Preface
I. Introducing Information Architecture
1. The problems that information architecture addresses
Hello, iTunes
The problems information architecture addresses
Enter information architecture
Recap
2. Defining Information Architecture
Definitions
Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there
Toward a damned good information architecture
Recap
3. Design for Finding
The “Too-Simple” information model
Information needs
Information-seeking behaviors
Learning about information needs and information-seeking behaviors
Recap
4. Design for understanding
A sense of place
The architecture of (real-world) places
Places made of information
Organizing principles
Structure and order
Typologies
Modularity and extensibility
The happiest place(s) on Earth
Recap
II. Basic principles of information architecture
5. The Anatomy of an Information Architecture
Visualizing information architecture
Top-down information architecture
Bottom-up information architecture
Invisible information architecture
Information architecture components
Recap
6. Organization systems
Challenges of organizing information
Organizing information environments
Organization schemes
Organization structures
Social classification
Creating cohesive organization systems
Recap
7. Labeling systems
Why you should care about labeling
Varieties of labels
Labels as headings
Designing labels
Recap
8. Navigation systems
Types of navigation systems
Gray matters
Browser navigation features
Placemaking
Improving flexibility
Embedded navigation systems
Supplemental navigation systems
Advanced navigation approaches
Recap
9. Search systems
Does your product need search?
Search system anatomy
Choosing what to index
Search algorithms
Query builders
Presenting results
Designing the search interface
Where to learn more
Recap
10. Thesauri, Controlled Vocabularies, and Metadata
Metadata
Controlled vocabularies
Technical lingo
A thesaurus in action
Types of thesauri
Thesaurus standards
Semantic relationships
Preferred terms
Polyhierarchy
Faceted classification
Recap
III. Getting information architecture done
11. Research
A research framework
Context
Content
Users
Participant definition and recruiting
User research sessions
In defense of research
Recap
12. Strategy
What is an information architecture strategy?
Strategies under attack
From research to strategy
Developing the strategy
Work products and deliverables
The strategy report
The project plan
Presentations
Recap
13. Design and documentation
Guidelines for diagramming an information architecture
Communicating visually
Sitemaps
Wireframes
Content mapping and inventory
Content models
Controlled vocabularies
Design collaboration
Putting it all together: information architecture style guides
Recap
Coda
A. References
Index
