Information architecture is defined by Kevin Shoesmith as, “the art & science of trying to make information more findable on websites & intranets; furthermore, the art of digital librarianship, cataloging, organizing & categorizing information so that users can find what they are looking for.” Shoesmith discusses the use of metadata to give users more ways of finding the information they need, and the many other components that are involved in Information Architecture.
Information Architecture addresses the concern of how a website will function, including the areas of searching systems, labeling, navigation, and design organization. The concept of information architecture is to appeal to the needs of your target consumer so that your website has stickiness, where the user comes to the site, finds it to be feasible, but also appealing, so they stay and spend some time there. Information architecture’s purpose isn’t to attract onetime users, but to develop a strategy that creates user return. We need to think of information architecture as a blueprint of a sequence of information and procedures that facilitate our consumers’ quest for information. If we help users achieve their goal of obtaining information through a sensible series of steps they will become return users.
In a blog titled “have they broken Google search?” Lyle Katnrovich discusses Google’s use of Information Architecture for anticipating the search results that users are looking for. What Lyle points out in this article is that if Google doesn’t know exactly what it is you are searching for, or is unable to find an article that directly relates, they post articles that “partially match” opposed to providing nothing at all. From Google’s perspective we can understand the structure of their information architecture where they are working to support consumers goals and assist them in navigating more easily. By providing a functional structure that may not deliver the exact results that the user needs, Google is in turn displaying options that are likely to aid the user in finding the correct information.
