INF2170H Information Architecture
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · Fall 2026INF2170H Overview
- Fall 2026
- Postgraduate course
- University of Toronto
- Information Technology
Information architecture as structure for use
INF2170H examines how online content is structured so people can find, understand and use it. The course moves between information design fundamentals, development methods and professional practice.
- Largest task The individual final project develops or redesigns an information architecture.
- Midterm method Prepare for multiple choice and short answer questions across the opening course block.
- Quantitative skill Compute card sort similarity and distance from visible placements and valid sorts.
- Design habit State the object, evidence, structural decision, consequence and next test.
How INF2170H is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Checks | 1% | Weekly before class; short unlimited attempt checks |
| Participation | 2% | Ongoing lecture and tutorial activities |
| Midterm Exam | 25% | Week of October 19 in class; multiple choice and short answer |
| Individual Meeting | 7% | Self scheduled after the midterm; a 15 minute consultation |
| Studio Collection | 15% | Due November 24; semester long development in information architecture concepts |
| Field Workbook | 10% | Due December 1; notes, sketches, observations and critical thinking |
| Final Project (Individual) | 40% | Due December 10; investigation, design or redesign of an information architecture |
The Fall 2026 syllabus rows total 100%. The captured updated syllabus and version 3 agree on every weight; the updated file supplies the Studio Collection label used here.
Assessment structure
The segment widths reproduce the published percentage weights and total 100%.
Current INF2170H dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Week of October 19, 2026 | Midterm Exam | Individual in class assessment |
| November 24, 2026 | Studio Collection | Published due date |
| December 1, 2026 | Field Workbook | Published due date |
| December 10, 2026 | Final Project (Individual) | Published due date |
Dates are as published in the Fall 2026 syllabus. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What INF2170H covers
Eight chapters connect information architecture foundations to inventories, classification, card sorting, navigation, retrieval, governance and professional responsibility.
IA Foundations and Design Boundaries
Connect content structure to user and organisational contextStructure content for use
Information architecture connects content structures to user needs and organisational context. This chapter separates structuring, organising and labelling, then asks what evidence can support a design claim.
- Information architecture
- Structuring and organising
- Users, content and context
- Design evidence
- Claim boundaries
- Method selection
Content Inventories and Audits
Turn crawl records and manual review into decision ready evidenceBuild evidence for a decision
An audit is the purposeful review process; an inventory is the organised artifact created and refined during that work.
- Audit and inventory
- Scope definition
- Unit of analysis
- Qualitative evidence
- Quantitative evidence
- Action vocabulary
Classification and Faceted Schemas
Separate characteristics, arrays, chains and independent facetsKeep one question behind each array
Classification begins with a universe and a characteristic used to divide it. Coordinate classes derived through one characteristic form a homogeneous array, while a chain represents increasing specificity.
- Universe
- Characteristic
- Homogeneous array
- Class chain
- Facet analysis
- Schema hospitality
Labels, Categories and Card Sorting
Design neutral cards and interpret grouping evidence cautiouslyTest boundaries and language
Category criteria define what belongs, while labels communicate the boundary.
- Category criteria
- Label quality
- Open card sort
- Closed card sort
- Representation bias
- Similarity and distance
Navigation, Wayfinding and Tree Testing
Read first choices, backtracks and destinations as path evidenceTest paths through a hierarchy
Navigation offers routes, while wayfinding concerns orientation and the cues used to choose a direction. Tree testing isolates hierarchy and labels from the full visual interface.
- Navigation structure
- Wayfinding cues
- Tree testing
- Task scenarios
- First choice
- Backtracking
Search, Metadata and Retrieval
Trace failed lookups to fields, values, vocabularies and routesTrace misses to structural causes
Metadata describe objects and relationships so systems can organise, display and retrieve them.
- Metadata roles
- Object classes
- Field rules
- Controlled vocabulary
- Synonym mapping
- Retrieval testing
IA Strategy, Governance and Maintenance
Assign ownership, review triggers and evidence for structural changeTurn a proposal into a maintained system
The published strategy week pairs information architecture strategy with maintenance and governance work.
