Information structure
Information architecture is the practice of organizing purposeful collections of information. Publishing information on the web offers new navigation possibilities and new challenges. Information architecture is needed to meet these challenges. Without a sound foundation, new technologies and creative visual design cannot make a web site usable and effective.
Sectioning and labeling
Detail of reorganization plan for L'Oréal Recherche Intranet
The task of the information architect is to design the appropriate sectioning and labeling conventions for the information so that the audience will have a satisfying viewing experience. This task may be focused on a single web site, or involve many interrelated sites. It may be limited to information presented on the web, or include information distributed across the web, print, and other media. This structure must be simple, clear, supportive, engaging, and enjoyable.
Global and local navigation
We develop rules for global navigation (the links present on all the pages of the site), local navigation (within each section), contextual navigation (links depending on context) and hypertext (links integrated in the text) visualized in the overview map the future organization of the site. This system is crafted to help the users reach information and the functionalities available online intuitively and efficiently.
Detail of INRAP website map illustrating lack of contextual navigation
We put great emphasis on developing contextual navigation, using the data itself to make links between related units of information that may previously have been separate. The metadata available in the content can be used to dynamically generate contextual links which can have great benefit for the user.
Improving user interaction
The goal of redesigning a user interface is always to improve the user's experience. Our user interface design strives for simplicity, transparency, and efficiency. We develop user scenarios to justify the design, and whenever possible, we carry out user testing to optimize what we recommend.
Screenshot of online interactive wireframes for Epicentre user test