Information Architecture
Trigger Boundary
- •Use when users cannot find content or navigation structure is inconsistent.
- •Do not use for flow-level state behavior; use
interaction-design. - •Do not use for design system token decisions; use
design-tokens.
Goal
Create clear, scalable, and discoverable information structures.
Shared Design Contract (Canonical)
- •Use
../design-principles/references/design-governance-contract.mdas the single schema and gate source. - •Track structures with
IA-NAV-*IDs. - •Run machine validation:
python3 ../design-principles/scripts/validate_design_contract.py --manifest <path/to/manifest.json>.
Inputs
- •Content inventory and navigation pain points
- •User mental models and task priorities
- •Localization constraints and terminology rules
Outputs
- •Information hierarchy and sitemap with
IA-NAV-*IDs - •Labeling and taxonomy recommendations
- •Navigation risk and ambiguity log
Workflow
- •Audit current hierarchy and duplicate pathways.
- •Group content by user intent and task relevance.
- •Define navigation levels and cross-links.
- •Validate labeling for clarity and localization fit.
- •Test discoverability against key user tasks.
Quality Gates
- •Hierarchy depth and breadth remain navigable.
- •Labels are unambiguous across supported locales.
- •Critical tasks are reachable in predictable steps.
- •Structural decisions are traceable to user needs.
Failure Handling
- •Stop when taxonomy terms conflict across core surfaces.
- •Escalate when key tasks remain undiscoverable.