Information Architecture

Question 1

What is information architecture?

Answer 1

The organization of information within a system. A complex or carefully designed structure that’s conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.

It is about helping people understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for, in the real world as well as online.

Question 2

What is information architecture in a website?

Answer 2

How content is grouped and navigated on a site.

Question 3

What are the two major components of information and architecture?

Answer 3

Information and Architecture

Question 4

What is “Information”?

Answer 4

What is conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.

Question 5

What is “Architecture”?

Answer 5

The complex or carefully designed structure of something

Question 6

What is information architecture in UX?

Answer 6

The structure of a website or app in both physical and digital forms.

Question 7

What does information architecture in UX help users understands?

Answer 7

It’s a way to help users understand where they are in a particular product, as well as how to get where they want to be.

“What different areas does it have and how do you get to them?”
“How does the homepage help you navigate to different pages?”
“How is the content organized into groups? By topic, purpose, or popularity?”

Question 8

What is library science?

Answer 8

The study and implementation of knowledge- organization systems

Question 9

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 9

The study of mental processes such as mental models and cognitive load.

Question 10

Information architects are especially interested in the processes of?

Answer 10

Memory, language use, and perception.

These processes are what forms the lends, or mental model, through which our customers perceive our product or service?

Question 11

Who coined the term “information architecture”?

Answer 11

Architect Richard Saul Wurman.

In the 1970s. He argued that the organization of information was often more important than the information itself.

The fournder of Ted Conferences. Concepts and ideas are not only worth organizing, but also worth spreading.

Question 12

What is a mental model?

Answer 12

What someone believes about a particular system or concept. These models can vary wildly from person to person, especially when considering cultural or demorgaphic differences. They are, therefore, beliefs- not facts.

Question 13

Why does it matter to recognize the gap between your mental model(the designer) and the mental models of others when designing an app or website?

Answer 13

The disconnect would sabotage your mission to “help people find things”.

Question 14

What is card sorting (or a card sort)

Answer 14

A participatory design method used to help evaluate or generate ideas for the information architecture of a product or service.

Question 15

What does an open card sorts require?

Answer 15

Participants to not only sort concepts into categories, but also to label these categories.

Question 16

What kind of approach is an open card sorts?

Answer 16

This is a generative approach, as it generates new ideas on how to categorize and label concepts.

Question 17

What is a closed card sorts?

Answer 17

Provides category labels for participants ahead of time, prompting the participant to sort concepts into existing categories.

Question 18

What kind of approach is a closed card sorts?

Answer 18

Aimed at evaluating whether or not you’ve labeled categories properly.

Question 19

How exactly does one go about conducting a card sort?

Answer 19

All you need is a marker or pen, some small pieces of paper (sticky notes or index cards work well), and a small group of people (three is usually a good place to start). Your goal is to see how your users interact with the information you’re considering for your app or site.

Question 20

How would you conduct an open card sort?

Answer 20

You’d write these concepts on your pieces of paper and have your participants sort what they consider to be related cards into piles.

When they’re done sorting the cards, you’d have them create a label for each stack.

Question 21

How would you conduct a closed card sort?

Answer 21

You’d provide the initial stack labels, and the participants would sort the cards into those categories.

For example, you might provide your participants with categories like “Fresh Food,” “Deli,” “Packaged Foods,” and so on.

Question 22

What is the goal of a card sort?

Answer 22

To identify the consistent elements that come out of the results you collect.

You want to determine how your users look at your product or service and investigate their mental models so as to present your information to them in an optimal way.

This ensures a good flow of information and a smooth navigation experience.

Question 23

What is a task analysis?

Answer 23

A process that identifies thhe common steps required to perform and complete a specific task, such as adding an item to a shopping cart on an ecommerce site.

These common steps can then be documented in a diagram known as a task flow.

Question 24

How do you conduct a task analysis?

Answer 24

To conduct a task analysis, start by honing in on a specific task to analyze; then, determine the entry point (where the user would first encounter the task) and a set of success criteria (what successful completion of the task would look like).

Question 25

What are user flows?

Answer 25

Sets out the paths that users will follow as they navigate through a website or app to achieve their goals.

Question 26

How do you conduct a task analysis?

Answer 26

A specific user’s path through a particular information space.

To conduct a task analysis, start by honing in on a specific task to analyze; then, determine the entry point (where the user would first encounter the task) and a set of success criteria (what successful completion of the task would look like).

Question 27

When mapping out your user flows, why should you refer back to the user stories you’ve written?

Answer 27

Because they allow you to focus on the functions and solutions from the perspective of your persona.

As scrolling down tends to be easier than scrolling side-to-side, most user flows are represented vertically.

Question 28

What is a “happy path”?

Answer 28

The quickest, most efficient path to accomplishing a goal

Question 29

In user flows, decisions are always stated as questions from the ____ perspective.

Answer 29

user’s

Question 30

User flows answers to the questions should always be _____.

Answer 30

binary (only include two options)

Question 31

If you are designing a new product from scratch, would you choose creating a user flow or a task flow?

Answer 31

You might first choose to define the tasks that your user persona would need to complete in order to achieve the goals they have for using your product.

Question 32

If you are looking to improve the user experience of an existing product, would you choose creating a user flow or a task flow?

Answer 32

You might be more interested in first looking at the user flows to see if users are having a hard time getting from one task to the next or are reaching “dead ends”.

Question 33

Participants sort relevant concepts into related groups is:

a. task analyses
b. card sorts
c. user flows

Answer 33

b. card sorts

Question 34

In which you must closely consider the steps users must follow to complete tasks in your project is:

a. user flows
b. card sorts
c. task analyses

Answer 34

c. task analyses

Question 35

Setting out the paths that users will follow in order to achieve their goals is:

a. card sorts
b. task analysis
c. user flows

Answer 35

user flows

Question 36

Setting out the paths that users will follow in order to achieve their goals is:

a. card sorts
b. task analysis
c. user flows

Answer 36

user flows

A user flow visualizes the user’s path through an information space, whether on mobile or desktop, when performing a specific task. For example, what path does a user take when trying to add a new word in his or her vocabulary list? What steps does the user need to take to do so, and where are those steps located in your app?

Question 37

When conducting a task analysis, you need to identify where the user would first encounter the task. What is this called?

Answer 37

Entry point

Question 38

Information Architecture (IA) is part of what phase of the design thinking process?

Answer 38

Ideate