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Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Designing Large-scale Web Sites

By Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville
February 1998
Pages: 224
ISBN 10: 1-56592-282-4 | ISBN 13: 9781565922822
(Average of 3 Customer Reviews)

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Book description

Learn how to merge aesthetics and mechanics to design web sites that "work." This book shows how to apply principles of architecture and library science to design cohesive web sites and intranets that are easy to use, manage, and expand. Covers building complex sites, hierarchy design and organization, and techniques to make your site easier to search. For webmasters, designers, and administrators.
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Book details

First Edition: February 1998
ISBN: 1-56592-282-4
Pages: 224
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 3 Reviews)

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Featured customer reviews

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Review,  March 28 2001
Submitted by Marc Hil Macalua   [Respond | View]

Every aspiring information architect should have the "polar bear book" in his or her library. This book defines the field, the architects and the processes and techniques they need to have to help bring order to this wonderfully chaotic world we call the Web.

I can't wait for Book 2!


Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Review,  August 25 2000
Submitted by jiha   [Respond | View]

I bought this book three days ago, and just finished reading it cover to cover. I found the book to be an excellent source of material for designing and documenting the creation of a web site. It was also clear to point out the pit-falls that can occur and how to avoid them. The only negative I found was that the chapter on "Labels" was a little long-winded. A short paragraph explaining that labels should be clear and consistent would have sufficed. Otherwise this
is an excellent book for anyone involved in the design and/or managment of websites on any size.



Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Review,  July 03 2000
Submitted by redifuse   [Respond | View]

This Book Needs a Rewrite.
Fine Scientific Theory Book. A little boring. Not very business practical. Seems like it's written by College Profs about an Abstract Library Science, rather than a real Job that has a real methodology with a checklist of things to do; like pre-flighting a plane before you fly it. They gave no bulleted ToDo list for job tasks.
Yeah, it was definitely written by someone who would call their site "The Argus Clearinghouse" instead of "Yahoo!".
NOT AT ALL GOOD on the day to day blood and guts business side of IA. !!!! WHERE IS THE SAMPLE "DESIGN DOCUMENT"? WHERE IS THE SIGNOFF? WHERE IS THE QA? Lifecycle? WHERE IS THE DEFINITION OF IN/OUT of SCOPE? Business is documents and signatures. No docs & sigs, no business. -Foolish to approach IA as an Ivory Tower science rather than putting a solid business head on it.
Webmonkey's Online Tutorial was much better on putting together a "DD" even though it was too short and too general.
This book could be more detailed and broad. IA and ID/UI can really overlap. In some environments, the needs assessment & Process Mapping side of IA becomes the exact same job as a Business Analyst. It would be smart to include that. Any good IA really should be part Business Analyst, anyway. MUST put in some basic Needs Assessment and Project Management Methodologies. -Can't do IA without them.
Storyboards were not discussed. Sometimes you have to throw together a PowerPoint Storyboard to get management buy-in. Nor were Process Maps, apart from Site/Page Schematics. -Could have thrown in "Use Cases" and "Actors" instead of only using "Scenarios".
Overall: okay, but very incomplete, naive,impractical and boring.

Read all reviews

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Media reviews

"A fine place to start. Provides a nice foundation for the
Information Architect. Gives good examples of tools and
techniques."
--Jeffery L. Weeden, Information Architecture and Usability,
amazon.com

"A great "step back" to look at information architecture
and site design."
--mrwbooger, Instructional Designer, Getting Started in Web Design
& Information Architecture, amazon.com

"The Classic introduction to IA."
-- ibergus, Internet consultant, Information Architecture-
The Classics List, amazon.com

"Before you build a house, you need a blueprint. Ditto
for a web site."
-- kegill, Usability Advocate, The Usable Web Booklist, amazon.com

"This is a relatively slim book with a clear focus. It's
not about web page design - it's about web site design.
In particular it's about designing a scalable site where
information is well organized, consistent, and easy to
find...if you want users to be able to find the information
they need, this book is a vital addition to your bookshelf."
--Frank Carver, JavaRanch, October 2001

"the definitive book on structuring Web sites for ease of use, and most of the advice is relevant to intranet design as well." --Econtent, June 1, 2001

