information architecture

Architects design space. They create structures that people occupy, and that engender meaning. A living room feels different than a hallway feels different than a subway station. Informaton is data that communicates. What spaces will you create in your essaysketch? What is the function of each? How do the spaces relate to presentation of and interaction with information? What is the underlying structure of the information that you will present? How can the user access this?

We've discussed that web pages are like sushi: bite-sized, intense flavor, attractive packaging, consistent form scheme. How will you break your essaysketch down into small chunks? The chunks (or nodes) need to be connected, and yet, depending your site map, each may need to be able to function independetly, as a starting point.

Navigation tells the user where they are and where they can go. It creates a sense of place, a sense of location, a sense of identity. Define the navigation structure that will connect the nodes in your project site, and the associated meanings. What dependent and independent flows of navigation will you create through your site map structureun?

What cross-links will you include between nodes? Why? What paths will be possible for readers, based on your map? What will they experience, as a result? Consider the user experiences of information interaction that will become possible in your labyrinth.

A site map is a flow chart that shows the structure of navigation. Produce a site map. Example: Creating Media's site map for AT&T U.K.

A wireframe is a stripped down version of a page, that shows only the spatial structure of layout. There is no color. There are no details of images. Create a wireframe version of each important page layout that will occur within the site.

Write a clear paragraph or 2 (maximum) about how the site map will function as an information architecture. Connect this with your statement of concept. Take your writing to the Writing Center before you turn it in!

text

Specify the mappings of media elements (last assignment) to nodes in your site map. Write the text that will serve as the verbal part of the basis for communicating each node's meaning. Make sure that the connections between the text and the media are clear to you. Decide what to say with which medium, what to make explicit, and what what will function as a provocative stimulus.