Campfire #42: Architecting information

Many product designers see information architecture as a small part of the overall experience, but it goes much further and is massively undervalued.

Mar 24, 2023

Information architecture helps us define information, organize it cohesively, create properties and their relationships, and establish different points of view on hierarchies.

Dan Klyn explained information architecture (2009) as the interplay of meaning, arrangement, and rules for interaction. He used taxonomies, ontologies, and choreographies to create a framework to ensure this architecture was practical, relevant, and authentic.

Consider yourself in a large shopping mall for the first time. You start looking for your favorite store to buy a black t-shirt (the designer's only choice). What an undertaking! Typically, the first thing you'd do is ask someone or go to the information desk.

When browsing the mall's signage, you usually follow their verbal or visual cues: parking, escalator, level 1, level 2, clothing stores, etc. All of these cues are part of the building's information architecture.

If you were to explain information architecture (IA) to a kid, you would say something like this:

IA is the practice of arranging the parts of something to make it understandable.

Signs provide us with a better understanding of the direction we're going.

Regarding product design, IA is the art and science of organizing and labeling websites, applications, and software to support usability and discoverability.

Ontology

Back to our example with the shopping mall. When looking at directional indications, there are various categories such as parking, escalator, level 1, level 2, or clothing stores. Each sign broadly represents locations using unique titles or categories, known as "Ontology" in information architecture.

It refers to the broader meaning attached to these stores, which includes a representation or formal definition of multiple categories. It focuses on the general subject matter and can consist of user-visible and under-the-hood elements such as "metadata."

Taxonomy

Continuing with the preceding example, let's define "taxonomy."

After purchasing that fabulous black t-shirt, you feel hungry and look to find the food court using the signs.

When you finally find it and arrive, you begin scanning the area for your favorite cafe, smelling that great pasta from afar! Numerous products are listed on the menu board: pasta, drinks, cakes, etc. All sub-categories on the main menu are defined as "Taxonomy" in the information architecture language.

In other words, the categories are organized around common elements in the cafe. This structure or grouping of sub-categories makes it easier to understand and differentiate products. Taxonomy aids in the organization of information in digital product design.

Choreography

Finally, let's order that tasty pasta off the menu and learn about "Choreography" in the context of information architecture. An example of choreography in action is checking the main menu, looking for pasta (taxonomy), and then locating the sub-category of spaghetti bolognese. Yeah! Got it.

It is a brief interaction between the search and discover commands of menu categories. The next time you order food in the digital world, you'll use your mobile app. Log in to your app, press the menu button, then pasta, then spaghetti bolognese, and place your order.

In a nutshell, choreography is the vital digital pathway that indicates where you are, where you can go, and how to locate what you're seeking — or the digital meaning of search and navigation.

Remember, you went to the mall to purchase a black t-shirt! Nevertheless, you also learned information architecture (IA), which includes ontology, taxonomy, and choreography. Excellent work!

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