Information Architecture Concepts for the Technical Writer

Information Architecture (IA) as a discipline practiced by professionals in the information processing and development industry has many definitions and levels of understanding. Some of the details on the origin, definitions and the nature of the discipline, IA techniques and methodologies were discussed in the March-April 2005 issue of Indus.

IA can be said to comprise two main activities—“information classification” by the information architect and information search and retrieval by end users.

In the role of technical writers we are organizers of information, but in the role of users of a web site, an online help system, or a library, writers are end users. It is a combination of these roles that gives writers a holistic perspective to drive the practice of IA.

IA Defined

From the multiple definitions of IA written by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville in their Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, three seem most relevant and best understood by technical writers. They are:

• The combination of organization, labeling, and navigation schemes within an information system.

• The structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content.

• An emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.

Don't we all play the role of IA in our information design and development? To what extent are writers information architects?

Which are the Areas in Which We Work Related to IA?

If IA is about “architecting” information on a professional level, technical writers architect information every day. Organizing information on how to use a product into a table of contents in a user manual is information classification. Identifying what words or phrases users might search for and creating an index is enabling efficient search and retrieval.

Organizing web site content is information classification. Writing content for sites and subsites, providing navigation aids (hyperlinks, see also references) is aiding information retrieval.

On a personal level, we organize information on our desktops for easy identification and access. We organize our desks at the workplace and our bookshelves for easy retrieval of papers, pins, or our favorite reading material.

The practice of IA appears mainly related to web content. So if you are a technical writer who works with content for Internal and external web sites, then IA is a discipline that you can explore in depth.

You can play a key role organizing information for your company. Information can be in the form of documents, data, metadata and graphics, not necessarily well-written prose.

Information Architecture forms the foundation from which an information space’s building blocks are raised. Only with the IA in place you can focus on visual design, interaction design within and across information spaces, and interface design.

IA principles also apply to technical writing. Apart from defining IA, conceptualizing the IA based on sound principles need to be translated into deliverables. Some of the deliverables are blueprints, wireframes, site maps, taxonomies, information maps, content inventories and content models, design sketches, and prototypes.

How Does IA Yield Business Benefits?

This concept is best illustrated by an example. If 1,000 employees in an organization spend 15 minutes every day trying to confirm their user IDs and passwords while signing on to applications their intranet that have restricted access; and the time that they take for authentication is reduced to five minutes, it would save 10,000 productive person minutes. Most likely, the manner in which the user interfaces were designed and the authentication information was presented cost the organization 10,000 minutes. Good information architecture can definitely yield business benefits.

Who Practices IA? 

What fields of experience, theory and practice does IA derive from?

IA practitioners, with an IA academic background are recent entrants to the field. In the past and for the most part, in the present as well, IA sources its practitioners from varied fields, the most relevant being information and library science, usability engineering, journalism, architecture, information design, user experience design, user interface design, knowledge management, and technical writing.

Information Architecture has only recently found a place in the curriculum of design courses and specialization in the area of Information Architecture through an undergraduate or graduate course in North America (Kent State University, University of Baltimore) and Europe are available.

In India, however, the subject is yet to find a place as Information Architecture. Related subjects that contribute to the creation of an Information Architect are available. Schools such as NID offer courses in the areas of Product Design, IT Integrated design (including Software and User Interface Design and Information and Digital Design), Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and IIT Kharagpur’s Master of Design course includes Visual Design, Human Experience in Design, Graphic Design, User-Consumer Interaction Study and so on.

What are the Tools of the Trade?

Most information architects would say they work well with pencil and paper, or even post-it notes. The scope of IA is varied enough to include activities that range from information classification, indexing, or depicting IA visually. The software tools information architects use come from various practices.

The table below lists some of the tools used by information architects.

Reference: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/

Anupama Gummaraju is Group Lead for Technical Communication with Infosys.

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