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Information Architecture

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Going Forward

3:14 with Dan Gorgone

Customers, trends, and industries will change, so your websites and apps will need to adapt. In this video, we will talk about how to anticipate risks to your information architecture, trouble signs to look for, and how to ensure a healthy IA in the future.

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    Everything changes over time. 0:00
    The people using your site, their needs, your competitors and 0:02
    the industry around you. 0:07
    So in this video, let's talk about how to anticipate 0:09
    future IA needs because they won't always remain the same. 0:13
    We've mentioned a number of important data sources in this course, website analytics, 0:17
    search data, feedback from users on support and 0:22
    social channels, user research, surveys and more. 0:25
    These sources need to be set up and monitored regularly. 0:29
    Make a checklist using a tool like Trello, 0:34
    or make a schedule with reminders to visit them once a week or once a month, 0:36
    depending on how much traffic you get, and automate the process if necessary. 0:41
    Get reports emailed to you or sent to a dashboard, so 0:46
    it takes as little effort as possible to know how things are going. 0:50
    Run some tests too. 0:54
    Don't wait for things to break. 0:56
    Pick a day every few months so 0:58
    you and your team can see how well an information search works or 1:00
    how test users would perform a regular and important process on your site. 1:05
    In addition, set up a process so you'll receive any help or 1:10
    support requests that relate to IA. 1:13
    You need to be aware when problems come up, so make sure you and 1:16
    your team where issues need to go, whether that's in a support 1:20
    platform like Help Scout or a specific email box you monitor. 1:24
    When you do decide to make changes to your information architecture, 1:30
    you may be tempted to blow things up or 1:35
    make lots of changes that seem to support a lot of different theories or ideas. 1:37
    Keep in mind that the more changes you make, 1:43
    the bigger those changes will appear to your users. 1:45
    If your local retail store changes where the cereal is located, 1:49
    well, that's one thing you have to figure out. 1:53
    But if they rearrange where half the products are and move the parking lot 1:55
    to the other side of the building, well, you're gonna be thrown into chaos. 1:59
    Small incremental changes can keep your users comfortable, but 2:03
    can still make a huge difference when done right. 2:08
    By focusing on one change, like a new link label, or a new process for 2:12
    ordering a product online, it gives you a chance to see if your work was effective. 2:17
    If you make too many changes at once, 2:22
    it's much more difficult to know if any of them worked. 2:24
    And always keep an eye on your industry and competitors. 2:29
    Watch how they organize the content that's similar to yours. 2:33
    Have they added any new categories or 2:36
    started listing new details about products? 2:39
    What's their search look like? 2:42
    How easy is it to find a competitor's product compared to your site? 2:43
    Continually look for 2:48
    ways to outdo other sites so users will find more success with you. 2:50
    And as you move forward, your IA work will continue. 2:56
    But if you spend the time and effort up front creating a structure and 3:00
    experience that anticipates user needs and 3:06
    priorities, you'll be in great shape for the future. 3:09

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