Information architecture and information design

Now the information architecture is considered to a lesser extent approximate to design, and more - to the organization and structuring information.

Despite the lack of completely settled determination of news agency and its subject, it is possible to select basic approaches to their determination.

Introduction of the term is dated 1976 and attributed to Richard Vurman (Richard S. Wurman), defining a problem of an information architecture in the organization of effective visual representation of data bulks. ^[1]

Now the information architecture is considered to a lesser extent approximate to design, and more---to the organization and structuring information. So, by determination of The Information Architecture Institute, an information architecture — art and the science of the organization and subject analysis of websites, the intranet networks, online communities and the software pursuing the purpose ensuring convenience of using (usability) ^[2]

Select three main determinations of an information architecture:

1. the Combination of schemes of the organization, the subject analysis and navigation implemented in an information system.
2. the Structured design of information space promoting accomplishment of tasks and intuitive access to contents.
3. the Developing discipline and the community of practicians putting the task distribution of the principles and rules of design of information systems. ^[3]

Areas, adjacent to information architecture, are:

• the design of interfaces (web-design) defining a graphic appearance of the solutions put by an information architecture;
• marketing as the information architecture sets as the purpose satisfaction of needs of consumers of information;
• development of the IC as implementation of an information architecture of the IC is integrated using appropriate technologies and data models;
• knowledge management (knowledge management) as it is based on ensuring ease of collective use of information, one of steps in achievement of which is application of methods of an information architecture.

The need for selection of set of methods of an information architecture in the separate direction is caused by the fact that the avalanche growth of information volumes in information systems of different level, the Internet, local networks, significantly complicates free navigation on information sources. In this sense the information architecture is designed to provide increase in efficiency of use of information sources and also comforts of work with them for the user.

For this purpose the information architecture is guided by features of human logic and perception and uses modern approaches and technologies to the organization of information, including multidimensional (facet) classification, layers of the user classification (folksonomy), etc., providing intuitive, predictable access to contents of information systems.

Despite the fact that, approaches in classification (the taxonomy assuming hierarchical classification and also the folksonomy assuming a task of not hierarchical tags users of the IC) compete within news agency, and the number of supporters of a folksonomy accrued in connection with development of the concept of Web 2.0, the information architecture does not assume existence of unambiguously correct approaches in all cases, considering merits and demerits and also limits of applicability of each of them. Compromise approach to classification can be considered the facet (multidimensional) approach assuming several bases of classification with tags within each of them, it is possible---hierarchically organized. Such approach allows to provide individual approach to the user to whom the uniform basis of classification and a way of information search is not imposed and the multidimensional view of content is provided, at the same time existence of an inner pattern in classification assumes traceability her logicians, in peak of the folksonomy which is often losing value as the navigation basis with a growth of information volumes.

Morvil besides ^[4] concept of layers of metadata within which different classification approaches form the layers which are characterized by bigger stability (the base: taxonomy and an onotologiya) or bigger flexibility (folksonomy), at the same time, in process of evolution of a system there is a data exchange between layers.

In addition to instruments of classification and approaches of a semantic network, the information architecture more and more operates also with mechanisms of ensuring intellectual search, collaborative filtering, the user profiles and personalisation.

The important direction of consideration are also issues of integration of objects of the real world into information networks, navigation on a joint of representations, including integration of GPS, RFID, etc. as boundary technologies.

It should be noted that, despite the main focus on orientation within information networks, in process of growth of amount of information within information systems and also in process of their integration with network services and services, the approaches developed within an information architecture become more and more relevant and for the traditional information systems, first of all, which are key components of business infrastructure of the enterprise as the efficiency of work of users with such systems has the economic importance for business.

At the same time, approaches of news agency and in application development, focused on the mass users, first of all, connected with processing of a data stream (for example, personal organizers, RSS aggregators, etc.) are applicable as one of tasks of news agency---ensuring intuitive access to contents---is capable at the adequate solution to increase comfort and efficiency of use of a product, and, so and to provide competitive advantage in comparison with analogs.

Sources

1. ↑ Guide on the Side - Richard Saul Wurman: Information Architect Pioneer [1]
2. ↑ with .What is Information Architecture? [2]
3. ↑ Rosenfeld L., Morvil P. An information architecture on the Internet, the 2nd edition. — SPb: Simvol-Plus, 2005. — 544 pages are ISBN 5-93286-073-1
4. ↑ vydvigayetmorvil Item. Total visibility. — SPb: Simvol-Plus, 2008. — 272 pages are ISBN 5-93286-123-1