Information Architectures Are No Easy Feat
There are many important steps In the application development process, and creating information architectures are one of them. In an article by Tubik Studio, they state that an “information architecture (IA) is a science of organizing and structuring content of the websites, web and mobile applications, and social media software” (Tubik Studio). This basically maps out every single aspect of your app and makes it easier to visualize. I have done information architectures in previous classes, but I’ve never fully realized its necessity in the design process. “Information architecture aims at organizing content so that users would easily adjust to the functionality of the product and could find everything they need without big effort” (Tubik Studio). This reading was actually very useful because I learned a lot more detailed aspects about information architectures.
With new knowledge about information architectures, I was able to apply it towards my app. When redesigning the Full Moon Phase app, I wanted to remove some elements of it that seemed unnecessary and include other functionalities that would be beneficial to users. For example, I wanted to include Lunar New Year and how different cultures around the world celebrate it. So, instead of the horoscope feature that’s currently on the app, I would like to add an informational section about each country’s Lunar New Year celebrations and a countdown to each respective holiday’s upcoming date. This would provide better functionality to certain individuals who do want something like this in an app. I also wanted to make sure that the app was easier to navigate, so I removed some elements and made a more clear menu in my information architecture so that no one could get confused like I did when initially opening the Full Moon Phase app.
After the information architectures have been refined and polished, it’s time to create wireframes. According to Rosie Allabarton, “wireframing is a practice used by UX designers which allows them to define and plan the information hierarchy of their design for a website, app, or product” (Allabarton). She was able to provide a step-by-step instruction on the proper way to create a wireframe. I don’t think I’ve really looked into wireframes to this degree because I just generalized the knowledge I learned about them in previous classes. However, I’ve finally begun to realize how necessary it is to create accurate wireframes to ensure a smooth app development process.
In general, I tend to be a perfectionist and make sure every detail is in order. When it comes to wireframes, however, I’m not confident in my skills. Usually this ends up with me taking forever in this part of the process, but I’ve been able to work my way towards being able to efficiently create wireframes. Honestly, I respect the amount of effort it takes to create a professional wireframe because there’s more detail than I expected. I think that gradually being able to confidently do these tasks with ease this will help me in my journey as a graphic designer and provide me with very useful tools and skills.