"Web site design resources for librarians...this should be one of the first items you read...eminently understandable to librarians. In short, there is much her of value to the librarian web site designer because the principles of good information architecture apply to any type of site." --Chris Evin Long, Internet Reference Services Quarterly, Spring 2001

"This is an excellent quick read for anyone setting out to start a large website from scratch. If you are looking to reorganize or somehow add coherence to an existing collection of webpages/websites I would also recommend this book. In truth, anyone who has ever written or put together even a few web pages would benefit from reading just a few of the chapters in this book." --Carlos Villavicencio, DocFilter, Dec 2000

"The Classic introduction to IA"- Isaac Waisberg, amazon.com, February 2001

"When I read Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, I was satisfied to feel the bulb burning brightly above my head. Since I am a human factors engineer and usability professional, most of the concepts in the book were not new to me. However, I repeatedly observed that this book is one of the only resources that brings the eclectic ideas of web site information architecture together. Rosenfeld and Morville bring to light some theoretically powerful material regarding the planning, design, testing, and maintenance of large scale web sites. Their approach, as the title suggests, is information architecture. The authors explain that people tend to design web pages rather than web sites, and they show how this is detrimental. When web pages are not developed within a well-conceived information architecture framework, the web site will suffer: Customers will complain, users will not revisit the site, and products will not sell. The big picture is crucialThe book is certain to be an eye opener for many web site developers." --John S. Rhodes, Dr Dobbs, ERBC, May 2000

"I had a great time reading a good, concise and practical course in designing a complex web site. What impressed me is the fact that it presented not only tips and tricks, but also the serious concepts that lie in the background/ Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is an efficient and useful guide for anyone who intends to start creating medium and large websites."--Alexandru Leonties


"When I read Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, I was satisfied to feel the bulb burning brightly above my head. Since I am a human factors engineer and usability professional, most of the concepts in the book were not new to me.

However, I repeatedly observed that this book is one of the only resources that brings the eclectic ideas of web site information architecture together. Rosenfeld and Morville bring to light some theoretically powerful material regarding the planning, design, testing, and maintenance of large scale web sites. Their approach, as the title suggests, is information architecture. The authors explain that people tend to design web pages rather than web sites, and they show how this is detrimental. When web pages are not developed within a well-conceived information architecture framework, the web site will suffer: Customers will complain, users will not revisit the site, and products will not sell. The big picture is crucial. The book is certain to be an eye opener for many web site developers." --John S. Rhodes, Dr Dobbs, ERBC, May 2000

"I had a great time reading a good, concise and practical course in designing a complex web site. What impressed me is the fact that it presented not only tips and tricks, but also the serious concepts that lie in the background. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is an efficient and useful guide for anyone who intends to start creating medium and large websites." --Alexandru Leonties

"If you work on large-scale systems and deal with large amounts of data from many sources, this book is for you. It will provide you with a conceptual foundation that will enable you to confidently analyze large amounts of data and create an online information architecture to handle it." --Nancy Allison, Hyperviews Online, March 2000

"Web site designers and managers faced with the daunting task of organizing large amounts of complex content for intranet and internet projects will most appreciate Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Louis Rosenfeld's and Peter Morville's warm, rich, jargonless muse on planning, creating and refining the information architecture of a web site. Three cheers for this book's adundant web site and intranet design tips . . . All in all, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is well worth its cover price, a useful starting point/blueprint for webmasters, internet fanatics, and otherwise ordinary office folk suddenly blessed - or cursed - with the very big job of tackling a large site that is in desperate, absolute need of a major overhaul." --Geoff Rotunno, H.W. Wilson, May 1999

"a fantastic book" --Net Professional, April, 1999

"This is the first book that everyone who does hands-on Web work should have on their reference shelf, whatever their specialty may be." --Edward Piou, ahref.com, http://www.ahref.com/tools/books/1999/0128bookbuzz.html January 28, 1999

"The Web has its own architects and they're building very different kinds of structures, as Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville point out in their astounding new book, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, from O'Reilly & Associates publishers." --Jon Katz, Free Technology, The Freedom Forum Online, March 1999

"I cannot say enough good things about [nformation Architecture for the World Wide Web}. Most Web managers or site designers will find useful things in it, and some should be shackled to their desks until they commit its concepts to memory. Even if you disagree with specific suggestions (although I found it hard to find anything disagreeable), it can serve as a useful blueprint for redesigning your site. I need this book. And judging from what I see out there at the moment, most of you do too.I can't think of any better way to spend $25, and I *really* enjoy good wine." --Roy Tennant, web4lib@library.berkeley.edu

