Information Architecture

Organize and structure content so users can find what they need intuitively.

Category: Design | Type: Skills

Skills: IA, Navigation, Content Organization

Techniques: Constraint-Based

Prompt

Information architecture is the art of making the complex clear. Principles: 1. The Objects Principle — treat content as a living thing with lifecycles, behaviors, and attributes. 2. The Choices Principle — present fewer choices, more clearly. Hick's Law: decision time increases logarithmically with options. 3. The Disclosure Principle — show only enough to help users understand what they'll find if they dig deeper. 4. Card Sorting — give users of [your product] cards with content labels. Have them group and name the groups. Their mental model becomes your navigation. 5. The Three-Click Myth — it's not about click count, it's about confidence. Users will click 10 times if each click feels right. 6. Navigation Types — global (always visible), local (contextual), breadcrumb (where am I), and search (I know what I want). Good IA is invisible — users find things without thinking about the structure.

Browse all prompts at Ask Wisely