A Study On Web2.0 Sites Based On Information Architecture (IA)

We are living in an information society, in which each one is closely related to the information. The widespread of Internet enriched people with the ways of acquiring information. Meanwhile, it augmented the pressure of getting information. With the application of new technology, the Internet has been developing form Webl.O into Web2.0. Under the environment of Web2.0 in which every one involved, the websites of Web2.0 confronted a large challenge in collecting, organizing, expressing and providing information in a clear way. Information Architecture is the science & art of how to organize, express and explain information. Therefore, the theory of Information Architecture could act as the guideline in the research of Web2.0 websites.The paper includes five chapters.The first chapter is introduction. It talked about the purpose and the significance of this article. Also it took a look into the status quo of related research both at home and abroad and presented a sketch map of the article for readers.The second chapter brought Information Architecture into the research of Web2.0 sites. Firstly it analyzed the Information Architecture theory from the angle of its background, definition and purpose, resulting in two connotations of Information Architecture: making the information accessible and understandable, which were closely related and can't be separated. According to Doctor Zhouxiaoying's understanding of Information Architecture, the article drew a model of Web Information Architecture which acted as the guide in the later research. Web2.0 is a new idea economy, which emphasizes people's experience. Putting the Information Architecture into the Web2.0 websites could not only resolve the problem of how to organize the complicated micro-content of Web2.0, but also realize the idea of Web2.0 in the higher term. Meanwhile, Information Architecture played a large role in enlarging websites' exchange space and recognizing space. Bringing the Information Architecture into the Web2.0 sites is positive in enriching users' experience, elevating websites' brainpower and ameliorating the website management.The third chapter is about the design of Web2.0 site on the base of Information Architecture. Information Architecture is divided into broad Information Architecture and narrow Web Information Architecture. The Web Information Architecture focuses on the web information resource, including the organization systems, navigation systems, labeling systems and searching systems. The organization systems decide the category of the content, so they are forms of the web site and the basis of Information Architecture. The navigation systems tell users the current location and direct them to the destination. They are the guarantee of Information Architecture. The labeling systems, which are the ways to express the organization systems and navigation systems, make the former two systems clearer and more usable. The searching systems support users' diversified demands, helping them find the expected information in the shortest time. They work together with the browse way of the organization systems and navigation systems. This chapter applied the Web Information Architecture in designing organization systems, navigation systems, labeling systems and searching systems of Web2.0 websites. Combining the concrete example of Web2.0 websites, the article explained how to design a Web2.0 website based on the Information Architecture, making sure that it has a cohesive organization systems, a elegant navigation systems, a effective labeling systems and a usable searching systems, so that the web information would be accessible and understandable. Considering that the good experience is the final object of Web2.0 sites, it put forward a usability test on the Web2.0 site, in order to building a usable, easy, satisfactory website.The fourth chapter is the study on evaluating the Web2.0 sites on the base of Information Architecture. Firstly it analyzed the possibility and necessity of evaluating the Web2.0 sites. Then basing on the Web2.0 sites designing research, this chapter formulated a Web2.0 sites evaluating indicator system from the angle of Web Information Architecture's four core ingredients --- organization systems, navigation systems, labeling systems and searching systems. Considering two purposes of Information Architecture - accessible and understandable information and the usability of the websites, the article adopted the Analytic Hierarchy Process to form a three-hierarchy Web2.0 sites evaluating model. By scientific method, each indicator in this model was given a weight according to its importance to Information Architecture. This model became a standard in evaluating the Web2.0 sites.The fifth chapter is conclusion. It drew a conclusion and pointed out the innovations and disadvantage of this article. The innovations of this article lied in that it brought Information Architecture into Web2.0 sites and designed the Web2.0 sites from the four core ingredients of Web Information Architecture, on which the Web2.0 sites evaluating model based. The disadvantage of this article lied in that it didn't make a research into the Information Architecture in depth and didn't divide the Web2.0 sites according their contents.