"The book's authors...tackle the difficult problem of how to organize thousands of pages on a large Web or intranet site so they are easily accesible by users.... One of the most useful aspects of the book is its treatment of the basic building blocks of any information architecture: labels. A rose by any other name may still be a rose, but no one will find it on the Web if you call it something other than a rose.... The payoff, however, of putting some thought into your information architecture, especially before you start, is potentially huge. Your users will thank you, even if subconsciously." --Eamonn Sullivan, PC Week, March 30, 1998

"We've all seen the problem -- Web sites with no discernible organizational paradigm, uses of technology that border on a federal offense, and just plain bad site design. Now those site designers have no excuse. If they don't know what they're doing, here's the book to tell them how. In under 200 pages, Rosenfeld and Morville (columnists for Web Review and principals with Argus Associates) cover such essential concepts as organization, navigation, searching, and labeling systems as well as much more. There is enough here to help all Web managers, no matter if we already believe ourselves to be competent in creating and managing our sites. Because mostly we aren't as good as we may think. If you manage a Web site, you owe it to your users to study this book. And some of you should be shackled to your servers until it sinks in." --Current Cites, March 98

"With a swift and convincing stroke, the authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web tear down many entrenched ideas about Web design. This book acts as a mirror and with careful questioning causes the reader to think through all the elements and decisions required for well-crafted Web design." --Jennifer Buckendorff, amazon.com, May 1998

"Rosenfeld and Morville get it right. They show how to design manageable sites right the first time, sites built for growth. Essential reading for librarians and information managers who deal with the World Wide Web in any parts of their jobs." --Thom Gillespie, Library Journal, May 1, 1998

"Provides the information needed to design effective Web sites and Intranets." --Computer Graphics World

"A very important book that belongs on your short list of work-related reading." --Shirley Duglin Kennedy, Information Today, May 1998

"A good and painless book for those building/maintaining/using Web sites." --Peter Salus, ;login: June 1998

"If you're serious about improving your site's navigation system then
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is must reading." --Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today, August 3, 1998

"If you are a professional Web master starting to build a Web site, or you want to make your existing site more manageable, this book should find a spot on your shelf." --Keith Schengill-Roberts, Computer Paper, July 1998

"An important and useful book, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Rosenfeld and Morville exposes and clarifies many of the challenges of information architecture and provides tehcniques for solving common problems. In a rare exception to the rule, the authors write about abstract concepts without resorting to abstract language. I found the book extremely useful." --Tom McClaren, Software Developer, September 1998

"...this book is one of the only resources that brings the eclectic ideas of web site information architecture together. Rosenfeld and Morville bring to light some theoretically powerful material regarding the planning, design, testing, and maintenance of large scale web sites...The book is certain to be an eye opener for many web site developers." --John S. Rhodes, Dr. Dobbs Electronic Review of Computer Books

"In a world crowded with books on designing cool Web sites, finally someone has written a book that simply -- and clearly -- explains how to build a Web site that people can find information in.

"What a concept.

"I must confess that since I started living on the Web, most of the actual paper-based books I've read have been old Quiller novels. But, traveling to an upcoming interview with one of the authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, I thought it was only fair that I at least leaf through it on the airplane.

"I couldn't put it down.

"Perhaps it's because my job entails running a number of Web sites, but the dozens of facts, war stories, and user studies related in this book really struck home. By the time I got off the plane, I had folded down the corners of half a dozen pages, had a list of redesign ideas, and had even come up with a product idea or two. That's the kind of book this is.... This book, like so many of O'Reilly's others, is destined to be an instant classic. As a further idea of its stature, the foreword was written by Jakob Neilsen, arguably the world's top guru of Web site usability. If you run a Web site of any size over two dozen pages, you will definitely be happy that you bought this book! And get a copy for your boss too."

--David Fiedler, webdeveloper.com March 1998


"You might not have noticed, but designers and anaysts who arrange other people's data have recently started calling themselves 'Information Architects'. Of course it's quite common for occupations to try enhancing their status by linguistic means [one thinks of 'refuse disposal operatives'] so maybe this new generation has come into being because of the influence of the Internet. Data manipulation in print form is a fairly traditional skill, but designing for the Web is a recent necromancy. We know that sites are being constructed at the rate of thousands a day, many without a second thought to the organisation of their content and if they are big sites, it's all the more important that they are given clear structure and useful navigation systems. As evangelists for this new branch of information technology, Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville argue in Information Architecture that the modern condition of information overload needs shape and organisation. The sub-title gives their subject in old-style English: 'Designing large scale web sites'.

"The basic arrangement of their study reflects the stages of web site construction. They begin by explaining information architecture as a concept, then describe the process of working out appropriate labelling, searching, and navigational systems. Their early chapters seem to be an attempt to convert readers from what they see as old-fashioned hierarchical systems towards the exploitation of hypertext. Then the second part of the book explores what they identify as the three major phases of site development:

• gathering and synthesising information


• conceptualising and defining the site

"Their important starting point is a recommendation that large scale web sites should use all three types of information organisation, which they identify as hierarchical, database, and hypertext. Visitors to a site should have more than one possible route to the same piece of information. They ask some quite fundamental and interesting questions in the section on navigation, where they discuss site maps, guided tours, and the 'level of granularity' in indexes [which means 'importance and scope' to you and me].

"It's worth noting the distinction they make between SEARCH and FIND [which I hadn't spotted until reading it here and when I raised it in a web design newsgroup, neither had many others]. The meaning might vary between one piece of software and another, but basically SEARCH means 'browse the Internet looking for this item', whereas FIND means 'scan the current page'. They also offer interesting reflections on the distinction between searching and browsing:

'sometimes users won't browse for the wrong reasons; that is, they search when they don't necessarily know what to search for. Even though they would be better served by browsing, they search anyway'

"They go into considerable detail on indexing and the variety of result-presentation methods on search engines, which for large scale sites is particularly important. Individual items can be arranged for different audiences, languages, products; and they can be presented by content, date, or subject:

'it's important to understand how user's information needs can vary so much, and to plan and implement your searching system's interface and search zones accordingly'

"They suggest face-to-face meetings between designers and clients as an important part in the first phase of this process. At this point the discussion strays into issues of company policy and decision-making procedures, but they are right to point out that successful sites will not be based on management whims.

"They even suggest web site critique sessions where the information is printed out on paper so that attention is focussed on communication rather than connectivity. These critiques can become, on their own admission, a little touch-feely but the theory is that open and honest criticism will produce the best results. The rationality of all this is indisputable. What remains in question is the ideology of the commercial world. Their approach does not take into account power politics in the office. If businesses worked in such a rational manner, there would be no such thing as bankruptcy, would there?

"However, there is one important advantage in their reports of professional site designing (and increasingly, as they point out, re-designing). This is that they pass on the experience of many projects, rather than just one which offers an overview drawing on what is typical in terms of both problems and design solutions.

"In the second stage of site design they take an enthusiastic line on on the use of navigational metaphors (the shop, the office, the library) about which other commentators such as Barbara Fleming and Jakob Nielsen are more cautious. The argument against this approach is that the metaphor of an office or a library will not mean much to people who are not familiar with them. (The same is said for icons and symbols.) However, we might of course wonder if the sort of people navigating web sites would ever be unaccustomed with such things.

"They end on the important issue (for large scale sites) of 'content chunking' that is, the subtle skill of deciding the optimum size for any given piece of information which is to be presented as a web page:

'A content chunk is not a sentence or a paragraph or a page. Rather, it is the most finely grained portion of content that merits or requires individual treatment...One page from a print brochure does not necessarily map onto one page on the Web'

"Their writing is generally clear and persuasive, though there are occasional slack patches ['pushing the envelope' and 'rise to the occasion'] and even some politically dubious thinking ['We live in the first world. They live in the third world.'] The book is well illustrated with screen shots, and has a very good bibliography which painlessly blends print and web-based information.

"This is not a book for someone who has throw together a few pages and needs advice on coding and how to FTP the results to a server. It's for professional site designers and the managers of networks. It is also a contribution to design theory which, en passant, makes librarians into the heroes of the information age. Nevertheless, the valuable experience embedded within it will make useful reading for anybody organising information or designing a site which carries more than a few pictures of the wife and kids."

--(C) Roy Johnson 1998, www.mantex.co.uk

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