- Information strategy
- Decision rights
- Schema ownership
- Governance scope
- Review triggers
- Maintenance evidence
Ethics, Consequences and Professional Practice
Expose hidden boundaries, affected choices and maintenance consequencesMake structural consequences visible
The final course block names dark patterns, commerce, classification consequences and professional synthesis.
- Structural consequences
- Affected choices
- Classification ambiguity
- Downstream inheritance
- Professional evidence
- Responsible maintenance
This guide follows that route by keeping users, content and organisational context visible in every recommendation. It separates structuring, organising and labelling, then connects those operations to navigation, search and maintenance.
From content mess to tested schema
The middle of the guide develops a practical workflow.
Define the content universe and unit of analysis, build an inventory, combine quantitative and qualitative audit evidence, and identify the characteristics behind proposed categories. Faceted schemas keep independent dimensions separate. Category criteria and labels evolve together, while card sorting supplies evidence about relationships and participant language.
Original calculations show how pair similarity and distance are derived without treating a cluster as a true taxonomy.
Paths, retrieval and governance
Navigation chapters turn information needs into tree testing tasks and distinguish destination success from first choice and backtracking evidence. Metadata chapters trace failed retrieval to missing objects, fields, controlled values or route rules.
Strategy then adds ownership, review triggers and organisational constraints. The final chapter asks how classification and interface structures affect visibility, choice and maintenance.
Assessment focus
The published assessment combines weekly preparation and participation with an in class midterm, an individual meeting, a studio collection, a field workbook and a major individual final project.
Use the chapters to practise defensible reasoning rather than copied course questions. The reading check exports contain proprietary answer bearing material, so every practice case in this guide is independently authored.
Worked example · free
Interpret a small card sort
- 2Set the valid sort denominator to four.
- 2Compute similarity as three divided by four.
- 2Compute distance as one minus similarity.
- 2Limit the interpretation to this authored dataset.
Key terms
- Information Architecture
- Information Architecture structures and relates content so intended users can find, understand and use it.
- Content Inventory
- Content Inventory is the organised record of content objects and selected attributes produced during an audit.
- Content Audit
- Content Audit is the purposeful review process that combines measurements and contextual judgment to support a decision.
- Universe
- Universe is the defined set of things being classified in one analysis.
- Characteristic
- Characteristic is the question or quality used to divide a universe into coordinate values.
- Homogeneous Array
- Homogeneous Array is a sibling set whose classes are derived through the same characteristic.
- Facet
- Facet is an independent dimension of distinction used to describe or combine aspects of an object.
- Open Sort
- Open Sort lets participants create and label their own groups from a shared card universe.
- Closed Sort
- Closed Sort asks participants to place cards into categories supplied by the study designer.
- Tree Testing
- Tree Testing evaluates labels and hierarchy through task paths without the full visual interface.
- Controlled Vocabulary
- Controlled Vocabulary maintains preferred terms, relationships and scope rules for consistent description and retrieval.
- Governance Trigger
- Governance Trigger is an event or evidence condition that starts a structured review of the architecture.
INF2170H FAQ
What is the difference between an inventory and an audit?
An inventory is the organised artifact that records content objects and selected fields. An audit is the review process designed around a decision. A useful audit may transform a crawl, add analyst defined dimensions, combine counts with manual context and produce recommendations that remain traceable to records.
When should an open card sort be used?
Use an open sort when the design needs candidate groupings or participant vocabulary. Participants create and name their own piles. The result can inform category criteria and labels, but it does not directly test navigation success, visual design or a universal mental model.
How does a closed sort differ from tree testing?
A closed sort asks participants to place content cards into proposed categories, so it evaluates category boundaries and labels. Tree testing begins with a hierarchy and realistic information needs, then records first choices, paths, backtracking and destinations. They answer different stages of the design question.
How are card sort similarity and distance calculated?
For a card pair, divide together placements by the number of valid sorts to obtain similarity. Subtract similarity from one to obtain distance. Print the denominator and excluded trials, then interpret the result with think aloud evidence because a cluster does not explain participant reasoning.
