# What Is Information Architecture (IA) in UX? | Gr8r > Information architecture is how a site or app's content is grouped, labelled and connected. How IA differs from navigation and how to test it with users. Source: https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/information-architecture Glossary 路 Product # Information architecture (IA) Information architecture (IA) is the structure behind a website or app: what content and features exist, how they are grouped and labelled, and how they relate to each other. People never see it directly, but it shapes the navigation, the search and whether they can find what they came for. [Plan your site structure](https://gr8rstudio.com/services/website-design-development)[All terms](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary) In one line Information architecture is how a site or app's content and features are grouped, named and related. Related - [Usability testing](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/usability-testing) - [Headless CMS](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/headless-cms) - [Design system](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/design-system) - $115M+ Client Funding - [ 1.8K+ GitHub Stars ](https://github.com/gr8rstudio/gr8r-studio) - 50+ Projects Shipped AI helps us move faster. Our team makes the decisions and stands behind the work. - hyperAI On this page 1. [Why information architecture matters](#s-0) 2. [What information architecture work involves](#s-1) 3. [Taxonomy, labels and metadata](#s-2) 4. [Information architecture vs navigation design](#s-3) 5. [Information architecture vs a sitemap](#s-4) 6. [Information architecture for products and for websites](#s-5) 7. [How to test information architecture](#s-6) 8. [How Gr8r approaches information architecture](#s-7) ## Why information architecture matters Users never see your IA, but they feel it. If billing lives under Settings, invoices under Account and payment methods under Workspace, people will open three menus and then email support. Nielsen Norman Group uses a nice analogy: you can't see a skeleton, but it decides what the animal can do. A weak structure limits every screen built on top of it, however polished those screens look. ## What information architecture work involves It starts with a content inventory, a list of everything the product or site holds. A content audit then checks what's useful, accurate and current. From there you group content in ways that match how users think and agree consistent names for things. The output lives in spreadsheets and diagrams, usually a site map or hierarchy, not in wireframes. That separation is useful, because it lets you argue about structure before anyone argues about visual design. ## Taxonomy, labels and metadata Three pieces of IA work decide whether the structure holds up as content grows. **Labels** are the names people see: menu items, section titles, button text. They should be the words your customers use. If support tickets say "invoices" and the menu says "Billing documents", people will search instead of clicking. A **taxonomy** is the controlled list of terms used to classify content. Nielsen Norman Group defines it as "a closed list of acceptable terms that are arranged hierarchically and are used to describe and classify content". It stays behind the scenes, and it is usually broader than the navigation. **Metadata** is what gets attached to each piece of content: its topic, its type, its audience, its date. This is what makes the useful features possible. NN/g notes that filters are built on faceted taxonomies, that related-content modules pull items from the same category, and that search can use the taxonomy to suggest related terms. None of this needs special software at the start. A spreadsheet with one row per page and one column per attribute is enough to see where the gaps are. ## Information architecture vs navigation design IA is the underlying structure. Navigation is the set of interface components that let people move through it: menus, tabs, breadcrumbs, filters, footers and related links. Navigation design decides which components to use, where they go and how much people will rely on each. Define the IA before you choose the navigation. Nielsen Norman Group gives the example of a team that picks an inverted-L layout because it looks good. That layout suits sites up to four levels deep, and then their content turns out to go deeper. The IA doesn't need to be final before wireframing, but a first pass is needed. ## Information architecture vs a sitemap A sitemap is a picture of the structure. It shows the pages and how they nest. It is one way to document IA, and often the most useful one to put in front of a team. It is not the whole IA. The sitemap does not show the naming rules, the taxonomy, the metadata on each page or the reasons a section sits where it does. Two sites can have the same sitemap and feel very different to use, because one labels things in the customer's words and the other does not. Treat the sitemap as the summary, and keep the inventory and the naming decisions next to it. ## Information architecture for products and for websites The work is the same in principle and different in what it organises. On a website, IA organises content: pages, articles, case studies, documentation. The questions are about audiences and topics. Who is this section for, what would they call it, and what do they need next? In a product, IA organises objects and actions: customers, invoices, projects, settings, and what each role is allowed to do with them. The questions are about tasks. What does someone do every day, what do they do once a month, and what should only an admin see? A common mistake is to structure a product like the company's org chart, or a website like the product's menu. Both make sense to the people who built them and to nobody else. ## How to test information architecture Card sorting asks participants to group labelled cards in whatever way makes sense to them. It shows you how users expect content to be organised, so it's best before or while you design the structure. Tree testing works the other way round. You give people a text-only version of your proposed hierarchy and ask them to find specific things. It shows whether your labels and categories work without visual design to prop them up. Both are forms of [usability testing](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/usability-testing) aimed