Defined as ‘the structural design of shared information environments’, information architecture focuses on bringing the principles of architectural design to the online world.
Just like the blueprints of a dream home or the outline of a well-written article, good website structure organizes information in a way that enhances the user experience and delivers pertinent information as quickly as possible.
In fact, most website visitors only become aware of information architecture when it is poor and stops them from finding the information they require.
Read on for more details and a case study. As usual, you can leave us your feedback at the end of the post…
Why Is It Important?
Even an optimized site with sleek design and compelling copy can fall flat without sound information architecture. If prospects can’t navigate easily through a site, chances are they’ll get lost, feel frustrated, and leave to never return. And you can forget about converting them to customers.
For example, Starbucks offers two free hours of Wi-Fi in their cafes with your registered Starbucks card, but the actual process of registering and getting online is so confusing, it’s enough to send you to the competition. While most cafes give you a simple access code, Starbucks makes you jump through endless hoops to use this supposedly convenient feature.
Even though Starbucks is a hugely successful enterprise, missing the mark with this small function of their website is enough to make them lose possible revenue from the big draw of free Wi-Fi. This example shows how navigation can directly affect conversion rates.
Read more via Webdesigner Depot.
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