What does the midterm assess?
The published syllabus describes an individual in class midterm using multiple choice and short answer questions. Its review covers the opening course block, including information architecture principles, classification, organisation, labelling, navigation and user centred methods. No duration or per question mark split is published in the captured materials.
What should the individual final project demonstrate?
The final project should investigate, design or redesign an information architecture. A strong route defines the information problem, documents evidence, explains the schema or navigation decision, represents the proposal through a prototype or another suitable form, tests an uncertain assumption and addresses maintenance consequences.
How should a retrieval failure be diagnosed?
Confirm that the expected object exists and is visible, then inspect the relevant field, value, controlled term or synonym and the retrieval rule that uses it. Repair the smallest structural cause, preserve the query and rerun it as a regression check rather than adding unrelated hidden keywords.
Questions students ask in each INF2170H chapter
- Why is information architecture not the same as visual design?
- Information architecture focuses on content objects, relationships, labels and access routes. Visual design can clarify those decisions through layout, colour and presentation, but it does not determine the underlying categories. Evaluate each layer with evidence suited to the question instead of calling every interface problem an architecture failure. Chapter 01 · IA Foundations and Design Boundaries
- Why is a crawl not a finished inventory?
- A crawl provides scalable identity and technical fields, but it may include duplicates, irrelevant columns and missing context. Analysts must define the corpus, clean the rows, preserve raw values and add purposeful dimensions such as content type, audience or owner before drawing a recommendation. Chapter 02 · Content Inventories and Audits
- How can a mixed classification be identified?
- Ask which question every sibling answers. If one value describes audience, another format and another topic, they are not coordinate classes. Split the characteristics into facets, then define scope notes and test difficult objects before revising labels. Chapter 03 · Classification and Faceted Schemas
- When is an open card sort appropriate?
- Use it to explore candidate groupings and participant vocabulary when the category model is still uncertain. Keep the proposed labels off the cards, use comparable item representations and collect explanations. The output is generative evidence, not a finished menu. Chapter 04 · Labels, Categories and Card Sorting
- What does tree testing isolate?
- Tree testing isolates hierarchy and label interpretation by removing most visual interface detail. It records the path through a text based tree for realistic information needs. It does not evaluate layout, styling, interaction design or the destination page itself. Chapter 05 · Navigation, Wayfinding and Tree Testing
- How should a zero result be diagnosed?
- Confirm that the expected object exists, is visible and belongs in the corpus. Inspect whether the relevant concept is represented in an applicable field, whether the value follows the controlled vocabulary and whether the route indexes or filters that field. Chapter 06 · Search, Metadata and Retrieval
- What belongs in information architecture governance?
- Govern shared structural decisions whose inconsistency affects retrieval, navigation or maintenance: object types, field definitions, controlled terms, category criteria, source of truth and retirement rules. Allow local presentation choices where variation does not break those dependencies. Chapter 07 · IA Strategy, Governance and Maintenance
- How can a consequential design be analysed without claiming intent?
- Record the options, wording, sequence and point where consequences become visible. Explain how the structure makes one route easier or another harder, and note organisational incentives only as context. Motive requires separate evidence that the interface alone does not supply. Chapter 08 · Ethics, Consequences and Professional Practice
How to prepare for the assessments
Study the course as one evidence driven design route. First retrieve the distinctions: audit versus inventory, array versus chain, open versus closed sorting, and sorting versus tree testing. Next apply each distinction to an original case and state the method claim at the correct scale. For quantitative card sort work, print together placements and valid sorts before calculating similarity and distance.
For short answers, use five moves: define the object, name the evidence, select the method, explain the structural decision and qualify the conclusion. Keep a repair log for every practice response. Record the first inference that fails, the evidence needed to repair it and the narrower claim that remains defensible.
Before the midterm, integrate the opening weeks by moving from a messy content set through inventory, classification, labels, card sorting and navigation testing. For the final project, maintain a decision trail linking observations, schema choices, prototypes, consequences and governance.
Follow the current Quercus rules for assessed work and use independently authored practice rather than the answer bearing reading check exports.
