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| Introduction | |
| Developing an information hierarchy | |
| Establishing a controlled vocabulary | |
| Testing the hierarchy and labels | |
| Designing transactional flows | |
| Flow charting tools and methods | |
| References | |
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Designing transactional flows The methods described so far for designing the information hierarchy and labels are rooted in the early days of the web when sites contain content rather than functions. As sites increasingly provide functionality normally associated with software applications, the line between web development and software development is blurring. Content and functions co-existing in a single web site call for design methods from two different perspectives. For content, the design methods are based in traditional web site development, including using link-node diagrams to communicate structure. For functions, design methods are based in traditional software development. Some of these methods are highly structured and represent transaction flows using specialized modeling languages such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML is "an industry-standard language for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of software systems" (Rational Software). The goal of UML is to simplify the sometimes-complex process of software design, creating a blueprint for construction. Exploring UML is outside the scope of this article and there is some debate within the information architecture field on the suitability of UML for developing highly usable applications for the web. It’s an area, however, with which information architects should be familiar. An excellent starting point is the UML Central maintained by Advanced Software Technologies. |
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Methods | Basic Flow | Alternative Flows | Page Flow Diagram |