Information Architecture and Digital Marketing
Information Architecture is a discipline that focusing on the professional practice of how information is been accessed, organized and used in order to create a systematic infrastructure that delivers the content to the users that are needed in the most efficient way.
Although in the modern use of Information architecture is mainly refers design of information digitally, it was once defined as “the conceptual structure and functional behavior, distinguishing the organization of data flows and controls, logical design, ad physical implementation.” (Amdahl et al 1964), then from the mid 1980s, the idea of information architecture has developed as an idea of designing complex and dynamically computer infrastructure and data layer, and emphasized on the use for organization and businesses the modern use of Information architecture is mainly refers strictly to the design of information
The creation of Information Architecture has been critical to business through decades. In the article ‘Information in Search of Efficient Flexibility’ (1991), Brandt states, most the corporations in the 90s were struggled to keep their information structure “speedy and flexible” “low cost and efficiently”, the two solutions Brand had back then called the high road and low road where both concerning about information decentralization. Today, we are able to achieve this ideal situation by design the system constructively by managing the labels, content, interface, intranets and online communities.
R.S Wuman once said architect role is in the creating of systemic, structural, and orderly principles to make something work in 1996. That means, to its very core, the design of information architecture is making sense of the cluttered information to its users, and the users are well defined prior to the launch of a newly designed information system, where the principle is applicable to any business practice as well, especially businesses that offer product and services to the majority consumers. Thus, information architecture is a crucial component to user experience development in terms of usability and fundability.
The usability of a website can be carried out by many components of information architecture. Referring back to the general principles of designing information architecture labels, a study conducted by University of Waterloo on the topic of marketing and strategic communication cited four of the principles developed by Dan Brown that assist him on decision making: Principle of choice is to understand human are limited at weighing options, thus choices have to be meaning for to the users by introduce one particular task at a time; The principle of front doors is based on the assumption that more than half of the users would explore other pages of a website other than the home page; The principle of focused navigation suggest the navigation menu should be straight forward and be well summarized terms; the principle of growth is having a developing perspective, that the content that is currently available on the website is a small fraction of later content development. To built on these principles and incorporate the ideas into their business operations and the functionality of their website, website developer often use usability tests as a way to evaluate their customer relationship management.
The designing principles of an information architecture are as follows:
The focus of the designer is primarily on the structure and secondly upon the interface that represents the structure upon the screen.
In addition, the architect has to focus on the audience and a complete understanding of how they would like to relate with the content as well as the functionality that constitute the structure.
The architect should also have a proper understanding of the range of the content and functionality which is supposedly to be supported by the designed structure.
Although Information architecture, is possibly in its nascent stages when compared to several other fields of design like for instance, building architecture or graphic design etc., it has a considerable prospect to institute a set of undisputable facts and certainties derived from the aspects like the design, experience as well as testing in the other fields. These guiding principles of information architecture might essentially pave the foundation for a theory or a context for helping in the making of informed decisions related to design of the website structures and a plethora of other things.
The primary objective of information architecture is nothing but to make the products and services and all the related information about them, the company as well as the brand, which are presented on the website easily identifiable. This is precisely the goal of an SEO professional too – to make information increasingly visible to the users. However, the skillsets that are required for effective information architecture and SEO are quite different in nature.
Probably, one of the key components of web designing and information architecture and the conforming navigation is a highly effective labeling system.The three different types of labels in website design are namely, document labels, content labels, and navigation labels (Thurow). All these three different forms of labels are of high importance because they essentially communicate to the users about the content present in the website. Any section of the website can be explained or defined using a label, and it can further communicate a wide range of things to the users like how to navigate through the website, orientation of the website, value of the content that is obtained by clicking on various buttons on the website etc. (Thurow).
Keywords are the most important components of a labeling system. Navigation labels are the extremely important for both users browsing the web as well as also for the commercial search engines on the internet. Labels that have keywords definitely increase the visibility of the content and the website as a whole and in digital marketing, visibility is of high prominence in order to achieve the required results.
Several other items on a web page are also referred to as navigation labels, like for instance, headings, embedded text links are all navigation labels as well. Thus, it is to be noted that many SEO professionals fail to recognize the difference. Yet, the same can have both positive and/or negative influence upon the design of the navigation labels as well as the usability of the website.
In the end, the objective of any effective information architecture professional is to ensure that the products, services and information are easily recognizable and identifiable on the website, whenever a user tries to browse the same by navigating across the websites. The truth is that browsing and searching/retrieval of information are equally significant behaviors of search on the internet as both these two actions are complexly associated with one another and a proficient information architecture has the ability to make these two complex finding activities conceivable as well as also successful.
Finally, it is important to note that consistency is one of the most important elements which helps users who try to navigate anywhere as it creates and justifies the user expectations, while also enabling visitors to foresee what they might find when they click on a particular button or read through the content presented on a website, merely at the look of the navigation label.
Works Cited
Brown, Dan. "Eight Principles of Information Architecture." Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 36.6 (2010): 30-34. Web. 27 March 2016. <https://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-10/AugSep10_Brown.pdf>.
Thurow, Shari. How to Create a Website's Nomenclature (or Labeling System) for Online Visibility. 05 June 2015. Web. 27 March 2016. <http://marketingland.com/create-websites-nomenclature-labeling-system-online-findability-131130>.
—. Key Information Architecture Concepts Every SEO Should Know. 02 July 2010. Web. 27 March 2016. <http://searchengineland.com/key-information-architecture-concepts-every-seo-should-know-45288>.
