IA? UX? UI?
Like all fields, web design has its own acronyms and terminology that evolves and changes over time. This is a brief primer of some of the more commonly used (and confused) terms.
Information Architecture (IA)
Site organization and mapping
Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments; the art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape. Typically, it involves a model or concept of information that is used and applied to activities which require explicit details of complex information systems.
– Wikipedia
IA Related resources:
- Usability.gov’s Information Architecture Basics
- IA Institute’s What is Information Architecture
- UX Planet’s Information Architecture. Basics for Designers.
User Experience Design (UX)
Improving site usability and accessibility
User experience design (UX, UXD, UED or XD) is the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product. User experience design encompasses traditional human–computer interaction (HCI) design, and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users.
– Wikipedia
UX Related resources:
User Interface Design (UI)
Visual Design via Mockups
User interface design (UI) or user interface engineering is the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience. The goal of user interface design is to make the user’s interaction as simple and efficient as possible, in terms of accomplishing user goals (user-centered design).
– Wikipedia
UI Related resources:
- Usability.gov’s User Interface Design Basics
- IDF’s User Interface (UI) Design Topic Resources
- Donald Norman’s Emotion & Design: Attractive things work better
Conclusion
Essential to becoming an expert in one’s field is knowing and understanding important topic areas that are often times referred to using acronyms. In web design, this includes IA, UX, and UI.
Related Resources and Reading
- Knowledge Bases:
- People:
Go Further
- Familiarize yourself with User Centered Design
Author Notes
This was written specifically to help aspiring web designers as they aim to:
- Learn the basic acronyms and terminologies commonly used in the context of web design and front-end web development