What Is Website Information Architecture? A website’s (or intranet’s) information architecture has two main components: - identification and definition of site content/functionality - the underlying organization, structure and nomenclature that define the relationships between a site’s content/functionality

The information architecture (IA) is not part of the on-screen user interface (UI) — rather, IA informs UI. The IA is documented in spreadsheets and diagrams, not in wireframes, comprehensive layouts (known as comps), or prototypes.

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The activities undertaken in defining an information architecture involve:

• Content inventory: Examination of a website to locate and identify existing site content
• Content audit: Evaluation of content usefulness, accuracy, tone of voice, and overall effectiveness
• Information grouping: Definition of user-centered relationships between content
• Taxonomy development: Definition of a standardized naming convention (controlled vocabulary) to apply to all site content.
• Descriptive information creation: Definition of useful metadata that can be utilized to generate “Related Link” lists or other navigation components that aid discovery.