Why's Information Architecture So Important?

Information architecture (also known as IA) is the foundation for great Web design. It is the blueprint of the site upon which all other aspects are built - form, function, metaphor, navigation and interface, interaction, and visual design. Initiating the IA process is the first thing you should do when designing a site. This series of articles describes specific methods and processes for developing a site's information architecture.

http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorial/Information_Architecture_Tutorial_-_L…
http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_whatisinfoarch

Information architecture is the science of figuring out what you want your site to do and then constructing a blueprint before you dive in and put the thing together. It's more important than you might think.

Define your site's goals. The all-important art of collecting clients' or co-workers' opinions and assembling them in a coherent, weighted order of importance.

The next step is figuring out who the heck your audiences are going to be. Once that's out of the way, you can start organizing your future site into pages of content and functions that the site will need to have.

Next, Squishy gets into creativityland, where you start to build the beast:form a skeleton, pick your metaphors, map out your navigation. Then it's time to break out the graphics program, come up with layout grids, design sketches, and mock-ups, and get ready to build!