Information Architecture – Tools and
Software for the Creation of Online Resources
With the
proliferation of online content in recent years there has also
been a significant increase in the availability of hardware
and software products marketed as the solution to creating and
managing digital content. With the trend set to continue,
Information Architects have attempted to define these products
into categories that are meaningful and useful to the
profession. Below is a list of products
and ‘tools’ organised into these categories as outlined by Morville
& Rosenfeld (2007);
Automated
Categorisation The process of using software to assign
attribute values to documents
Search
Engines Software that supports full text indexing and
search functions
Thesaurus Management
Tools
Tools that provide support for the development and
management of controlled vocabularies and
thesauri
Portal or Enterprise Management
Platform
Tools that provide access to enterprise and third party
content.
Content Management
Systems Software that manages
workflow from content authoring to editing to
publishing.
Web Analytics/
Tracking Software that analyses the usage and statistical
performance of web sites, providing valuable metrics about
user behaviour and characteristics.
Diagramming
Software
Visual communication software that information
architects use to create diagrams, charts, wireframes, and
blueprints.
Prototyping
Tools Web
development software that enables you to create interactive
wireframes and clickable prototypes.
User Research and
Testing
Software that supports user research, including online
card sorting and remote usability testing.
For each of the
categories listed above there are numerous products on the
market which claim to provide a range of technical solutions
and capabilities. The needs of the organisation and the
intended user group will determine which tools and products
are most beneficial to the creator/ architect of a website or
intranet.
For further information, please refer to our more in
depth exploration of Search
Engines, Automated
Classification and Content
Management.
References;
Morville, P. & Rosenfeld, L., (2007). Information
architecture for the world wide web, 3rd
edn, O’Reilly, Beijing. |