An Information Architect's Guide To Drupal
Drupal is an advanced content management system that has long supported good Information Architecture. However, many developers get lost in implementation - which modules to use, the code they'll write, and how to host the site. A deep understanding and appreciation for Information Architecture will help you define the true structure of your information, allowing you to build websites that your clients and users will love.
But what is information anyway? We might think that it is in books or websites, but these just contain information. It is something else, as prevelant as air, as intangible as our thoughts, and more powerful than weapons or money. As we explore the question, you'll begin to appreciate the work humans have done to categorize and store our knowledge. You will begin to see your place in that timeline that spans human history, and grow excited by the fact that you are on the cutting edge, and responsible for shaping our knowledge repositories for years to come.
After sharing my deep appreciation for Information, we'll talk about the role of an Information Architect - what they do, and how they approach infomation problems. While they may be a dedicated role in some large organizations or projects, we can all level up our skills by understanding the basics of their work, and how it can be applied to building Drupal sites. We'll walk though the process from Kickoff to Launch and talk about what to consider in each phase, how to accurately get requirements and define a solid structure that the team can work from.
Finally, we'll map the structures we define to Drupal components to give you a straightforward way to create the best possible website.
- What is information? A deeper understanding, and appreciation for a human need as fundamental as air.
- What should Drupal developers know about IA? The principals of IA, and a practical process to follow.
- How does Drupal support good IA? We'll look at the common IA structures that a site needs and how to implement them in Drupal.
When you're done here, you will be empowered to define the true structure of your information to deliver coherent solutions for people to use.