UX for Business

A Structure

Another Type of Information Architecture: Structure

I mentioned before that most pages you design will use one of two types of information architecture: flows and structures.

Flows are predictable because we can design exactly the sequence of events we want the users to experience. But when we design the structure of a website—many pages connected by menus and links—we can influence what users will do, but we can’t control it completely.

Structure determines how users can move through your designs. The more effort it takes to get from page A to page B, the fewer people will go from page A to page B; so again, we’re back to the idea of probability. But structure is also one of the most powerful tools in UX to improve how well your designs work.

Build Structure Around Value, Not Semantics

I have seen some extremely complicated methods to research and design page structures, but the idea of value is the most effective approach I have found in real life. And when we talk about structure, we often mean menus.

Many UXers make the mistake of trying to design logical menus. Like “animals grouped by natural habitat” or “types of clothing from head to toe” or “departments ...