Information architecture and navigation

• Webpages and electronics documents
• Books and articles
• Training and presentations

Introduction to information architecture and navigation

The organisation and layout of content, or information architecture, on the university website should be user-focused and not reflect an internal organisational structure.

Organise and label information in ways that help web users easily move around your site, understand your content and successfully complete tasks.

Site navigation, the web equivalent of a "table of contents", should help users quickly get to where they want to go.

Webpages and electronic documents

If you have any suggestions or comments about the following links, please contact us.

• Information architecture for websites - Guidelines written by the Australian Government Information Management Office. Includes a useful list of checkpoints to consider when developing an information architecture.
• Information architecture tutorial - Step by step guide to creating an information architecture. Published by webmonkey, a web developers resource site.

Books and articles

To borrow these resources from the Web Centre please contact us.

• Great Web Architecture (book by Clay Andres) - Top web architects reveal proven techniques for smart and effective websites.
• Information Anxiety 2 (book by Richard Saul Wurman) - Written by the man who invented the term 'information architecture'. An in-depth analysis of the topic.
• Navigation (book by Ken Coupland) - Features 35 projects by commercial organisations to exemplify creative thinking about navigation on the web. Published in 2000.
• Content Critical (book by Gerry McGovern & Rob Norton - Includes very useful information about designing a site architecture and 10 principles of navigation design.

Training and presentations

• Training course - Website information architecture helps staff create a user-focused information architecture and navigation system for their site. See web training for more information about Web Centre courses.