Information Architecture Refresh

In the dynamic landscape of startups, the journey often begins with a simple one-page website. However, as organizations grow, these initial sites can become bloated and lose their impact.

Lasarrus, a health and wellness company, faced this challenge with a website suffering from duplicate pages, unclear hierarchy, and mismatched design elements.

The Challenge:

Lasarrus’ website had to serve three key purposes simultaneously:

  1. Product Information: Showcasing details about their healthcare device.
  2. Research Study Promotion: Promoting an ongoing research study.
  3. Physical Therapy Offer: Detailing their physical therapy services.

The existing site not only lacked clarity in presenting these aspects but also had redundant pages, an unclear hierarchy, and design inconsistencies. Additional challenges included mobile responsiveness and user-friendliness, which was an especially important consideration for less technologically-inclined users participating in the study.

The Solution:

To address these challenges, a three-pronged approach was devised to ensure a seamless user experience and efficient information delivery

1. Homepage Prioritization:

The new website strategically placed the three main touchpoints—Product Information, Research Study, and Physical Therapy—directly on the homepage. This eliminated unnecessary information, streamlining the user’s decision-making process. Detailed information would only be presented after users selected one of the three sections.

2. Content Audit and Reorganization:

To gain insights into the existing information architecture, ScreamingFrog was employed to audit all content links on the website. A sitemap was created, illustrating the paths taken to each piece of content. The paths were then reorganized based on the priority of the content involved. Each path was optimized to allow the user the fastest route to high-priority information.

The original sitemap is shown below, with some directories censored for privacy.

A flowchart showing the directory structure of Lasarrus’ old website, with some URLs blurred for privacy

3. Tree Trimming:

The content audit revealed redundant pages with similar information such as multiple pages on physical therapy, each accessible through different routes. This redundancy was eliminated by consolidating and streamlining the information, ensuring a cohesive and consistent presentation.

The Results:

The revamped Lasarrus website successfully addressed the initial challenges and achieved the following outcomes:

  1. Clearer Pathways: Users could easily navigate from the homepage to their desired information with minimal steps, enhancing overall user experience.

  2. Redundancy Elimination: Unnecessary pages were removed, reducing confusion and creating a more efficient website structure.

  3. Mobile Optimization: The redesigned site prioritized mobile responsiveness, ensuring a seamless experience for users accessing the site on various devices.

  4. Improved Study Sign-ups: The simplified design and clear calls-to-action improved the sign-up process for the research study, catering to users with varying levels of technological proficiency.

The Conclusion:

Redesigning the Lasarrus website not only addressed the scattered information architecture but also created a user-centric experience aligned with the organization’s goals. Through strategic prioritization, content auditing, and thoughtful reorganization, the website now effortly serves its three main purposes with ease, directing users to the information they need, whether that is a description of Lasarrus’ innovative new device, a sign-up link for a study, or their physical therapy services.