What does an Information Architect do?

by Eileen Parzek
Turtle's Web Art & Design

(written to explain the role of IA to my clients, circa 1999 - before it was an "established" title)

Information Architecture is a relatively new term, but the people filling this role in a site's development are filling an essential need which has existed since the beginning of web design. When sites were less complex, it might not have been necessary to have an individual dedicated to these needs, but for a site to be developed properly, someone had to be thinking about information architecture. But what exactly does an Information Architect do? The exact duties may vary, as does who they are completed by - an individual assigned to just that, or a designer or programmer - but I will define the basics of what one does.

In architecture, the person trained to bear the title of "architect" is the one who plans what is going to be built and how. That is exactly what an Information Architect does - they plan for the building of a web site, using information as the material being built with. Prior to a site actually being developed, the IA is the person most heavily involved in coming up with the project plan. They communicate with the site owners initially, to understand the needs and goals of the site. In order to do this, they have to have a very strong grasp of the possibilities for site content and interactivity, the capabilities of the medium, learn the basics of the business which will be represented on the site, and have a vision for initial and future developments for the site.

The process of creating the proposal begins with brainstorming and suggesting features, and content areas. Content areas are named to be organizationally sound, work for the business, and make sense for the site's visitors. Then an initial outline of the sites structure is developed, most likely with a basic, visual site map or organizational chart, to aid in envisioning the information space and how content relates. The IA also provides descriptions of proposed features, functionality, and content, to be included in the proposal.

After the proposal is accepted, and before the building of the site can begin, the Information Architect continues to analyze and plan the site. First, they continue to refine the organization of the content, and prepare and finalize site maps. A great deal of thought must go into this phase, as the site needs to be planned in such a way that it organizes all necessary content, and accommodates future expansion. A good IA has enough experience with interface design, navigation, and usability to be able to accommodate the user's needs. They must also have an understanding of the design and programming aspects of site development so that what is or is not possible is considered early in the planning stage.

The IA continues to develop and define the navigation and naming conventions for the content areas. Before the site can be developed, the information architecture needs to be completely laid out on paper, with detailed outlines and diagrams, as a guide for the developers and designers. The outline is also essential for the client to be able to know what content they will need to gather.

At this point, the Information Architect's job is done, except for when it may be necessary to consult and rethink issues that arise during development. Everything the IA generates is turned over to the designer for comping and interface design, and to the programmers and coding staff for further development.

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