Information Architecture Basics
Information architecture (IA) is the foundation of creating intuitive, user-friendly websites.
This guide covers the essential principles and practical steps for organizing your website’s content effectively.
What You Need to Know
Before developing your IA, consider these key elements:
- Context - Site goals, culture, resources, constraints
- Content - Objectives, content types, existing structure, governance
- Users - Audiences, tasks, needs & goals
IA Informs
- Organization - How you categorize and structure information
- Labeling & categorization - How you represent information
- Navigation - How users move through information on your site
- Search systems - How users look for information
Understanding Sitemaps
A sitemap is a diagram that represents how a website’s pages are organized. It communicates where information lives as a function of prioritizing user needs and strategic goals.
Sitemap vs. Navigation
Sitemaps help users wayfind based on intuitive groupings, structures, labels and metadata
Navigation occurs across different sections of your site to related content, typically via on-page content (CTAs, in-line links).
Types of Navigation Include:
-
Object-based
Features noun-only categories that treat navigation labels as topics, like a table of contents
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Action-based
Task-oriented labels associated with the site’s primary user tasks (visit, apply, give, register)
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Audience-based
Used mainly for commerce sites with distinct audiences (rarely appropriate for higher education)
Creating a User-First Sitemap
Begin by documenting your current sitemap:
- Use a digital template or paper sketch
- Document all pages and sections
- Identify how content is currently organized
Ask yourself:
- Who is my primary audience?
- What do I want them to learn and do?
Tip: If identifying your primary audience is challenging, start by listing all audiences, then group them into broader categories.
Review your content audit for:
- Pages to remove or consolidate
- New pages needed to fill content gaps
- Areas requiring updated content
When grouping content:
- Combine similar topics when possible
- Remove redundant, outdated, or trivial content
- Use clear labels that make sense to users
- Avoid jargon, acronyms, or internal organizational terms
Warning: Avoid “catch-all” categories like “Resources,” “Fast Facts,” or “Quick Links.”
Best practices:
- Keep main navigation under 5 items
- Limit child pages to 10 per section
- Avoid subpages below level 3
- Never link directly to downloads from navigation
Determine logical priority order based on:
- User priorities
- Conventional menu orders
- Task completion paths
- Get feedback from colleagues
- Create sample user flows
- Test with real users
- Add annotations for future planning
- Web stakeholders and editors
- Subject matter experts
- End users (2-8 participants ideal)
Next Steps
After finalizing your sitemap:
- Transfer information to a content matrix
- Begin implementation planning
- Prepare for site building
Need Help Getting Started?
The YaleSites team is here to support your digital experience efforts: