--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good information architecture enables…" description: "\"Good information architecture enables people to find and do what they came for. Great information architecture takes find out of the equation: the site..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/jeffrey-zeldman-31946_actors_good-information-architecture-enables-pe_76368.jpg" --- # Good information architecture enables people to find and… ![“Good information architecture enables people to find and do what they came for. Great information architecture takes find out of the equation: the site behaves as the visitor expects. Poor or missing information architecture neuters content, design, and programming and devalues the site for its…” quote by Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/jeffrey-zeldman-31946_actors_good-information-architecture-enables-pe_76368.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/jeffrey-zeldman-31946_actors_good-information-architecture-enables-pe_76368.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/jeffrey-zeldman-31946_actors_good-information-architecture-enables-pe_76368.jpg) > “Good information architecture enables people to find and do what they came for. Great information architecture takes find out of the equation: the site behaves as the visitor expects. Poor or missing information architecture neuters content, design, and programming and devalues the site for its owners as well as the audience it was created to serve. It’s like a film with no director. The actors may be good, the sets may be lovely, but audiences will leave soon after the opening credits.” [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective IA aligns site structure with user expectations, making navigation intuitive; poor IA hampers content and devalues the experience. **In simple terms:** IA shapes user expectations and site usability. Key Takeaway Good IA eliminates friction. Themes usability structure navigation experience content design Mood pragmatic critical optimistic Type advice observation When to use this quote - website redesign - content migration - new product launch - UX audit Key Concepts information architecture user expectations site behavior Practical Applications - improve navigation - increase conversion Questions to Reflect On - How does IA impact user satisfaction? - What signs indicate IA problems? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Good information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-information/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) ## Related quotes > [Good information architecture makes users less alienated and suppressed by technology. It simultaneously increases human satisfaction and your company's profits. Very few jobs allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/good-information-architecture-makes-users-less-alienated-and/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [“But good information architecture can do more than just help people find objects and information. It can empower people by making it easier for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-spencer/but-good-information-architecture-can-do-more-than-just-help-people/) Donna Spencer > [80% of the mistakes you will make in information architecture can be caught if you bring in a great usability expert from the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-black/80-of-the-mistakes-you-will-make-in-information-architecture-can-be/) Roger Black > [Allow the information to tell you how it wants to be displayed. As architecture is ‘frozen music’, information architecture is ‘frozen conversation’. Any good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/allow-the-information-to-tell-you-how-it-wants-to-be-displayed-as/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [If we continue to treat content as an extra to information architecture, to content management or to anything else, we miss a bright opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-jones/if-we-continue-to-treat-content-as-an-extra-to-information/) [Colleen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-jones/) > [“I believe I’m very normal. I’m hyper-normal. I’m more normal than anyone else I know. I think my thoughts, my indulgences, my desires, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/i-believe-i-m-very-normal-i-m-hyper-normal-i-m-more-normal-than/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [A metaphor for good information design is a map. Hold any diagram against a map and see how it compares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/a-metaphor-for-good-information-design-is-a-map-hold-any-diagram/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [People give you good information all the time that are helping you in in your journey. If you're a good listener, you retain those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tomlin/people-give-you-good-information-all-the-time-that-are-helping-you-in/) [Mike Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tomlin/) > [You just have to work, we all have to work really hard to take care of ourselves and feed ourselves good information, just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/you-just-have-to-work-we-all-have-to-work-really-hard-to-take-care-of/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [There are two ways to respond to the trials and tribulations of our present and past . . . 'Ain't it awful?' . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-crawford/there-are-two-ways-to-respond-to-the-trials-and-tribulations-of-our/) [Bill Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-crawford/) > [Good information is the best medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-debakey/good-information-is-the-best-medicine/) [Michael E. DeBakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-debakey/) > [When you're in the public eye - whether it be entertainment, sports, medicine, politics, whatever way - you have an opportunity, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/when-you-re-in-the-public-eye-whether-it-be-entertainment-sports/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [Some of us have such incredible things that can keep us from acting. We have the luxury of drinking such good wine, and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/some-of-us-have-such-incredible-things-that-can-keep-us-from-acting/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) > [Everything that happens in our lives is "good information" about the degree to which our choices are working for us. We can, however, choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-crawford/everything-that-happens-in-our-lives-is-good-information-about-the/) [Bill Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-crawford/) > [Are you satisfied being filled with good information about God, or do you long to burst into His manifest presence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/are-you-satisfied-being-filled-with-good-information-about-god-or-do/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) ## More by Jeffrey Zeldman > [Comments are proof most people don't read the articles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/comments-are-proof-most-people-don-t-read-the-articles/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Web design is the creation of digital environments that facilitate and encourage human activity; reflect or adapt to individual voices and content; and change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/web-design-is-the-creation-of-digital-environments-that-facilitate/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Test everything, including assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/test-everything-including-assumptions/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [That's the rational premise behind my spending hours of billable time adjusting my Facebook preferences. The real reason, of course, for all this stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/that-s-the-rational-premise-behind-my-spending-hours-of-billable-time/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [When I see Facebook, I feel like Howlin' Wolf must have felt when he first heard Elvis. 'They finally taught a white boy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/when-i-see-facebook-i-feel-like-howlin-wolf-must-have-felt-when-he/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Good Web design is about the character of the content, not the character of the designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/good-web-design-is-about-the-character-of-the-content-not-the/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Whether the task is writing, design, or hanging a picture straight, it is obvious that we do our best work when healthy, rested, refreshed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/whether-the-task-is-writing-design-or-hanging-a-picture-straight-it/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [“Spec = asking the world to have sex with you and promising dinner date to one lucky winner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/spec-asking-the-world-to-have-sex-with-you-and-promising-dinner-date/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Don't worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-design-work-worry-about-the/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Real web designers write code. Always have, always will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/real-web-designers-write-code-always-have-always-will/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Usability is like love. You have to care, you have to listen, and you have to be willing to change. You’ll make mistakes along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/usability-is-like-love-you-have-to-care-you-have-to-listen-and-you/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [The best way to engage honestly with the marketplace via Twitter is to never use the words "engage," "honestly," or "marketplace."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/the-best-way-to-engage-honestly-with-the-marketplace-via-twitter-is/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it's decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/content-precedes-design-design-in-the-absence-of-content-is-not/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Content informs design; design without content is decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/content-informs-design-design-without-content-is-decoration/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Many young web designers view their craft the way I used to view pop culture. It's cool or it's crap. They mistake Style for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/many-young-web-designers-view-their-craft-the-way-i-used-to-view-pop/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) [Explore all 16 Jeffrey Zeldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good information architecture enables people to find and do what they came for. 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