Simplicity reigns in the world of software design. Iconic tech companies like Facebook and Apple understand this, and work hard to simplify their products. This results in a great user experience.
But what’s the most tactical way to achieve simple designs that drive strong UX? At my software solutions company UM Tech, we rely on an information architecture (IA) process. This process organizes information across the platform being developed. It provides an easy understanding of where the information is located as well as the means to navigate from the current position to the desired information.
For example, think of a website’s menu and category design. Great content strategists will provide a menu of main categories, and each main category will contain related sub-categories and posts. Regardless of how deep a user is into the content, the menu bar offers simple navigation to what that user needs. Although called a content strategist, the person who designs this can also be considered an information architect.
When UM Tech creates software, we rely on IA to create engaging software solutions that are simple to understand and use. The process for us involves researching the client using a method known as ethnographic research. (I’ve written about this process previously on Forbes, here.)
Following are some informational architecture tactics that have helped us design successful, simple solutions. These can be used across different types of design development, from graphic design to content strategy.
Read the full article on Forbes.com