at structure, and both are cheap to run before any screen is designed. ## How Gr8r approaches information architecture On website and product projects, we map the content and agree the structure with you before we draw a single screen. We aim to label things in the words your customers use, not internal team names. In a UX audit, we flag findability problems in the flows we review. Common ones are features hidden under the wrong heading and two menu items that mean the same thing. For websites this is the first step of [website design and development](https://gr8rstudio.com/services/website-design-development). For products it is part of [product design](https://gr8rstudio.com/services/product-design). Our [startup website launch checklist](https://gr8rstudio.com/blog/startup-website-launch-checklist) covers the structure checks to run before a site goes live, and a [UX audit](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/ux-audit) is how findability problems in a live product usually come to light. From our own work In [CloseCRM](https://gr8rstudio.com/work/closecrm), a CRM we designed and built, the sidebar groups the product by what a sales rep is doing, in the same order as the app. The day's work comes first: Dashboard, Companies, Contacts, Deals, Tasks and Meetings. Insight and control follow: Activities, Reports, Analytics and Workflows. Settings sit last. Built by Gr8r for its own portfolio. Not client work. ## Go deeper on Information architecture - [ The Startup Website Launch Checklist, Page by Page A startup website launch checklist, page by page: sitewide checks, homepage, pricing, demo and sign up, blog, legal, AI crawlers and the first week. ](https://gr8rstudio.com/blog/startup-website-launch-checklist) - [ Redesign, Refactor or Rebuild Your SaaS Product? Should you redesign, refactor or rebuild your SaaS product? A plain diagnostic: the symptoms behind each option, the risks, and a quick scoring test. ](https://gr8rstudio.com/blog/saas-product-redesign) Reviewed by [Tanjim Islam](https://gr8rstudio.com/about/tanjim-islam), Founder & CEO 路 Updated 12 November 2026 Sources - [Nielsen Norman Group: The Difference Between Information Architecture (IA) and Navigation](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ia-vs-navigation/) - [Nielsen Norman Group: Card Sorting](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/card-sorting-definition/) - [Nielsen Norman Group: Tree Testing](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tree-testing/) - [Nielsen Norman Group: Taxonomy 101](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/taxonomy-101/) FAQ ## Information architecture questions answered Ask anything else - What is the difference between information architecture and UX design? IA is one part of UX design. It covers structure, grouping and labelling, while UX design also covers interaction, visual design, content and research. - What is the difference between card sorting and tree testing? Card sorting helps you create a structure by showing how users group content. Tree testing evaluates a structure you've already drafted by asking users to find things in it. - When should you work on information architecture? Early, before wireframes, and again whenever you add a major section or feature. Nielsen Norman Group advises a first pass at the IA before choosing navigation patterns, even if it changes later. - What are signs of poor information architecture? Watch for people searching for things that are already in the menu, and support tickets asking where a feature lives. Pages that overlap or duplicate each other are another clue. Menu labels that only make sense to your team are another warning sign. - Is a site map the same as information architecture? A site map is one way of documenting IA. The IA itself is the thinking behind it: what content exists, how it's grouped, what it's called and how pieces relate. ## Terms related to Information architecture - [ 01 Usability testingUsability testing is a research method where a facilitator asks representative users to complete realistic tasks with a product. Observing what they do and say shows where the design confuses or blocks them. Explore ](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/usability-testing) - [ 02 Headless CMSA headless CMS is a content management system that stores and edits content separately from the website or app that displays it. Content is delivered through an API, so the same content can power many front ends. Explore ](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/headless-cms) - [ 03 Design systemA design system is a shared library of reusable components, visual styles and usage rules, kept in both design tools and code, together with the people who keep it current. It helps teams build consistent, accessible products faster as the product and the team grow. Explore ](https://gr8rstudio.com/glossary/design-system) ## Book a call with our CEO. Pick a time that suits you. A product idea or a workflow that slows your team down: a clear problem is enough, no full specification needed. 5.0 [11 verified reviews Read them on Contra ](https://contra.com/tanjimislam/reviews) - Tanjim is a great designer without any doubt. I love the way he heard my project details and created the better design I was looking for. I highly recommend Tanjim to other Business owners. Thanks Tanjim 馃 Muhammad Talha 路 Founder, SetFrame - Amazing work as always! 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Md Nomail Hossain Samir 路 Co-founder, Remarked Design - Every project I鈥檝e entrusted to Tanjim has exceeded expectations. If you're looking for a top-tier designer who consistently delivers exceptional work, Tanjim is the one. Looking forward to working together on more projects 馃 Md Nomail Hossain Samir 路 Co-founder, Remarked Design - Tanjim is an excellent guy. He is super professional in his work and always goes the extra mile. If you're looking for any UI or Framer work, I highly recommend him! Md Nomail Hossain Samir 路 Co-founder, Remarked Design - Tanjim is the founder of Gr8r studio and his Framer expertise is exactly what you need if you are looking for design and development work. Tanjim goes the extra mile on his projects and his attention to detail makes every website stand out I collaborated with Tanjim on a project and he is my main choice for a design partnership. 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