The IA of IKEA Stores
“As you walk in you are herded up the stairs and onto the second level. All their merchandise is laid out in context — i.e., “what room of the house are you interested in?” If you’re interested in bathroom items, the bathroom models have toothbrush holders, cotton ball containers, lamps, cabinets, towels, etc. right where you might want to see them yourselves.
Of course, if you’re looking for a specific thing — “where the heck are the kitchen towels?” — you don’t need the second level, you need the first one. The first level is for those who know what they’re looking for while the second level is for those not entirely certain what they’re looking for…two key methods of information retrieval. (More on the first level in a minute.)
The most interesting thing about the second level is that you can only move in one direction. Arrows on the floor and signs at critical junctures indicate that you’re moving through the store in a planned, straightforward manner. No need to panic — this is on purpose.
In fact, it reminded me of being on a carnival ride. You strap yourself into a seat along with many others and get whisked off through the Fun House or the Creepy Castle. At one point, I tried to break with the flow and move in the other direction. Beware to those who try! You may end up getting trampled…or at least some annoyed looks.
It made me wonder if this one-direction-only scheme is possible on a complex, e-merchandise web site. I would guess that you could try and do this with large splash pages or graphics on the front page, but my hunch (borne out by both IA and usability experts) is that web users have less patience for one-size-fits-all organizational schemes than those taking a Sunday afternoon stroll with their families…”
“The IA of IKEA Stores”
Kathagedorn.com
