Information Architecture and Navigation
How to structure content so people can find it, the research methods that validate the structure, and the navigation patterns that expose it on screen
Covers what information architecture actually is versus the navigation UI that surfaces it, the three organization schemes (hierarchy, sequence, matrix) and when each fits, the depth-vs-breadth tradeoff and Hick's Law, open and closed card sorting, tree testing as the validation step, Indi Young's mental-model-vs-system-model gap, the core navigation patterns (hub-and-spoke, tab bars, hamburger menus, breadcrumbs, mega menus) and how to choose between them, and when search should replace browse instead of papering over a broken structure.
Practice questions (5)
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Choosing Depth vs. Breadth for a Growing Product Catalog
Intermediate · Free -
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Defending (or Rejecting) a Hamburger Menu in a Design Review
Intermediate -
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Diagnosing a Settings Page Nobody Can Navigate
Intermediate -
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Search-Primary or Browse-Primary for a Recipe Discovery App
Intermediate -
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Structuring a Job Board: Hierarchy, Matrix, or Both
Intermediate