Web Guide - Information Architecture

Information architecture (IA) is the basic organization of content for your site. Visitors need to be able to find the information they’re looking for and quickly, otherwise they may get frustrated and abandon their search. Creating intuitive information architecture is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a site is user-friendly.

One of the things we hear over and over is that most university Web sites around the country are structured to match the administrative structure or organizational chart, e.g., this department falls under this VP so it should go under that VP’s section on the Web and so forth. This makes sense for faculty and staff who are familiar with the institution, but it leaves out the external audiences we should be focusing on: prospective students, alumni, prospective faculty and in many cases current students.

We too are guilty of the organizational chart Web structure at OU. Therefore, we encourage you to abandon your organizational structure and research what your target audience is looking for and how they can easily find that information. You might be surprised to discover how your department’s information should be presented.