The Ultimate List of Information Architecture Tools

Information architecture is a crucial part of website and app design. It determines how information is displayed on a website. If you do not structure a website correctly, you may end up with poor navigation and functionality. Luckily, there are many information architect tools that will help you create a website that is easy to use.

In this article, we’ll look at the different types of information architecture tools available and the purposes of each one. Our list of information architect tools can help you find new resources that can help you excel in your job role. 

The 10 Best Information Architecture Tools

1. DYNO Mapper
2. Google Adwords suggestion tool
3. Jesse James Garrett (JJG.net)
4. Lucidchart
5. Microsoft Excel
6. Microsoft Visio stencils
7. OmniGraffle
8. Pen and paper
9. Sticky Sorter
10. Treejack

What Are Information Architecture Tools?

Information architecture (IA) tools are the programs that an information architect uses to figure out the best way to lay out the elements of a website or software application. They allow the architect to organize information in a way that makes it easy for the user to find what they’re looking for.  

IA tools provide people with a bird’s eye view of a product’s features, infrastructure, and hierarchy. Using them makes it easy to create a blueprint of a software product’s navigation, content, flow, and functions. Web developers, designers, and usability analysts turn to IA tools to audit content and taxonomy, and for site mapping and wireframing during the development process.

What Are the Main Types of Information Architecture Tools? 

Information architecture tools can be used for site mapping, organizing search engine results, and sorting. These tools help an architect organize the pieces of their design by aiding in research, strategy, taxonomy, and content model creation.

With the types of tools listed below, you can define content, group information, and show visual hierarchy on your website or app. To make full use of some of the information architecture tools suggested in this article, you should consider learning a programming language like C, C++, or Java. If you are a newbie to programming languages, Codemurai and CodeHub are some of the best coding apps for beginners. 

Site Mapping and Wireframing Tools

A site map shows all the pages on the website in a skeletal form and demonstrates how the individual pages of a website are connected. This gives the information architect a better understanding of where certain content should be placed.

Examples of Site Mapping Tools

• Lucidchart
• OmniGraffle
• DYNO Mapper

Information Architecture Templates

Information architecture templates give architects a general idea of the scope and shape of a project. It gives them a head start on building their site map and designing the website’s architecture. An architecture diagram can help developers organize their plans for the product.

Examples of Information Architecture Template Tools

• JJG.net
• Microsoft Visio stencils

Search Engine Results

A big part of information architecture is creating content that prospective website visitors would be searching for on the Internet. Understanding search engine result data will help you to see what people are looking for within your website. From there, you can figure out what content is missing from your website, and which pages are too difficult for the user to find.

Example of a Search Engine Result Tool

• Google Adwords suggestion tool

Sorting Tools

Another set of tools used in the web design process are sorting tools. These are used to group and organize architecture deliverables and content types into categories that can be used by the website’s content team. If your site aims to explain complex concepts to the viewer, the content will need to be organized and clear. 

Examples of Sorting Tools

• Microsoft Excel
• Sticky Sorter

Tree Testing Tools

Treejack testing tools help you to evaluate your website’s structure to find out how you can improve its flow. This involves creating a visual hierarchy for the website using innovative thinking, recruiting testers, and defining tasks for the testers.

Example of a Sorting Tool

• Treejack

Information Architecture Cheat Sheet: A Tabular List of Information Architect Tools

Tool	Uses	Companies That Use It	Cost	Availability
DYNO Mapper	Offers an intuitive platform to perform content inventory, content audits, and website accessibility tracking	Adobe, BBC, PayPal, LegalZoom, University of California, Los Angeles	$49 per month for the starter plan, $99 per month for the standard plan, $360 per month for the organization plan	Commercial
Google AdWords suggestion tool	Provides AdWords to help your website rank higher on search engines	AT&T, Amazon, Priceline Group	Free	Open source
Jesse James Garrett	Provides a foundation for an interactive sitemap	Mozilla, Information Architecture Institute	Free	Open source
Lucidchart	Creating sitemaps, wireframes, and flowcharts	Google, Amazon, Asana, Microsoft, Okta, NBC, Hewlett Packard	$7.95 for individual plan, $9 for a team plan	Commercial
Microsoft Excel	Sorting content into different groups	Many	Free	Open source
Microsoft Visio stencils	Contains icons and shapes to use while building sitemaps	Many	Free	Open source
OmniGraffle	Building sitemaps and wireframes to express visual hierarchy	Apple, 8villages, M1PR Inc., LeanIoT, Aplas, DevTools, Lorven Technologies	14-day free trial, subscription for $12.49 per month or $124.99 per year	Commercial
Pen and paper	Quick and simple way to build a site map	Curtis Digital	Free	Open source
Sticky Sorter	Sorts lists of content items	Office Labs	Free	Open source
Treejack	Tests the information architecture of a website	Uber, IBM, Capital One, Yelp, General Electric	$99 per month for the starter plan, $166 per month for the Pro plan, $153 per month for the team plan	Commercial

The Best Information Architecture Tools, Explained

There are plenty of tools that can help you create a website with strong architecture. Below, you’ll find the best IA tools that you can use to make your website simple and enjoyable for the visitor. Gaining advanced knowledge of how to use these tools to enhance concepts like navigation design can help open up job opportunities in the tech field. 

