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information-architecture

Skill4 starsChanged 3 months agoApache-2.0View on GitHub

Structure content and navigation so users find what they need without thinking. Covers card sorting, tree testing, navigation hierarchies, content modeling, labeling systems, and the core IA heuristics. Use when organizing complex products, designing navigation, restructuring menus, or building sitemaps. Triggers on: "information architecture", "card sorting", "navigation design", "site structure", "content hierarchy", "menu organization", "tree testing", "findability".

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

3 rules. 0 are common, 3 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.

  • 0

    Common

    Most of the 20 edited versions we read keep these.

  • 3

    Distinctive

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 0

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Distinctive:

    After card sorting, before visual design

    line 80
  2. Distinctive:

    When redesigning existing navigation

    line 81
  3. Distinctive:

    When adding new sections to an existing structure

    line 82

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 20 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Information Architecture

Structure content so users find what they need without thinking. IA is the skeleton of every digital product.

"The art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities, and software to support usability and findability." — Peter Morville & Louis Rosenfeld

The 4 Core Systems

SystemPurposeExample
OrganizationHow content is grouped and categorizedTopics, tasks, audiences, metaphors
LabelingHow categories and links are represented"Settings" vs "Preferences" vs "Account"
NavigationHow users move through the structureGlobal nav, local nav, breadcrumbs, contextual links
SearchHow users find content directlySearch box, filters, facets, autocomplete

Organization Schemes

Exact Schemes (unambiguous, no interpretation needed)

  • Alphabetical — glossaries, directories, indexes
  • Chronological — blogs, news, timelines, activity feeds
  • Geographical — store locators, travel sites, weather

Ambiguous Schemes (require judgment, but more flexible)

  • Topic — the most common scheme. Group by subject matter.
  • Task — group by what users want to accomplish. Best for tools and applications.
  • Audience — separate paths for different user types. Risky: users may not self-identify correctly.
  • Metaphor — organize like a physical thing (desktop, file cabinet, store). Use sparingly; metaphors break down.

Hybrid Schemes

Most products use a combination. Example: An e-commerce site uses topic (departments) + task ("Shop by Room") + audience ("For Professionals").

Card Sorting

A method for discovering how users naturally group content.

Types

TypeBest ForHow
OpenDiscovering categoriesUsers create their own group names
ClosedValidating a structureUsers sort into predefined categories
HybridRefining known structuresUsers sort into preset groups, can add new ones

Best Practices

  • 15-30 cards per session (more = fatigue)
  • Randomize card order for each participant
  • Use think-aloud protocol in moderated sessions
  • 5-15 participants for reliable patterns
  • Keep sessions under 45 minutes

Analyzing Results

  • Agreement matrices — how often participants grouped items together
  • Dendrograms — visual hierarchy of relationships
  • Similarity matrices — which items are most closely related
  • Look for strong trends, not perfect consensus

Tree Testing

Validate a navigation structure without visual design. Users are given a task and navigate a text-only hierarchy.

Metrics

MetricWhat It Tells YouTarget
Success rate% who found the correct destination>80%
Directness% who went straight there without backtracking>70%
TimeAverage time to completeContext-dependent

When to Use

  • After card sorting, before visual design
  • When redesigning existing navigation
  • When adding new sections to an existing structure

Navigation Patterns

PatternBest ForAvoid When
Global navTop-level sections visible everywhere>7 items
Local navSub-sections within a categoryFlat sites with no hierarchy
BreadcrumbsDeep hierarchies (3+ levels)Shallow sites
Mega menusMany sub-categories under one section<10 sub-items
Faceted navE-commerce, filtering by attributesContent-heavy non-filterable sites
Contextual linksRelated content within body textPrimary navigation

Navigation Heuristics

  • 3-click rule — any content within 3 clicks from home (guideline, not law)
  • Current state visible — users must always know where they are
  • Consistent placement — nav doesn't move between screens
  • Progressive disclosure — show top levels first, reveal depth on demand

Content Modeling

Define the structure of content types before designing pages.

Process

  1. Inventory — list all existing content
  2. Audit — evaluate quality, relevance, ownership
  3. Define types — what kinds of content exist? (article, product, event, profile)
  4. Define attributes — what fields does each type have?
  5. Map relationships — how do types connect?

Example: Article Content Type

Article
├── Title (text, required)
├── Author (reference → Person)
├── Publish date (date, required)
├── Category (reference → Category)
├── Tags (list of text)
├── Featured image (media)
├── Summary (text, 160 chars max)
├── Body (rich text)
└── Related articles (list of references → Article)

Labeling Systems

Rules for Good Labels

  • User language, not internal jargon — test with actual users
  • Consistent grammar — all verbs or all nouns, not mixed
  • Specific, not abstract — "Save" not "Submit", "Buy" not "Transact"
  • Scannable — front-load important words
  • Mutually exclusive — categories shouldn't overlap in meaning

Synonym Ring

Map terms users might use to your canonical labels:

  • "Settings" = "Preferences" = "Options" = "Account" → canonical: "Settings"

Reference Map

  • references/card-sort-tree-test.md — open/closed/hybrid sorts, tree-test metrics and sequence
  • references/navigation-decision.md — pattern/scheme picker and wayfinding ship gate

Related Skills

  • For interaction patterns → use interaction-design-patterns
  • For cross-platform navigation differences → use cross-platform-design
  • For mobile-specific navigation → use mobile-touch-design

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