UX Information Architecture

Information architecture, or IA, is the structure behind a digital product's content and functionality. You decide what exists, how items relate, and how people can find them.

Users rarely see the whole structure. They experience its consequences through navigation, search, filters, breadcrumbs, links, and labels.

Good IA makes useful content findable and discoverable. It also helps people understand where they are and what choices are available.

IA is not navigation

Navigation is a collection of visible interface components. IA is the underlying organization that informs those components.

This distinction changes the order of your work. You first understand the content, user needs, and relationships. You then choose navigation components that can represent that structure.

A sitemap is also not the complete IA. It is one planning artifact that visualizes hierarchy and relationships. The IA also includes labels, taxonomies, metadata, search paths, and maintenance rules.

The parts you design

You usually work across six connected parts.