Method of organizing knowledge
• Data management  – Disciplines related to managing data as a resource
• Data presentation architecture  – Visual representation of dataPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Digital humanities  – Area of scholarly activity
• Ecological interface design  – Approach to interface design
• Enterprise information security architecture
• Faceted classification  – Method of systematically organizing knowledge
• Human factors and ergonomics  – Designing systems to suit their users
• Informatics  – Field of study of computational systems
• Interaction design  – Specialization of design focused on the experience users have of a product or service
• Process architecture  – Structural design of general process systems
• Site map  – List of pages of a web site
• Social information architecture
• Tree testing  – Method of evaluating topic trees for findability
• User experience design  – Field of design focusing on the creation of user-centered products and websites
• Knowledge visualization  – Set of techniques for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a messagePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Wayfinding  – Ways in which people navigate from place to place
• Web graph  – Graph of connected web pagesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Web literacy  – Ability to read and write web content

References

1. "What is IA?" (PDF). Information Architecture Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2021.
2. Dillon, A (2002). "Information Architecture in JASIST: Just where did we come from?". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 53 (10): 821–23. doi:10.1002/asi.10090..
3. Morville & Rosenfeld 2007.
4. Morville & Rosenfeld (2000). p. 4. "The art and science of shaping information products and experienced to support usability and findability."
5. "Information Architecture". Mozilla Developer Network. 8 June 2023.
6. Resmini, A. & Rosati, L. (2012). A Brief History of Information Architecture. Journal of Information Architecture. Vol. 3, No. 2. [Available at http://journalofia.org/volume3/issue2/03-resmini/]. Originally published in Resmini, A. & Rosati L. (2011). Pervasive Information Architecture. Morgan Kaufmann. (Edited by the authors).
7. Toms, Elaine (17 May 2012). "Information interaction: Providing a framework for information architecture". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 53 (10.1002/asi.10094): 855–862. doi:10.1002/asi.10094.
8. Brown, Dan (2010). "Eight principles of information architecture". Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 36 (6): 30–34. doi:10.1002/bult.2010.1720360609. ISSN   1550-8366.
9. "Information Architecture". WEBFirst. Retrieved 2025-10-04.

Bibliography

• Wurman, Richard Saul (1997). Information Architects (1st ed.). Graphis Inc. ISBN   1-888-00138-0.
• Morville, Peter; Rosenfeld, Louis (2007). Information architecture for the World Wide Web (3rd ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates. ISBN   978-0-596-52734-1. information architecture.
• Wodtke, Christina (2009). Information Architecture - Blueprints for the Web (2nd ed.). New Riders. ISBN   978-0-321-60080-6.
• Resmini, Andrea; Rosati, Luca (2011). Pervasive Information Architecture - Designing Cross-channel User Experiences (1st ed.). Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN   978-0-123-82094-5.
• Van Dijck, Peter (August 1, 2003). Information Architecture for Designers: Structuring Websites for Business Success. Rotovision. ISBN   9782880467319.

Further reading

• Sue Batley (January 2007). Information Architecture for Information Professionals. Woodhead Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84334-233-5.
• Wei Ding; Xia Lin (15 May 2009). Information Architecture: The Design and Integration of Information Spaces. Morgan & Claypool. ISBN   978-1-59829-959-5.
• Earl Morrogh (2003). Information Architecture: An Emerging 21st Century Profession. Prentice Hall. ISBN   9780130967466.
• Alan Gilchrist; Barry Mahon (2004). Information Architecture: Designing Information Environments for Purpose. Facet. ISBN   9781856044875.