Research / Structure / Validation / 03
Make information findable
Model content, vocabulary, navigation, and search around how people think—not your org chart.
Before you begin
By the end, you can…
- Model content before drawing navigation
- Use audience language for labels
- Evaluate findability with representative tasks
01 / Understand
Information architecture is a prediction
Every category and navigation label predicts where a person will look. Start by inventorying the content and identifying entities, tasks, relationships, and lifecycle. An org chart is rarely a useful model for people outside the organization.
Labels carry more weight than icons. Use familiar, specific language and avoid forcing one item into several ambiguous categories. Search and navigation complement each other; neither repairs unclear content.
02 / Apply
Test the structure without visual design
Open card sorting reveals how participants group information. Closed sorting tests an existing structure. Tree testing asks where people would look for specific items without interface decoration.
Measure first-click confidence, success, directness, and the language participants use. A wrong but popular location may signal that the model—not the user—needs to change.
03 / Make
Your studio task
Make — Card-sort a messy collection of at least 25 items and propose a navigation model.
- Inventory at least 25 content items.
- Identify the top tasks and vocabulary used by your audience.
- Run a small card sort or tree test.
- Revise labels and structure based on failed paths and hesitation.
Labels use the audience’s vocabulary and every high-priority item has an obvious home.
04 / Check