Information Architecture for the Web: Information Architecture

Think of your web project as a building. Start with a good foundation. A solid foundation is built on quality data about your users.

Many web developers make the mistake of putting "stuff" on the web. They may post their calendars, center policies, and classroom rules without thinking about their users. Posting materials without a needs assessment is a big mistake. It's very difficult to convince people they should return to your site if their first experience is not positive.

Use a needs assessment to determine the website content. These needs may be related to information, instruction, promotion, or some other aspect of the organization's mission.

Surveys

Many people conduct surveys to determine the needs of their clients. Will students be using the website in school or out of school? Will parents or community members be using the site? Should the primary purpose be informational, instructional, or promotional? You'll also want to find out things like the reading level of your clients and whether English is their primary language. Are there groups in your community that have special interests such as the elderly or people changing careers? What kinds of services would your patrons like to see online?

Interviews and Case Studies

Talk with your clients. How do they use the web? What things make them frustrated? What do they think is missing from the web? What local information would be useful? How would they prefer information to be organized? For example, you could talk to a group of parents about the resources they'd like to access with their children online.

Observations

Watch how your students or patrons use your classroom, center, or library. Observe their use of Internet. How much time do they spend on particular pages? Do they actually read off the screen or do the scroll, click, and print?

Data

Use artifacts such as search logs, circulation statistics, and other data to determine needs and interests. How do people spend their time? What kinds of information do they seek? How are web resources being used right now? How could they be used?

Testing

There are many other ways to determine needs. For example, you might give students a pretest to determine the entry skills of your students and determine what instructional content is needed.

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