Web Authoring and Design
Web Authoring and Design
The third plane is the Structure Plane. This phase (where the factors become more concrete) defines the structure of the overall site, ie how all the individual pieces fit together. This is also known as the process of defining a ‘conceptual structure’ for the site. The two main aspects of this plane are Interaction Design and Information Architecture.
Interaction Design deals with how the user will interact with the website. Here it is a good idea to consider conventions that are in use so that our site might incorporate these conventions and thereby make using our site easier for the user. We should also design appropriate error handling features that will be helpful to the user.
Information Architecture refers to organizing the information in a way that users can best understand it. Possible structures include hierarchical, matrix, organic and sequential.
The Skeleton Plan deals with the arrangement of the various pieces of the content on the page. This would include text, images, buttons, links, etc. Here we seek to place all these elements in a way that optimizes the user experience. There are three components in this plane: Information Design, Interface Design and Navigation Design.
Information Design refers to presenting the information in the way that the user can best understand it. Interface Design means incorporating features like buttons in a way that users can easily interact with the site. Navigation Design is the method we provide for the user to move through the site, successfully reaching the desired sections. These three elements are closely related. Interface Design provides users with the ability to do things; Navigation Design provides users with the ability to go places; Information Design provides information to users.
Wireframes can be very helpful in this stage. Here is a resource that provides a lot of information about wireframes and layouts: A Beginner‘s Guide to Wireframing
