HTML & CSS Direct Study

Information Architecture: Models

There are several models that can guide designers in organizing information on the web page. Below are a few conventional models that are commonly used.

Types of Models:

1. All-in-one: This is the simplest model for a web site. All of the information is displayed on the home page. As a result of the simplistic form maintenance is reduced and the overall designer experience is easy. However, this model is not suited for a web site with a lot of information. With having a large amount of data a site can become overwhelming and not user friendly.
   
2. Flat: Also referred to as a 'monocline grouping' this is another simple form with multiple pages. A flat model is considered a step up from the all-in-one page. There are a common set of pages that are all considered to have the same priority or peers to one another. Access to each page is available through all other pages. A common set of pages for this model are Home, About Us, Contact Us, and Products.
   
3. Index: This is similar to the flat model with the difference of having one central page called the index. Indexes are commonly used with medium amounts of data and help organize data in a way that makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for. Examples of indexes are phone books or dictionaries.
   
4. Hub-and-spoke (Daisy) : This model is helpful fr information that has distinct linear flows. In situations that you are frequently returned to the common page is an example of this model (i.g. email -- reply's and forwards are all kept within one email on Google Mail). Transactions will commonly share a common beginning and end point creating a loop.
   
5. Strict hierarchy: This is a model that organizes data into parent and children like relationships. Users can only access children sites by going through the parent site. Examples of this type of organization are sites that have multiple offices in multiple countries, therefore each office can only be associated with one country. These relationships exist in life, however before deciding on this model make sure that it is the best way to display it online.
   
6. Multi-dimensional hierarchy(cross-reference): This allows users to view information in many different ways. By slicing data users can get the information they are really looking for. An example of this hierarchy is a book site (such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Borders). Users can search for books by title, search features, categories, or keywords.
   
7. Search: A search feature on a site is commonly used to direct users to the information they want more quickly. This allows users to skip the architecture and hierarchies by simply finding the information they want. This will increase usability and the amount of times a user will return to the site.