Webmonkey Contemplating the Questions and Information Provided

Webmonkey

Contemplating the questions and information provided by the Webmonkey tutorial allows the beginning designer to understand a process that might not have been previously (and comprehensively) understood. Even the title of the tutorial 'Information architecture' leads one to contemplate exactly what it is that the process is proposing. Therefore, information architecture might best be describe as the foundations and building blocks of an informational website through a complete pre-operational design. According to 'Squishy' (the website host/guide) website design is "more important than you might think' (Webmonkey Staff, 2012).

Its importance is debatable but the process itself is one that encourages the use of an architecture geared towards specific goals and objectives. According to Squishy, the first step is to define the site's goals, which will shed light on "the all-important art of collecting client's or co-worker's opinions and assembling them in a coherent, weighted order of importance" (Webmonkey, 2012). Not only is the collection of opinions the first step, it might also be the most important. One can only imagine the chaos that would ensue, if one were to build a website based on faulty information.

Garnering the goals and objectives assists the designer in ensuring that those goals and objectives are continually considered throughout the creation of the website. Squishy also states that the importance of documenting the information gathered, as well as the steps taken to incorporate that information into an effective website design (and ultimately final product).

Lesson one of the tutorial states that 'form, function, metaphor, navigation and interface, interaction and visual design' are all important components of the website; but it also talks about how to set the goals and objectives in a coherent fashion.

Some of the goals for this SLP include; 1) navigational ease, 2) clear explanations, 3) fun graphics (perhaps including movie clips, etc.) 4) page continuity, and 5) overall pleasing design.

A recent study for a public library interested in creating a hands-on, viable website that was pleasing to the eye and that patrons would find easy to use determined that many of the information architecture strategies have "helped promote the manageable creation and maintenance of electronic content in accomplishing the library's goal of interacting with its patrons" (Hopkins, Summers-Ables, Clifton, Coffman, 2011, p. 130).

The strategies are to document and discuss the goals and objectives before actually attempting to create the website. Goals that allow the user to navigate with ease through the various website pages was a goal that was cited numerous times during discussions. The biggest complaint seemed to come from users who were frustrated over the complexity (or inaccessibility) of 'bad' websites. Second in complaints concerning websites was the clear explanations. The goal to provide the desired explanations in a clear fashion is one that the designer should keep in mind. It seems that many websites try to portray just how intelligent or sophisticated the designer is, when in reality, most users just want to get to where they are going in as little time as needed. Clear instructions on how to navigate, and then the ability to navigate make perfect sense.

The third goal was to ensure that the website contains graphics that are pleasing and do not detract from the overall design, or the message, of the website.

This objective goes hand-in-hand with the next goal which is to have an overall pleasing design to the website.