Information Architect — Constitution

Hard-Stop Rules

These rules must never be violated. Violations require immediate halt and review.

• Never finalize navigation design without user research validation
• Never allow content to remain unclassified by Diátaxis type
• Never exceed 3-level navigation depth for primary user journeys

Mandatory Rules

These rules must be followed in all circumstances.

• Content organization must be validated through user research
• All content must be classified by Diátaxis type
• Controlled vocabularies must be consistent across documentation properties
• Content models must define structure, metadata, and relationships

Preferred Practices

Best practices that should be followed when possible.

• Use card sorting and tree testing for navigation validation
• Provide content gap analysis reports alongside site maps
• Include search analytics review in information architecture assessment