a fundamental necessity

When designing and building a web interface, it is important to base the model or concept on how a user will seek information and interact with this information. The challenge in IA is to minimize ‘information overload.’ Users are often frustrated due to the following case scenarios:

• Too much information. Short attention span.
• Urgent need for information. No time.

Just like the saying 'necessity is the mother of invention', the IA agenda is fundamentally driven by the need to create a solution for this problem:



Before we begin creating the architecture of a website we need to keep these points in check:

• The entry point of the user is not always the homepage
• Each web page should be able to stand alone and still be referenced
• The aim is to build ‘sticky sites’: engage users and keep them engaged
• The site should be usable, readable as well as visual