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Web Design: Strategy and Information Architecture

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Web Design: Strategy and Information Architecture

This course is part of UI / UX Design Specialization

Instructor: Roman Jaster

86,249 already enrolled

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,258 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,258 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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This course is part of the UI / UX Design Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

This course is focused on the early user experience (UX) challenges of research, planning, setting goals, understanding the user, structuring content, and developing interactive sequences. While the concepts covered will translate to many kinds of interactive media (apps, digital kiosks, games), our primary focus will be on designing contemporary, responsive websites. In this course you will complete the first half of a large scale project—developing a comprehensive plan for a complex website—by defining the strategy and scope of the site, as well as developing its information architecture and overall structure. Along the way we will also discuss:

- Different job descriptions in the web design industry and where UX and UI skills fall within this spectrum - The difference between native apps and websites - The difference of agile vs. waterfall approaches - User personas and site personas - User testing The work and knowledge in this course continues in the last course in the UI/UX Design Specialization, Web Design: Wireframes to Prototypes, where you will tackle—finally—wireframes, visual mockups, and clickable prototypes. This is the third course in the UI/UX Design Specialization, which brings a design-centric approach to user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, and offers practical, skill-based instruction centered around a visual communications perspective, rather than on one focused on marketing or programming alone. These courses are ideal for anyone with some experience in graphic or visual design and who would like to build their skill set in UI or UX for app and web design. It would also be ideal for anyone with experience in front- or back-end web development or human-computer interaction and want to sharpen their visual design and analysis skills for UI or UX.

What's included

1 video4 readings

This week I will give you a brief overview of the user experience process that I will teach in this course sequence. We will begin by defining the term "user experience", and then briefly look at the five phases of UX design: Strategy, Outline of Scope, Sitemap, Wireframes, and Visual Mockups. I will also talk about the differences between mobile apps and websites, and the differences between waterfall and agile approaches to UX design. Lastly, I will introduce you to the main project that you will be working on in this course and the one that follows it. You’ll be starting your first assignment at the end of the module. Last, here's something to keep in mind this week: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”—Steve Jobs

What's included

13 videos7 readings2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt

13 videosTotal 77 minutes

Introduction to Week 11 minute
Defining the term "user experience"7 minutes
User-centric design4 minutes
What could possibly go wrong?4 minutes
The UX Phases (part 1)4 minutes
The UX Phases (part 2)3 minutes
Waterfall vs. Agile4 minutes
Web vs. App8 minutes
Project Ideas: Alyson and Bradley6 minutes
Why Peer Review? 2 minutes
Peer Review Tips4 minutes
How to apply feedback 2 minutes
Bonus Material: Interview with Chris Manik28 minutes

7 readingsTotal 66 minutes

Defining User Experience20 minutes
The UX Process10 minutes
What's the difference?10 minutes
Project Brief5 minutes
Try it yourself: Research existing restaurants15 minutes
What is peer review?5 minutes
A Final Thought for the Week1 minute

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Web vs. App30 minutes
Week 1 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 45 minutes

Project Ideas45 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Great vs. Terrible User Experiences10 minutes

This week is all about strategy. We will talk about how to conduct research in the beginning of a project. And I will tell you about the importance of defining a target audience for your website. We’ll also discuss how to determine user needs and client needs. The strategy that you develop in this first step in the UX process will influence all decisions you make further down the line. That’s why it’s so important to take the time and think about what you want to accomplish, what the goals are, and how they might be measured when the project launches.

What's included

9 videos6 readings1 assignment1 peer review

9 videosTotal 95 minutes

Introduction to Week 21 minute
User Research3 minutes
Inspiration5 minutes
Analytics4 minutes
User Needs and Client Needs9 minutes
Target Audience8 minutes
User Personas4 minutes
Strategy: Alyson and Bradley17 minutes
Interview with Craig Cooke: Determining success46 minutes

6 readingsTotal 68 minutes

Inspirational Websites30 minutes
Try it yourself: User research methods15 minutes
Example User and Client Needs: Pasadena Conservatory2 minutes
User Personas10 minutes
Further Reading10 minutes
A Final Thought for the Week1 minute

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 2 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Strategy Document60 minutes

By now you should have a pretty clear idea what your projects will be about and who your target audience is. This week we will talk about how to take the user and client needs that you have established and create a set of content and functionality requirements from them. In other words, you’re transforming your overarching goals from last week into specific requirements for your site.

What's included

6 videos2 readings1 assignment1 peer review

6 videosTotal 61 minutes

Introduction to Week 31 minute
Introduction to Outline of Scope3 minutes
Content and Functionality9 minutes
Outline of Scope Example1 minute
Scope: Alyson and Bradley16 minutes
Interview with Melissa Kuo31 minutes

2 readingsTotal 11 minutes

Try it yourself: Sorting content and functionality requirements10 minutes
A Final Thought for the Week1 minute

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 3 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 90 minutes

Outline of Scope90 minutes

Welcome to the last week of this course. With your outline of scope in hand, you will now learn how to transform the content and functionality requirements determined last week into a navigable structure. This structure will be visualized by something called a sitemap. I’ll tell you all about sitemaps and how to create them. Along the way we will also define the term "information architecture". And I will introduce a tool called TreeJack, which will enable you to test your site map on actual users.

What's included

10 videos7 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

10 videosTotal 44 minutes

Introduction to Week 41 minute
Introduction to Sitemaps2 minutes
Information Architecture1 minute
Sitemap Concerns10 minutes
Sitemapping: an annotated process5 minutes
Sitemap Elements3 minutes
Sitemap Example3 minutes
Treejack Introduction3 minutes
Treejack Analysis6 minutes
Sitemap: Alyson and Bradley10 minutes

7 readingsTotal 63 minutes

A lost practice10 minutes
My Stuff or Your Stuff?5 minutes
Further Reading: Laws of UX10 minutes
Try it Yourself: Test your sitemap using Treejack30 minutes
Other UX tools from Optimal Workshop5 minutes
A Final Thought for the Week1 minute
Next Steps2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Week 4 Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Sitemap60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 15 minutes

Try it yourself: Reverse engineer a sitemap15 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(248 ratings)

Roman Jaster

2 Courses105,697 learners

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

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84.97%
4 stars
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2.38%
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Reviewed on Jun 22, 2021

This course really helped me in solving that question we face in almost every project, where to start and how to acieve professionalism in every aspect of any project from start to end.

Reviewed on Feb 7, 2019

Jasper is a good teacher and has clearly put a lot of time and effort into this course. It gives a sound theoretical understanding into UI and UX.

Reviewed on Nov 25, 2020

Well structured and knowledgable lectures. Concise and practical exams were beneficial to understand and applying the content to an actual project.

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Frequently asked questions

Since this is a graphic design course, to complete the assignments you will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with the appropriate software installed. You can't really do graphic design work properly on a smartphone or tablet. Adobe CC software is recommended for these courses, but alternatives are available. Software will be reviewed in greater detail in the first week of the course.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.