《Chapter4_OReilly_Information Architecture for the World Wide Web_3rdEdition_ Dec 2016》.pdf

Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 The Anatomy of an Information Architecture 4 What we’ll cover: • Why it’s important (and difficult) to make an information architecture as tan- gible as possible • Examples that help you visualize an information architecture from both the top down and the bottom up • Ways of categorizing the components of an information architecture so you can better understand and explain IA In the preceding chapters, we discussed information architecture from a conceptual perspective. This chapter presents a more concrete view of what information archi- tecture actually is to help you recognize it when you see it. We also introduce the components of an architecture; these are important to understand because they make up the information architect’s palette. We’ll cover them in greater detail in Chapters 5–9. Visualizing Information Architecture Why is it important to be able to visualize information architecture? There are sev- eral answers. One is that the field is new, and many people don’t believe that things exist until they can see them. Another is that the field is abstract, and many who might conceptually understand the basic premise of information architecture won’t really “get it” until they see it and experience it. Finally, a well-designed information architecture is invisible to users (which, paradoxically, is quite an unfair reward for IA success). IA’s lack of tangible qualities forces all information architects to be salespeople to some degree. Because it’s highly probable that you’ll need to explain information architectu