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Vol. 7 | Issue 2
June 2009

The Problem
An increasing number of our clients use Information Mapping^® for content that will eventually reside on their Web sites. While the documents that they create are well designed for the Web, the overall structure of the Web site may make it difficult for users to get to the document in the first place.

Web sites often don’t work because

• the organization of the information is not intuitive
• it is difficult to get to the right level of detail, and
• there are no visual cues to provide orientation within the Web site.

In the March 2009 issue we discussed how to write content for the Web. In this issue, we will go a step further and look at how to apply the Information Mapping principles to the design of the Web site or intranet where your content will reside.

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Consequences of Poor Web Design
Poorly designed Web sites can lead to many unwanted consequences.

• Wasted Time Finding Information: A haphazard design will lack the visual cues necessary to quickly lead the user to the information they need.
  
  
• User Frustration: A design lacking a clear hierarchy and structure will be difficult to navigate, resulting in user confusion and frustration.
  
  
• Underutilization: A poorly designed site will result in low usage due to the difficulty in accessing information.
  
  
• Information Hoarding: Users will create local copies of the required information, as the information is not instantly accessible.
  

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The Information Mapping Solution
Using the same Information Mapping design principles that you apply to developing your documentation and Web content can help you avoid these problems.

Let’s look at how the principles of Chunking, Relevance, Labeling, and Consistency can help you design a Web site that users will rely on to quickly find the information they need.

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The Chunking Principle in Web Design
The Chunking Principle states that information should be grouped into small manageable units. In writing content, this principle means that there shouldn’t usually be more than 5 to 9 or so pieces of information in a topic.

In Web design, this principle can be translated into the 3-click rule — meaning that the content should reside not more than three clicks away.

The image below shows a sample site structure in which the information has been broken up into small chunks and organized so that users can quickly drill down to what they need.

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The Relevance Principle in Web Design
The Relevance Principle requires that a unit of information must be limited to a single purpose, topic, or idea.

Application of this principle to a site design will produce a hierarchical structure, with groupings based on

• topics that belong together
• tasks that are frequently done together, or
• audiences that access the same content.

The image below shows an example of a site structure grouped by audience.

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The Labeling Principle in Web Design
Applying the Labeling Principle to Web design provides an advance organizer for users, allowing them to scan, retrieve, and skip information as appropriate.

There are two types of labels used in Web design — navigational labels and content labels.

Navigational Labels help users find their way through the Web site.

The image below shows two different sets of navigational labels.

Content Labels provide a preview of the content contained within a page.

The image below illustrates the use of content labels on a Web page.

In order to be effective, labels must be

• meaningful
• concise, and
• prominently displayed to stand out from the surrounding text or graphics.

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The Consistency Principle in Web Design
The Consistency Principle requires that similar terms, labels, and sequences be used in similar content.

Applying this principle to Web design will help users to

• predict where to find the information they want
• find the information quickly
• absorb and understand the information, and
• focus on content rather than form.
  

Shown below are two Web pages from the same Web site, where the principles of consistency are applied to the screen layout and content labeling.

Page 1

Page 2

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Conclusion
The use of the Information Mapping principles can resolve many Web design issues. The table below summarizes some of the key issues and how the principles can help.

Creating great Web site content is of only limited value when users can’t get to the information they need. If users are spending too much time looking for information, are becoming confused or frustrated, aren’t using the site as much as they should, or are hoarding information, these are signs that it’s time to take another look at your site design. Remember to apply the principles we’ve discussed here and you’ll be well on your way to creating a better site that everyone can use.