Information architecture

Language, concepts, hierarchy, relationships and mental models.

Drupal information architecture overview

Aim

Produce site structure, relationships and hierarchy to support user flows and information discovery.

Approach

Morpht's human-centred approach and the use of Discovery Workshops will uncover user personas, priority tasks and needs. Key artefacts we produce: a content model, a sitemap and user flows. With a deep understanding of Drupal's underlying capabilities, we plan an optimal implementation for your content model. We also consider content classification, categorisation and hierarchy to help support user mental models.

Outcome

A simple and flexible system that is able to meet the current and future needs of your users. A well defined Information Architecture that supports user interactions, whether that is to find information easily or to complete a transaction.

Drupal information architecture

Information architecture refers to:

1. The structural design of shared information environments.
2. The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability.
3. An emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape

https://www.iainstitute.org/file/whatisiapdf

In the context of a web development project information architecture involves the intersection of a number of areas of concern.

Firstly, the "structural design" of information can refer to the content model: the types of information objects and their properties and how they relate to each other. In the Drupal world this relates to the content types, fields and taxonomies being used to structure the site. When designing a content model, we consider cross-cutting concerns and the relationships between things.

Secondly the "art and science of organising and labelling web sites" relates to the site map and how information is organised into hierarchies and to support user mental models. In the Drupal world, this relates to how items are arranged in the main menu which drives the hierarchy and the labelling of the different site sections and pages.

Both of these aspects combine to form a system where the user can navigate using concepts and mental models familiar to them. We support users with structures (types, filters, relationships) to help them get to the next place of interest.

The information architecture process

Information architecture is part of our User Experience Design process. It evolves from the Discovery phase where we delve into user research. We form hypotheses and test them with user testing methodologies, where users complete certain tasks to validate the success (or failure) of the proposed architecture and information flow. The findings of this research are an integral part of an iterative process to improve the sitemap and design.

The team at Morpht

Morpht has seasoned UX designers and solution architects who are able to undertake the design of the information architecture. We are able to combine the findings from user research with our knowledge of the Drupal CMS to design systems which will work for the users. This leads to a more sympathetic outcome and delivery of functionality.

 

Insights

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As site owners and builders, we have all experienced projects with a tight deadline and challenges to deliver the project on time. In this presentation, we will review a number of strategies and techniques to rapidly deliver on time sensitive projects.
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Morpht supported the Department of Health and Aged Care with a contemporary new website for World AIDS Day, in record time for World AIDS Day 2023. Providing a contemporary look and feel with improved content models and site search.
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An optimized information architecture, a refreshed contemporary design, and improved resource management were all delivered in record time to prepare the site for a national awareness raising and behavioural campaign, and to support the wider work of the National Office for Child Safety (NOCS).
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The TGA are now celebrating a brand new site on GovCMS. With a contemporary look and feel underpinned by consistent structures and familiar patterns, this site is now the foundation for the next stage of the digital transformation the TGA is undergoing.
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An examination of the humble "list" and how content can be modelled in Drupal to be flexible, simple and editor friendly.
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Creating a visual representation of a content model can help clients better understand the internal design of their Drupal website and how the pieces fit together.

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