[Information Architecture] is the thoughtful making of either artifact, or idea, or policy that informs because it is clear. (Richard Saul Wurman)

Information Architecture (IA) is a term that refers to the information structure or “taxonomy” of a website. In general, the larger the site the more IA planning you need to do. If you build your website correctly from the bottom up, it will have no problem scaling up to suit your future needs.

IA takes into account all the pages of a website, from your “Homepage” to your “Contact” page, and all the pages within — public or private. And not only do you plan for each page, but you also need to look at on how pages link to one another to create a great user experience. If a new visitor can’t figure out how to use your website within seconds, they’ll most likely go looking elsewhere.

Smart Information Architecture planning starts with an inventory of nodes, then a sitemap. Once the sitemap is completed, wireframes can be built to finalize the content and its location. From a good set of wireframes and sitemap, web designers, interaction designers, and user experience designers can work on the look and feel of a website.

Land Interactive can take your website from concept to completion, starting with the Information Architecture, and ending with a user-friendly application that’s ready for prime time.

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