The document discusses common mistakes made in information architecture (IA) for websites. It provides 11 examples of poor IA practices, such as having no clear structure, disconnected search and navigation, missing category pages, excessive nested categories, and invisible or inconsistent navigation. For each issue, it recommends best practices like linking related content, limiting nested pages to 5 levels, using clear and consistent labeling, and testing IA designs with real users from the start. The key message is that IA should be designed based on user needs rather than the organization's structure and needs continuous user testing.

1. Online Information Service
Pratap Dungrani

2.  An unfortunate side effect of running a content
management system is that it encourages
information architecture built around organizational
structure rather than users need.
 Most organizations CMS driven websites, their
information architecture closely mirrors their internal
structure. This is because it is easy to divide up
responsibility for updating various parts of site if it is
structured along departmental lines.
 The problem with this approach is that users do not
think in terms of organizational structure. They are
task focused and so often an organizational IA is
entirely inappropriate. It leads to confusion and
frustration among users.

3.  1. No Structure
 The most notable structural problem is when
designers treat a site like one big swamp with no
organizing principle for individual items. User do
not know how to find right thing within sort time of
period.
 This is common on news sites and catalogue-
based e-commerce sites, where each item (articles
and products, respectively) is treated as a stand-
alone unit without connections to related items. No
wonder users leave those sites so quickly.

4. Best practice: With help of good focus group
you can achieve good structure which can lead
to better site.

5.  2. Search and Structure Not Integrated
 Search and navigation are not built properly which
laid to confusion where and what is displayed. User
could not find product which they want to see and
may get confused which page he is now.
 For example, Arriving on a page from a search is
like parachuting into a city. Hopefully, if you want
to go to Paris, you'll land there rather than in
Amsterdam, but in any case, you're unlikely to land
on the doorstep of your favourite restaurant. To
get there, you'll need to walk or take a cab.
Similarly, users often need to navigate the
neighbourhood around their search destination.

6.  Best practice: Link all content together having
similar feature. Navigation between those
page should be easy and prominent. User
should land to page which they require.

7.  3.Missing Category Landing Pages
 Category helps to understand what section user is
about to access but without category it is like
walking on path which has no predefined
destination. Category on main page gives over view
of different type products available online so user
can navigate to its required page. Some site gives
link to product page without including category
which cost more time to find and navigate product.
 Category is like Heading or Title of book. Without
title it is difficult to find that we are interested in.
So Category is very important part of site.

8.  Best practice: List all category for product
before implementing into web page. Only
include child page once category is
implemented. Make sure no category is
missing.

9.  4. Extreme Polyhierarchy
 Compared to the physical world, one of the online world's
benefits is that items can live in multiple locations.
Because websites can classify products and other content
along multiple dimensions, they help users navigate locally
to related items and provide faceted winnowing of a large
product space into manageable shortlists that can satisfy
the user's main requirements.
 User do not want to spent time in understanding location
and details about products. User needs simple and
unidirectional flow to look into products.
 Too many classification options and structured dimensions
force users to think harder to move forward. The profusion
of options also makes people question the information
scent. This lack of confidence early in the site experience
extends throughout their visit and can negatively impact
the end result.

10.  Best practice: Make classification sort and
easy to understand. Wide classification is not
really required. As we see abstract in any
report or book same way used abstracted
classification for explanation.

11.  5. Invisible Navigation Options
 The very worst mistake might be to have no
navigation, but that's so rare that I'm not going to
discuss it. Still, any feature that users can't see
might as well not exist; invisible navigation is thus
nearly as bad as no navigation.
 Small children may like to know what’s going on
while navigation but adult user do not like this.
 Navigation must be easy and liable. No product or
banner should be placed near navigation as it looks
like advertisement which will be avoided.
 No navigation or Invisible navigation requires more
time to find product or may not lead to required
product which makes site less useful and loose
visitor on site.

12.  Best practice: Usability depends on
navigation. Make paper chart to see all links
are established and no page is left behind.
Also make sure that page are not given
wrong navigation. Flow must be maintained
properly.

13.  6. Uncontrollable Navigation Elements
 Typically, anything that moves and bounces
detracts from Web usability; when navigation
moves while users are trying to find their way, it's
deadly. Users should focus on the higher-level
problem of where to go, not the lower-level
problem of how to manipulate the GUI.
 Navigation to non required page such as
advertising page or unnecessary page. It will
frustrate user and may result into less liked site.
Developer team should consider needs and time of
user while implementing such intermediate page.

14.  Best practice: Do not use intermediate page
as a link between two connected page.
Inserting add page is bad concept and
decrease view of user. No pop up box or
dialog box is suggested. Direct access to
linked page is ideal way.

15.  7. Made-Up Menu Options
 Each and every user is not fluent in language that site
carry. Hard and Fancy words may create problem to
understand what type of content is hidden behind
that button.
 Users can't find something if they don't know what
it's called. Even if you provide synonyms, the main
navigation terms carry extra SEO weight and it's a
waste to optimize for a query that nobody will issue.
 Simple words helps to understand type and user is
likely to access what they understand. There is
difference between ‘make simple’ and ‘make painful’.
User may not click that menu if they do not
understand it. Still there are lots of developing team
who use fancy word to make it different amongst
other site but in real it is not helping.

16.  Best practice: Always keep in mind that user
can be from any part of globe. Fancy words
or difficult words are hard to understand so
only use those words that are used by most
of user around the world. Simple format is
the best format.

