For the Information Architecture module, I learnt about how to understand and implement an effective  navigational structure for a website. Our coursework involved us choosing a domain and created information architecture for it. I chose the dog adoption domain and gathered requirements by interviewing, created sitemaps, wireframes, user journeys and domain models and evaluated these against each other and through card sorting and tree testing.

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Domain Model

This first stage of the project involved conducting research by analysing competitors of my chosen domain and interviewing the target audience. I visited other dog adoption websites and noted what they displayed and how they organized their information. The interviews consisted of me understanding users goals, concerns and requirements during the dog adoption process online. From these activities I produced a domain model which illustrated what information was relevant to this domain and how they were connected. I used this model to help to structure my final navigation.

Testing

I tested my sitemap on Optimalsort with both card sorting and tree testing in order to check that the content is organized and labelled comprehensibly – especially by novice dog owners. This was a key step in the creation of my information architecture. A second card sort with the changes made from the first test validated the choices that I had made, as the testers all organized them into the same groups I had. Learning how to use Optimalsort was incredibly useful, as it is a tool that helps illustrate areas that users may be misunderstanding, or reasons for users getting lost on a website.

Evaluation

For my evaluation, I conducted four evaluations with four separate users, who were all nonexperts, using wireframes on screen. I assigned each user a series of tasks, each relating to a certain area of the site and also asked what the user could do in general on the page, alongside more specific questions tailored to the page. Already by evaluating my first page I had come to understand more about my users’ mental models of dog adoption and how my site matched up. Even though my previous testing affirmed that users understood by organization and labelling, this face-to-face, more dynamic and in-depth evaluation helped me to see where users could get confused.

Overall, the evaluation of my wireframes was insightful and useful in understanding how real users would use the site and understand the content and navigation. The dog adoption process can be quite overwhelming, especially for novices, and my users agreed that categorizing filters and including a search function within them was important. My models went through several iterations, especially my wireframes, as I could include or remove elements easily, some of which improved navigation and content greatly.

Wireframes

I first created the wireframes in Balsamiq but recreated them in Axure as I found it illustrated my idea in a more clear and professional manner.

User journey and Sitemap

I learnt how to organize information according to different contexts, what navigational structures are appropriate and what language to use in order to create an effective navigational scheme. This coursework aided me in developing key skills, I learnt to use software such as Balsamiq and Axure, learnt techniques such as tree testing and card sorting and understood how to construct the vital structures behind a website or app.