The following is quoted verbatim from a marooned, incomplete and unaccredited but very useful article, 'Do You Have a Valid ID?,' from publish.com 1999. I've reproduced it here because I have no particular reason to believe that it'll remain available yet the content is clear and useful, and why re-phrase what somebody else has already done a perfectly good job of conveying...

If you are the author, I'll be very happy to credit you -- mail me.

 

Do You Have a Valid ID?

Information designers work closely with the visual designers and engineers to ensure that the recommended structure is clearly conveyed by the graphics and implemented with the appropriate technologies. What kind of tools will you need to do all this? Here's a rundown of what you might find in any self-respecting information designer's toolbox.

User profiles are descriptions of audience segments. They typically include assessments of your visitors' technical capabilities (operating systems, browsers, plug-ins, connection speeds, monitor sizes), their location (are they accessing the Web from work, home, or school?), and their degree of Net savvy (are they novices? seasoned surfers? power geeks?). User profiles are essential for deciding when to use certain technologies or how to serve audiences with varying skill levels (for example, newbies often need more support like help buttons and explicit instructions).

User scenarios are written narratives (they're drawn from the user profiles) describing exactly how you expect your visitors to interact with the site. These scenarios are excellent tools for figuring out how a new or complex feature will work, as they typically provide a visitors' reasons for coming to the site as well as step-by-step descriptions of their paths through the site.

Content lists (also called feature lists) document all of the site's ingredients, from text to graphics to JavaScript rollovers. A content list serves as the seed from which the overall architecture will eventually grow.

Information architectures are the virtual blueprints of a site. Usually presented as a set of flowcharts (see the discussion on the next page), architectures account for all the pages in a site, explicitly detailing the parent-child hierarchy among them. Architectures often divide the site into sections by topic or purpose.

Taxonomies are ordered systems of categories used to organize information. Taxonomies can be thought of as trees, beginning with major groups (the trunks) and branching into smaller, narrower groups. Because the taxonomies are well suited to sites with diverse types of information, Yahoo and other Web directories rely heavily on them, allowing visitors to navigate up and down the branches of various search results.

Task lists detail all the activities available on a site. These are especially useful in developing sites that are largely utilitarian or activity oriented: for example, a company intranet where employees can read company policies or check their remaining vacation time.

Flowcharts are diagrams used to illustrate a site's architecture. Similar to road maps, they show all the pages in a site, including any feedback messages (such as search results, form-acceptance thank yous, and error messages). Flowcharts often undergo several revisions.

Workflow diagrams are similar to flowcharts, but with one important distinction: rather than show all the pages, a workflow diagram shows only the pages along a particular user's path. Such a diagram is especially useful for dynamically generated sites (for example, an online store or a personal banking site) where a visitor's decisions create a different and unique experience each time he or she visits.

Storyboards demonstrate structure and navigation. Unlike storyboards for CD-ROMs or TV commercials, they do not attempt to show the visual style of the interface. Storyboards for Web sites tend to be rather plain looking, using only text and simple graphic shapes (boxes, circles) to indicate buttons and picture placement. Storyboards are good for showing how the site's structure and navigation work across pages.

 

Other Analysis Resources

Luke Wroblewski 'Understanding your web audience' 2002

Peter Van Dijck 'The Problem(s) with Sitemaps' to see how good analysis of your users' needs and activities contributes to successful supplemental navigation.

Joe Gillespie, 'Web Page Design for Designers' re. securing a useable site brief.

John December, 'Developing Information Content for the World Wide Web' for general guidelines and advice about planning and producing websites

Gerry McGovern 'A step-by-step approach to web classification design' includes a good rundown of what needs to be audited and analysed before beginning the design process