Information Architecture Consultants

Information is the lifeblood of any successful digital experience. Our information architecture consultants use data, smart insights and extensive knowledge to create the best user experience for your website or app.

Creating an outstanding website is one thing, but making sure your visitors understand it is a whole new ball game. The most beautiful designs can fall short on user experience, and that is why information architecture is so important. Information architecture ensures that a design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also drives users towards conversion. It focuses on a user-centric experience, where the end-user is always top-of-mind. Here at Fastfwd, we use data-driven insights to help your site deliver the best experience possible for your users.

What is information architecture?

In the simplest terms, information architecture (IA) is the structure of a website or app. It is the way information on your website is laid out or positioned. This could relate to your website’s navigation, hierarchy, the layout of pages, the positioning of elements, such as text, images and call to action buttons. The ultimate goal of IA is to make sure your website or app is as easy as possible to navigate, use and understand by your end-users.

What does an information architect do?

On a day-to-day basis, an information architect works alongside UX experts, web designers, content strategists and even SEO consultants. Their expertise allows them to identify potential pitfalls and opportunities relating to all areas of user experience (UX). This could be something as simple as reviewing the layout of content on a blog post, to something more demanding, such as designing the hierarchy of an entire website.

As a leading information architecture agency in Birmingham, some of our information architecture deliverables we provide include:

  • Sitemaps
  • User Journey Documentation
  • Navigation Design & Planning
  • Wireframes
  • Usability Testing
  • Website Hierarchy Planning
  • User Flow Diagrams
  • Content Outlines
  • Content Audits

Our information consultants are here to help you create a data-driven, user-centric experience for your end-users. Whether this is a website or a mobile application, our experts are here to help you

5 benefits of information architecture

You might be wondering, why should I hire an information architecture consultant? There are a number of reasons why information architecture (IA) is important to your website or application. We nailed it down to 5 very important reasons for hiring an information architect:

  1. An information architect can help identify gaps in your content. They can help you pinpoint the moment in your digital experience, where you are losing the most potential customers, and fix this gap through a solid content strategy.
  2. If you are in the process of migrating your website, an information architect can help you with a smooth transition. They can identify any missing content, functionalities, and key changes to a site at the right time. Lowering the risks of any performance loss during the migration process. See our site migration services for more details.
  3. They can guide the design process in the right direction. Through logical thinking, customer insights and accurate data, an information architect can work with designers to create a design that is user-centric, beautiful and promotes conversions.
  4. An information consultant can review important user journey’s on your website or app and verify that these are clear, clean and simple. With a prime focus on the end-user, an information architect can easily identify any flaws and opportunities in this area.
  5. Decision-making on digital projects can get out of hand quickly. IA consultants can make this process easier, through using data-driven insights to back up any assumptions and ideas. Struggling to decide on the layout of your homepage? An IA consultant can use customer data and smart insights to make this decision for you.

Our information architecture process

Here at Fastfwd we follow a solid information architecture process that allows us to create an unbeatable online experience for your end-users. The key steps in this process include:

  • Information Gathering
  • Current Site Review
  • Market Research
  • Sitemap Creation

Research

Our talented team will help you isolate all the important information about your project. From outlining your business requirements to helping you create accurate user profiles, Fastfwd are here to support you with the best, tailor-made advice for your project.

Review

Do not fix what is not broken. Our information architects will rigorously review your existing website with one goal in mind: To give you the best user experience possible. This means everything from conducting content audits to usability testing. Anything your site is missing, we’ll find this out and give you the load down on how to fix these issues.

Strategy

Good information architecture is consistent and logical. With the help of our experts, you’ll be able to cater to all your end-users needs. We’ll make sure that you’re the best in the market, through conducting competitor analysis, developing user-centric sitemaps, wireframes, and making sure that your user journeys are on point at every stage.

Testing

There’s only one way to prove good information architecture. And that’s through testing. Our in-house quality assurance (QA) testers will double-down on any final usability issues, allowing you to offer the smoothest and slickest user experience in your market. With an unbeatable user experience, there’s no way those potential customers are getting lost on your website or app!

Our Information Architecture Services

User experience is everything. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in and who your target market is, good usability will go a long way in the digital world. Our dedicated team can offer a range of information architecture services to help you in all aspects of user experience and usability:

  • UX Design & Support
  • Wireframe Creation
  • UI & Web Design
  • Mobile App Experience
  • Content Information Architecture
  • SEO & Information Architecture
  • Dashboard Creation
  • eCommerce Design & Development

Information Architecture In UX

Good UX doesn’t just happen. It is born from rigorous research, data analysis and a solid understanding of the end-user. Here at Fastfwd, our information architects work closely with our dedicated UX team, to create an unforgettable user experience for your end-users. We provide the blueprints, wireframes and sitemaps, so that our UX designers can develop solid user flows that give you the results you desire. See our UX service page for more information.

Wireframes

Wireframing is more than just a bunch of boxes and shapes drawn up on a piece of paper. It is the bare bones of what your website or app would look like. It is the skeleton behind the meaty web design and development process that comes later. Here at Fastfwd we carefully plan out our wireframes based on research and real customer data, so that we can guarantee you a website or app that makes sense to your customers (and not just our team). See our wireframing service page for more information.

UI & Design

Data and information architecture plays an important role in UI (User interface) and web design. Every element from the chosen colour scheme to the placements of buttons and text, impacts user experience. Here at Fastfwd our IA experts provide all necessary research to our web designers to ensure a logical design that amazes your users, and drives them to the point of conversion. There’s nothing better than a design that is aesthetically pleasing and conversion-driven.

Mobile Apps

They say good things come in small packages. Our mobile apps service is dedicated to giving you the best experience on mobile devices. We go beyond the content to review your mobile interface, navigation and other key elements that could be damaging your conversion rates on mobile devices. Using the principles of information architecture, our experts will help you create a mobile experience that supports your business goals. See our Mobile Design service page for more information.

Content Information Architecture

Don’t let your customers seek answers elsewhere. Our in-house content experts work collaboratively with our IA consultants to identify content gaps in your content. Whether this is a simple FAQ page, or a series of blog posts to educate your audience. We’ll help you fill in that content gap with thought-provoking and engaging content that keeps your users hooked. See our Content Marketing service page for more information.

SEO & Information Architecture

Gone are the days, when SEO was purely about adding the right keywords and getting the right quality of backlinks. Today SEO is all about providing value to your users, keeping them hooked and engaged on your site, so they come back for more and more each day. Here at fastfwd, we’ve seen how search engines have developed over the years, and know the importance of good user experience for SEO in the long-run. Our SEO specialists can tell you exactly how to provide value to your users, so you can watch your content grow in search traffic and rankings. See our SEO service page for more information.

Dashboard Information Architecture

Data is what makes the digital world go round. Without data you’re just walking in the dark hoping to get results. Our Analytics experts want you to make good business decisions based on true and accurate data. For this reason, we work closely with IA experts to develop custom dashboards that highlight the data that is most relevant and important to your business goals. See our Analytics service page for more information.

Information Architecture for eCommerce website

When your sales are highly dependent on your website experience, it becomes more important than ever to invest in information architecture (IA) services. Our IA consultants will work closely with you, to help you achieve that one core goal of getting more website sales. We’ll review your product pages, site structure, categories, all to make sure you’re achieving your monthly sales targets.

Information Architecture Consulting

Logical. Data-Driven. User Centric.Our information architecture consultants have one thing in mind, and that’s providing the best user experience for your business. Whether you’re starting a new project from scratch, or working with an old site with neglected content, our IA experts are here to support you.