Having joined The C2 Group a little more than two weeks ago, I have been getting acclimated to the day-to-day operations and learning about the C2 approach to all things web. During this process, it has become apparent how important Information Architecture (IA) is to achieving an end goal of creating a successful project while meeting client needs.
An IA focuses on identifying, organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way. It’s a deliverable needed for web sites, apps, intranets, campaigns—anything that requires a thoughtful approach to user interaction. C2’s approach focuses on defining first the important tasks users need to accomplish, and then aligning navigation to help the user navigate and complete tasks easily. For me, this means understanding the information inside and out, how it fits together, the user’s end goal, and the client’s needs.
But what does IA have to do with the World Cup? About the same time I started at The C2 Group, the World Cup began. Being the soccer fanatic I am, I decided to design an editable World Cup wall chart to closely follow this 30 daylong celebration of soccer. This World Cup wall chart is a great representation of how valuable information architecture can be to creating a well thought out, usable, and beautiful solution for organizing information.
Step 1: Stat Structuring
The first step in this process is to organize data and facts. In the case of the World Cup, the hard facts include:
World Cup
- 32 countries
- 30 days
- Up to 3 games a day
- At 3 different times of the day
Group Stage
- 8 different groups (i.e. Group A, Group B, etc)
- 4 countries drawn into each group
- 6 games for each group
- Top 2 teams advance (i.e. 1A - Winner, 2A - Second)
Knockout Stage
- 16 teams advance
- Group Winners play Group Runners Up (i.e. 1A vs 2B, 1B vs 2A)
- Round of 16 games/dates
- Quarter finals games/dates
- Semifinals games/dates
- Consolation games/dates
- Final games/dates
Final Stats
- Winner
- Runner Up
- Golden Boot Award
- Golden Ball Award
- Golden Glove Award
- Young Player Award
Step 2: Information Architecture and Sketching
The second step to the wall chart, after all the core information of the project is listed out, the fun part begins, bringing the data to life through sketching.
Step 3: Design
The final design included an editable World Cup wall chart that now hangs in The C2 Group design wing. Download the wall chart here. Go USA!
