Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Information architecture is a new field in web design, crucial for designers of all disciplines, in a world where web design is both more in demand and less profitable than ever before. No company's visual communication is complete without a website, but companies are no longer satisifed with websites that merely look good. Now they must work hard as well -- they must answer users' needs, keep them on the site for the longest possible time, and make sure they return. Only with good information architecture will a website achieve these goals. Information Architecture for Designers introduces the skills and techniques of effective information design for the web in approachable, accessible, and logical language. Crammed with practical step-by-step processes, and connected to its own website with off-the-peg downloadable and useable templates, the book is a practical solution for designers who need these new skills. It will be a standard text for professional and education design libraries for years to come. Book jacket.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• http://iabook.com (p. 6)
• Author's note (p. 8)
• Index of tips (p. 9)
• 0 Introduction
• What is information architecture? (p. 12)
• What does an information architect do? (p. 13)
• The user experience (p. 14)
• Flow and tasks (p. 14)
• Deliverables (p. 15)
• List of content and organization
• Description of functionality
• Wireframes
• Conclusion (p. 18)
• Learning more... (p. 19)
• 1 Website strategy
• Strategy (p. 22)
• What do business goals have to do with design? (p. 24)
• Discussing business goals (p. 24)
• User goals and tasks (p. 26)
• Measuring success (p. 27)
• Content and functionality (p. 29)
• Conclusion (p. 37)
• Learning more... (p. 37)
• Case study: State of Georgia Online Encyclopedia (p. 38)
• 2 Audience research
• Research (p. 44)
• First-time researcher (p. 46)
• Asking the right questions (p. 46)
• Designing and selling a research plan (p. 48)
• Why client market research isn't enough (p. 49)
• Three easy research methods (p. 50)
• Interviews
• Observation with contextual inquiry
• Usability testing
• Which method to use
• Analyzing your research (p. 59)
• Three research deliverables (p. 62)
• Audience analysis
• Personas
• Scenarios
• Sharing research with the team (p. 67)
• Conclusion (p. 69)
• Learning more... (p. 69)
• Case study: Pottery Barn Kids (p. 70)
• 3 Information architecture
• Structure (p. 78)
• Organization schemes, categories, and labels (p. 80)
• Organization schemes
• Categories
• Labels
• Work the information architecture into the design (p. 96)
• Sitemaps (p. 108)
• The classic sitemap
• A visual vocabulary
• The 2.5D or isometric sitemap
• The automated sitemap
• The high-level sitemap
• The content table
• Conclusion (p. 114)
• Case study: SRC Collaborative Extranet (p. 116)
• 4 Designing functionality
• Functionality (p. 124)
• Identifying tasks (p. 126)
• Analyzing tasks (p. 126)
• Turning task analysis into web pages (p. 128)
• Documenting functionality (p. 132)
• Drawing flow charts
• Writing functionality descriptions
• Conclusion (p. 133)
• Learning more... (p. 133)
• Case study: XM Radio (p. 134)
• 5 Interface design
• The interface (p. 142)
• Wireframes (p. 144)
• Interface objects (p. 148)
• Iteration works (p. 150)
• Paper prototyping (p. 150)
• HTML prototypes (p. 153)
• Conclusion (p. 153)
• Case study: Lycos Asia (p. 155)
• Final word (p. 156)
• Bibliography (p. 158)
• Webography (p. 159)
• Acknowledgments (p. 160)