17.  8. Misguided Information Architecture: Too
Many Parents
 Too many parents confuses small children and website
users. Frequently, you’ll stumble across websites that
will make the crucial mistake of including too many
parent pages on their main navigation.
 Parent page is head page of site and there should be
only one parent page for one or more child page. One
child page with many parent page creates confusion to
user. User may not able to decide either one child page
is same or different for different parent page.
 Unfortunately, some site administrators feel the more
parent page choices in the main navigation the better
the chance the user will find his/her way. This is not
the case. Too many options creates confusion and
indecision

18.  Best practice: Use less number of parent page
in site e.g. 4 to 7 page and put other page as
child page. Categorise those child page and
only a lot one parent to every child page. No
child page will have multiple parent pages

19.  9. Navigational Irresponsibility: Creating
Orphans
 Orphan words itself describe meaning that have no
parent. Many time subcategory or any product
page is left alone without including into parent
page. This pages are hard to find as no links are
defined and sometime not accessible due to not
defined into parent page.
 This problems are usually generated while
redesigning site or removing any parent page of
that child page. If parent page is removed, there
will be no defined link to child page and user may
not find this page without knowledge of direct
accessing link.

20.  Continue…
 Instead of tying these orphan pages into the new
navigation, under a parent page, they are left out in
the abyss only to be found again by users with the
page bookmarked or found randomly through
search. Orphan pages can be easily overlooked or
forgotten with the excitement of building a new
website, but is critically important to correct this
issue. The integrity of your information
architecture and ensuring your users are able to
navigate to the most current and relevant
information on your site depend on it.

21.  Best Practice: Ensure that child page is also
removed with parent page. Or link child page
to newly created parent page so that it can be
appear easily. Also make sure that you do not
remove parent page completely if Child page
is required.

22.  10. Information Architecture OCD: Deep Sea
Fishing
 Deep sea fishing can be fun in the ocean, but
burying your content in the depths of the sea is not
recommended. Sub-sectioning larger topics into
smaller pages makes information more
easily digestible; however, proceed with caution.
Many clients that become lost in the weeds dividing
topics from a Parent Page > to:
 Subpage 1 (Level 1) >
Subpage 2 (Level 2) >
(…)
Subpage 8 (Level 8) >
Subpage 9 (Level 9) and before you know it your
site has 10 different navigation levels.

23.  Continue.....
 You cannot expect users to find the information
they require by navigating through 10 levels of
navigation. User may end up navigating in between
without getting result.
 Solution of point 10
 Best Practice: A common best practice for most
public websites, which can also be applied to
intranet site, is to limit yourself to a maximum of 5
levels of navigation. Make navigation sort and
effortless for user.

24.  11. Navigation Quandary: Inconsistant Page
Titles
 Title is different compared to content on page.
User end up on page contains information which
user is not looking for. Puzzle are good for
entertainment but on internet world it is not
acceptable. If user gets different result after search
than it will have negative impression.
 For example, the main navigation title is ‘Documents &
Policies’ but the page title is ‘Health Documents &
Procedures’. If there is a discrepancy between menu title and
page title many users will assume they have not arrived at the
page they intended.

25.  Solution of point 11
 Best Practice: Consistency is key – ensure all
main menu and submenu navigation match
page titles, which in many cases can be
controlled through your content management
system within your intranet. After adding
content make sure to check the title of that
content, it will help to maintain consistency in
user search.

26.  Best way is by checking Usability of IA.
 There are many methods for studying usability, but the most
basic and useful is user testing, which has 3 components:
 Prefer having user or team member to check and review
the functioning of site.
 Ask the users to perform representative tasks with the
design.
 Observe what the users do, where they succeed, and
where they have difficulties with the user interface. Shut
up and let the users do the talking. Take feedback from
user and try to resolve problem encountered by user and
implement solution as soon as possible.

27.  Let user test site independently and do not help
navigating through site. Make sure user face no
difficulties understanding menus, category while
navigation.
 Best way to test site is to use 5 to 10 user who are
from different background. Instead of trying to self
solution and running large procedure to find
errors, use real life user and take feedback. Run
small test with the help of user and attain solution
easily.

28.  Developing team posses high knowledge of site
and may miss small problem that user may face.
SO prefer user testing instead of focus group.
Focus groups have a place in market research, but
to evaluate interaction designs you must closely
observe individual users as they perform tasks with
the user interface. Listening to what people say is
misleading: you have to watch what they actually
do.

29.  Usability plays a role in each stage of the design process. The
resulting need for multiple studies is one reason I recommend
making individual studies fast and cheap. Here are the main steps:
 Before starting the new design, test the old design to identify the
good parts that you should keep or emphasize, and the bad parts
that give users trouble.
 Conduct a field study to see how users behave in their natural
habitat.
 Make paper prototypes of one or more new design ideas and test
them. The less time you invest in these design ideas the better,
because you'll need to change them all based on the test results.
 Refine the design ideas that test best through multiple iterations,
gradually moving from low-fidelity prototyping to high-fidelity
representations that run on the computer. Test each iteration.
 Inspect the design relative to established usability guidelines
whether from your own earlier studies or published research.
 Once you decide on and implement the final design, test it again.
Subtle usability problems always creep in during implementation.

30.  The only way to a high-quality IA (for
user experience) is to start user
testing early in the design process and
to keep testing every step of the way.

31.  http://www.nngroup.com/articles/top-10-
ia-mistakes/
 http://www.nngroup.com/articles/fixing-
information-architecture/
 http://www.intranetconnections.com/blog/5
-common-information-architecture-pitfalls/
 http://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-
questions-about-information-architecture/
 http://journalofia.org/volume5/issue2/04-
burford/