Network: What makes a good Web architect? I'm glad you asked

Web Design: A few key questions will help you and your client create the site that suits them

ONE OF my responsibilities at the company I work for is to interview prospective information architects wishing to work with us. IAs can come from a variety of backgrounds. Some, like myself, have formal training in technical communication, but many come from areas such as video, anthropology, psychology, and even theatre.

With so many diverse backgrounds, what can I ask to find the person who will make a good information architect? I ask about their education, their experience with the Web, what resources they use to keep current on the latest Internet trends - and if the answer is this column, I recommend that they get hired on the spot!

But there is one question that I ask all of them. It goes something like this: "You are meeting a new client for whom you will be doing a website. They have sent you some of the preliminary information, e-mailed over an eps version of their logo, and told you a little about the company. Now you are in the same room with the client for the first time, face-to-face. What information do you want to leave that room with?"

Basically, I want to know how the prospective IA would go about interviewing the client about the website. I am looking for four specific points in their answer. If they do not have them, then I keep looking for a new IA.

Audience

Finding out who is going to be viewing your client's website is the most valuable piece of information that you can gather. The audience analysis defines the general categories of people who are likely to visit it, what their motivations are for visiting, and what their expectations will be at the site. Identify the people who will be using this site the most - and list your assumptions about them. Then identify any secondary audiences.

Goals

The goals of the site define what the client hopes they will achieve by creating and maintaining the web site. A direct goal might be to inform the public about a particular product available in stores, but an oblique goal of the site might be to increase sales of that product. In the long run, these goals will help you and your client determine the success of the site by monitoring how well they have been achieved.

Purpose

The purposes of the site define what your client hopes visitors will be able to achieve: why they would come to the site and why they would return. Make no assumptions about the purpose. It is all too easy to think that you know more than the client does, but remember: this is their site. They are the ones who need to tell you what the purpose is. Sites may have several purposes, and not all of them will be of equal importance. You might have several primary purposes as well as several secondary purposes. For instance, a primary purpose for a site might be to purchase a particular product, while secondary purposes might include the ability to e-mail the product maker with complaints, comments, and compliments. Identify the important tasks that will be performed so they are given appropriate weight.

Content and Functionality

Last, you want to find out exactly what type of content is going into this site and how it will work. The content will need to support the purposes and goals stated above, while being of direct and important use to the site's audience. But don't be afraid to change your audience, purpose, or goals if you need to refine them based on the content that is to be presented. The content of a site is the star of the show - it is what your audience will see. It may turn out that the content the client has is unsuited for the purposes and goals that they have established, and you will need to find new content or redefine the purposes and goals.

Conducting the interview

It is important during this stage of development not to become mired in concrete expectations about the site. Instead, allow the site design to develop fluidly. Take nothing for granted. Listen closely to your client throughout the interview, always asking them direct questions, letting them know that you value their knowledge of what they want their website to be.

Jason Cranford Teague is the author of DHTML for the World Wide Web, available from book stores around the UK. If you have questions, you can find an archive of his column at Webbed Environments (www.webbedenvironments. com) or email him at jason@webbed environments.com