Changing Needs

 When needs change, requirements for information change. Information needs of users are changing as a result of changes in the availability of information content in electronic form. Changing needs of the users determine the nature of the physical form in which information content is currently being made available for users’ access and use in electronic information environments.

Information needs:

•      Each user has a different type of information need depending on what he's trying to find and why he's trying to find it. If we can determine the most common information needs a site's users have, we can select the few best architectural components to address those information needs.

•      For example, if a user is designing a staff directory, we can assume that most users are searching for items they already have information about. The user already knows exactly what he's looking for, he has the terms necessary to articulate that need, and he knows that the staff directory exists and that it's the right place to look. This type of information need would be best served by employing a search system. So resources should be invested in developing and maintaining a comprehensive search system.

•       Another example: the site's users are often new or infrequent visitors. And perhaps the site's content scope is changing frequently. So the information architecture probably should be very good at supporting orientation. If that's the case, invest in a table of contents or some other IA component that's effective at orienting users and communicating what content is contained in the site.

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