I have talked in earlier blog posts about the importance of wireframe software in application and web development. In particular, I mentioned wireframe software being used by teams of web designers, developers and user experience specialists. The people that I did not give enough credit are information architects, who nonetheless play an important role in creating a good user interface design.
Who are information architects? In essence, information architects are specialists that classify and categorize information to make it more structured and easily accessible by the target users. Information architects are compared to actual architects in that they create a plan (or a catalogue) for the future site. If you are wondering if you would make a good information architect, consider taking a questionnaire called Am I An IA? from the Information Architecture Institute.
Now let’s get back to our main question, that is, how wireframe software can be useful to information architects. The wireframing process is often compared to laying the foundations of a building. In this sense, information architects can use wireframe software to plan the information base of the website. They do not have to use the actual text on the wireframe – normally blocks of standard text provided by the wireframe software is used instead. Wireframe software can help categorize information and create clear labels.
Wireframe software can also be helpful for an information architect in planning navigation of the website. Clear and consistent navigation is one of the most important aspects of a website’s usability. With the help of wireframe software information architects can create screen flows and imitate processes that will happen on the actual website. Wireframe software can even help reveal potential usability flaws in the proposed design.
Even though information architects are not always involved in the wireframing process, their importance in the planning process cannot be disputed. Remember that if the user can’t find what he came for no amazing design or special effects can compensate that. If you are developing a website, particularly if it contains a large amount of data, do consider getting a professional information architect into your team.