DYNO Mapper

• Type: Site mapping and wireframing tool
• Companies That Use Dyno Mapper: Adobe, BBC, PayPal, LegalZoom, UCLA
• Dyno Mapper Cost and Availability: Paid and commercial

DYNO Mapper is one of the most efficient tools for converting your ideas into interactive visual sitemaps. It has an intuitive interface that you can use to perform content inventory, keyword tracking, website accessibility tracking, and content auditing. It also shows you the Google Analytics of all the important data related to your website design project.

Google Adwords Suggestion Tools

• Type: Search engine results tool
• Companies That Use Google Adword Suggestion Tool: AT&T, Amazon, Priceline Group
• Google Adword Suggestion Tool Cost and Availability: Free and open source

If your website does not rank well on search engines, you may not be able to reach your target audience and subsequently will lose website traffic. This is why information architects learn SEO practices and use them to build a website. Google AdWords’ suggestion tool offers keywords you can add to your website content to improve its visibility on search engines.

Jesse James Garrett

• Type: Information architecture templates
• Companies That Use Jesse James Garrett: Mozilla, Information Architecture Institute
• Jesse James Garrett Cost and Availability: Free and open source

Jesse James Garrett is a design professional with extensive experience in user-centered design. He is the author of the book The Elements of User Experience: User-centered Design for the Web. On Garrett’s website, you will find free templates that your web project team can use as an example for strong interaction design and visual design. 

Lucidchart

• Type: Site mapping and wireframing tool
• Companies That Use LucidChart: Google, Amazon, Asana, Microsoft, Okta, NBC
• LucidChart Cost and Availability: Paid and commercial

Lucidchart is a diagramming application that is used to create sitemaps, wireframes, and flowcharts. It’s a cloud-based platform with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to design on  any device. It also has a collaborative platform so your team can work together to create designs that can be integrated with Slack, Google Workspace, Asana, and more.

Microsoft Excel

• Type: Sorting tool
• Companies That Use Microsoft Excel: Many
• Microsoft Excel Cost and Availability: Free and open source

Excel is one of the most used software applications worldwide because of its many data organization functions and its accessibility. Organizing web data in Excel projects is a great way for information architects to group content based on hierarchy. You can also use Excel for content audits, taxonomy, visual sitemap creation, and content model creation.

Microsoft Visio Stencils

• Type: Information architecture templates
• Companies That Use Visio Stencils: Many
• Visio Cost and Availability: Free and open source

Microsoft Visio stencils is an add-on that contains a wide range of icons for creating visual representations of models and sitemaps. These can be used with Microsoft products such as Skype, Office 360, Lync Server, SharePoint Server, and Exchange Server. The shapes and symbol sets in the Visio library can be added directly to your web diagrams.

OmniGraffle

• Type: Site mapping and wireframing tool
• Companies That Use Omnigraffle: Apple, 8villages, M1PR Inc., LeanIoT, Aplas DevTools, Lorven Technologies
• Omnigraffle Cost and Availability: Paid and commercial

OmniGraffle is a powerful online tool that is used to create beautiful sitemaps and wireframes to express visual hierarchy in your final web product. Its alignment, snapping, and grouping tools, smart guides, and default templates allow you to communicate your business goals with your design team.

Unlike other site mapping applications, Omnigraffle has both AppleScript and JavaScript automation. This allows a wider range of content creators to use this tool to create a comprehensive sitemap. 

Pen and Paper

• Type: Site mapping and wireframing tool
• Companies That Use Pen and Paper: Curtis Digital
• Pen and Paper Cost and Availability: Free and open source

It may seem odd to revert to paper and pencil when you consider the digital tools that are available for information architecture design. However, a sheet of paper and a pen is the simplest and quickest way to create a site map.

If you’re a visual learner, this is a good way to go. All you need to do is create a list of the content items you plan to feature on your website, then group them according to where they fit in your proposed layout.

Sticky Sorter

• Type: Sorting tool
• Companies That Use Sticky Sorter: Office Labs
• Sticky Sorter Cost and Availability: Free and open source

Sticky Sorter by Microsoft Office is a free software application that helps designers manage their content. It is used to sort lists of content items and move content to the correct group. It’s a great alternative to Microsoft’s Sticky Notes program as it can export larger amounts of content from CSV files into groups.

Treejack

• Type: Tree testing tool
• Companies That Use Treejack: Uber, IBM, Capital One, Yelp, General Electric 
• Treejack Cost and Availability: Paid and commercial

Treejack is a tree testing tool that analyzes how difficult it is to find information on a website. Using it, you can see what people are looking for on your website, and where they are getting lost. Treejack can provide powerful insights that will help you improve the information architecture on your site.

Why Information Architecture Tools Are Important

Without proper information architecture, it can be difficult to sift through the amounts of data that go into a website and determine which pieces of information are more important. If you don’t take advantage of IA tools, your website could end up poorly structured and illogical, resulting in a bad user experience for visitors. 

How well the information is organized on your website or app will determine how successful the product will be. IA tools help web design teams create organized and appealing websites. This will lead to higher website traffic and a better conversion rate. Expert knowledge of IA tools can help you earn a high salary. According to ZipRecruiter, the average wage of an IA architect is $126,608.

Information Architecture Tools FAQ