INTRODUCTION TO WEB GRAPHICS AND DESIGN
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Information Architecture
Information Architecture (often abbreviated “I.A.”) is the abstractive practice of structuring knowledge or data. These designs are strictly designed according to their context in user interactions or larger databases. The term is most commonly applied to Web development, but has also been applied to architecting projects that contain a large amount of distributed data. So the term is often applied to disciplines outside of a strict Web context, such as programming and technical writing.
In information system design, data modeling is the analysis and design of the information in the system, concentrating on entities and their interdependencies. Data modeling depends on much abstraction; the relationships between the pieces of data is of more interest than the particulars of individual records, though cataloging possible values is a common technique. The usability of human-facing systems, and standards compliance of internal ones, are paramount.
The term information architecture describes a specialized skill set which relates to the management of information and employment of informational tools. It has a significant degree of association with the library sciences. Many library schools now teach information architecture.
- There are five ways to organize and structure information.
- They can be remembered by the acronym LATCH:
- L by location
- A by alphabet
- T by time
- C by catagory
- H by hierarchy
Taken from: Richard Saul Wurman, Information Architects, p.17