Information Architecture ​

Everything we create at Returnless has an underlying foundation of information architecture.

Defining IA ​

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way. These IA principles are here to help you make content usable and findable.

Why we do IA ​

1. Simplify complexity: Information should be structured and managed in the simplest way possible.
2. Support scalability: Good IA practices will help us avoid overhauling our previous work whenever the product grows or changes.
3. Create familiarity: Regardless of how our users access Returnless, it should feel like the same product. Creating a common experience goes beyond design and extends to how we structure content.

Our IA principles ​

These principles will help you make good IA decisions no matter what you're working on.

Show your audience where they are ​

Successful wayfinding happens when your audience can make navigation decisions that fulfill their goal. For navigation to enable wayfinding:

• Establish multiple navigation schemes.
• Use task-based navigation.
• Integrate secondary navigational support (like breadcrumbs).

Navigation is a tool that serves a number of wayfinding purposes. Good navigation allows our users to explore a topic in depth, switch tasks easily, and filter information.

Users can find their way using multiple navigation schemes:

• Structural: main navigation, local navigation, breadcrumbs.
• Associative, contextual links to other features or help documentation.
• Utility: linked avatars to access your account, search.

Give content one home and many doors ​

All people are unique and have different information-seeking behaviours. For example, one person might start their experience from various points in a product or shift their focus midway through a task. They might also begin a task on one device and finish it on another. To facilitate these behaviours, all screens should have meaningful navigation and bridge content to other parts of the product.

Avoid information overload ​

Although we want to give our users all the information they need to complete a task, we need to avoid overloading them with information. Don't over-simplify, but don't burden your users with choice. To do this in design, we use progressive disclosure, which means showing only the information that's necessary at the time. But this principle also applies to information architecture. To practice progressive disclosure in IA:

• Gradually reveal information as it's requested.
• Provide multiple access points to information.
• Eliminate redundant content.