Notes from Uxcel course
8 principles to guide information architecture
Objects: organizing info into meaningful units that people can understand and interact with. E.g. “books”, “authors”, “genres” are objects, each including specific info like title, author, publication year.
Choices: limit the number of choices.
Disclosure: reveal only relevant info as needed.
Exemplars: Use specific examples to illustrate how elements work together rather than relying on descriptions. E.g. icons or colors for statuses.
Front doors: Not all users start their journey on your homepage, so every page should provide clear options to navigate to other parts of the site.
Multiple classification: People have diverse needs. E.g. “men”, “women”, “kids” for clothing.
Navigation: Ensure users move through your site or app easily.
Growth: Systems can evolve over time. Scalable folder structure and search.
How people seek info
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Directed browsing: users have a specific goal in mind and directly navigate to it. E.g. go directly to a travel booking site and select filers.
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Semi-directed browsing: users have a general idea of what they’re looking for, but the goal isn’t fully defined. E.g. look for a note-taking app on an app store. They look for categorized sections, related articles, search suggestions.
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Undirected browsing: users have no specific goal or focus. E.g. flip through channels & pages, surf feeds.
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Known-item search: users know exactly what they want and where to look. E.g. search for a dish on delivery app.
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Exploratory seeking: users have a general idea of what they need but can’t articulate it. E.g. planning for a vacation but haven’ known the destination, so they look for travel blogs & tips.
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“Don’t know what you need to know”: users don’t know what info exists or what they truly need. E.g. someone looking for workout routines on fitness app, but don’t know nutrition information is also important.
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Re-finding: revisit info but can’t immediately recall where to find them, so they use history, bookmarks, or phrases they remember.
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People tend to revisit, so ensure fast page load, implement Recently Viewed or Continue Shopping sections, keep navigation paths short.
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People tend to browse quickly, so use visual hierarchies, bullet points, and bold headings.
How people navigate
“Life is too short to click on things you don’t understand.” - Jakob Nielsen