Author Archive: Iain Barker

Iain Barker is an alumni of Step Two Designs, and a specialist in usability and information architecture techniques with over ten years experience in the industry. He has worked in Australia, the UK and Europe.

CMb 2006-09

Quantitatively test the effectiveness of your home page

This article explains a quick and effective technique for assessing whether your home page is an effective gateway to site content.

CMb 2006-07

Full site redesign? Start by addressing the home page

Rather than embarking on a major project at the first sign of problems, consider tactical solutions such as the redesign of the home page.

CMb 2005-16

Don’t finalise site structure until you’ve created page layouts

There is a worrying trend emerging in the field of information architecture: organisations are attempting to finalise site structures without evaluating their effectiveness in the context of a web page.

AUGUST 2005

Information scent: helping people find the content they want

Creating strong information scents allows users to confidently find desired content on websites and intranets.

JUNE 2005

Intranet teams: survey results and key findings

This article summarises the results of a public survey into intranet teams: how large they are, where they are located, what skills they have, and more.

APRIL 2005

What is information architecture?

This article introduces information architecture and provides guidelines for how to create an effective information architecture.

CMb 2005-06

Fast-tracking research with paired interviews

Paired interviews are a very effective technique for identifying differences in working practices or terminology.