Creating information architecture (IA)
SIMPLIFING COMPLEXITY
In this case study, I will share my journey through designing information architecture (IA) for PodConverge website. I will discuss the challenges I faced and how I created a solid IA and filtering system to allowing users to easily navigate through our product pages.
Role:
UX Designer & Researcher
Client:
PodConverge
Category:
Sitemap Design (E-Commerce)
Duration:
6 Weeks
Year:
2024
About PodConverge
Podconverge is a startup company that offers access to over nine leading print providers for individual businesses, all through a single platform.
Target users
-
E-commerce entrepreneurs
-
Independent artists and designers
-
Small businesses
Challenges
-
Extracting more than 3000 products from 9 providers.
-
How should I structure and categorize the products in our website?
-
How should I present the content on the website to ensure accessibility?
Solutions
-
I analyzed each provider's categories and products. Then, categorized them into relevant categories. Each category was broken down into subcategories, to make it findable and discoverable for users.
-
I strategically categorized the products so that future expansion of the website can easily accommodate any new products within existing categories.
Result
Collecting Data and Transforming Insights into Action
Imagine you have a nine-bedroom house, and now you want to move to a one-bedroom house without losing your stuff. You need to organize everything clearly so that it fits in one place and is easy to find and get ride of duplicate stuff. This is exactly what I did to create an easy-to-navigate information architecture for PodConverge website. I extracted all the products and categories from each provider, arranging them side by side to prevent duplication and ensure I'd coverage all products.
Categorizing products
After gathering all the data, it was time to conduct card sorting and categorize all the products under relevant categories and titles. For those categories where there were many variations within a product, I introduced subcategories and a filtering system to ensure easy discovery by the user.
Gather input to Design
Navigation bar
Sub-category card
Product overview card
.png)
.png)
Additional filtering options for products with variations to enhance user navigation and findability.
Catalog pages
Product summery page
Takeaway
In this project, I learned the importance of simplifying data management to handle large product volumes efficiently. By organizing products with users in mind, I ensured easy navigation and a better browsing experience. My problem-solving approach enabled me to efficiently identify solutions for better outcomes throughout the project.