Information Architecture
You need to consider both the user and the site owner to make the site both intuitive and easy to maintain
- Users should know what to expect before they click
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Every page should have content:
Do not have pages of only menu items so that users click just to get to a page where they have to click again
- Do not use internal jargon or structure. You may know your field or your organization, but do not assume that your users do
- The Web is not linear and should not be designed like pages of a book:
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Each user creates his own narrative and your job should be to guide all users, no matter what their path, to your site's "Most Desired Action"
- Do not assume every user will enter your site from your home page.
Once the infrastructure is in place you can expand:
- Have inclusive top-level navigation.
- Chose the correct environment in which to design the site.
Just as if you were designing a house, and you knew that one day you wanted a master bathroom, but right now you could not afford it, you should still lay down the pipes so that you do not need to tear up the floor in the future.
© J-Town Productions Ltd.