Design, IA & Content - Jared Spool explains

A really nice article in which Jared Spool leads us through an example of how a website's visual design, information architecture and content all contribute to the overall user experience. If you're not sure what any of these are, or how they differ, or how they should compliment each other, it's worth a quick read.

• Visual design - Communicating beyond aesthetics
• Information Architecture - Getting there
• Content - Supplying the answers

Jared also talks about the kind of teams that achieve success in weaving the 3 facets together into a usable site:

Because these three areas are interrelated, they have to be tackled simultaneously. Our research shows that a good team has these at the top of their design skills. However, the team doesn't necessarily have three designers, each with a separate skill. The best teams have individuals who are strong in all three areas.

Information Interplay: Visual Design, Information Architecture, and Content - article by Jared Spool