Information Architecture
Taxonomy
Plain English
A glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term for organising content into categories.
Definition
Taxonomy is the glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term used to classify and organise content into structured categories. It defines how content is grouped, named, and related within a product or system.
In practice
Used to create consistent glossaryCategorisationCategorisation is the process of grouping content or items based on shared characteristics or meaning. It helps users understand relationships and find relevant information more easily.Open glossary term across content, improving glossaryFindabilityFindability is how easily users can locate the information or content they are looking for within a product or system. It depends on clear structure, intuitive navigation, and effective search, ensuring users can get to what they need without friction.Open glossary term, glossaryNavigationNavigation is the system of menus, links, and cues that lets people move through a product and reach what they need. It exposes the underlying structure, and is how most users experience that structure.Open glossary term, and search.
In context
It gets tested by the awkward item, the thing that plausibly belongs in three categories. A taxonomy that cannot place it consistently will not survive contact with a growing catalogue.
The reality
A messy taxonomy creates confusion everywhere - in glossaryNavigationNavigation is the system of menus, links, and cues that lets people move through a product and reach what they need. It exposes the underlying structure, and is how most users experience that structure.Open glossary term, glossarySearchSearch is the functionality that allows users to find content or information by entering queries. It relies on indexing, metadata, and relevance algorithms to return useful results.Open glossary term, and content management.
Compared with
Taxonomy vs Tagging
A taxonomy is controlled and hierarchical: a fixed set of categories with rules about what goes where. glossaryTaggingTagging is the process of assigning keywords or labels to content to make it easier to organise, filter, and retrieve. Tags are often flexible and non-hierarchical compared to categories.Open glossary term is open and flat. Taxonomies scale structure; tags scale coverage, and drift without glossaryGovernanceGovernance defines the rules, processes, and structures that guide decision-making and ensure accountability within an organisation or system.Open glossary term.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is taxonomy in UX?
Taxonomy is a glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term for classifying and organising content.
Why is taxonomy important?
It improves glossaryFindabilityFindability is how easily users can locate the information or content they are looking for within a product or system. It depends on clear structure, intuitive navigation, and effective search, ensuring users can get to what they need without friction.Open glossary term, glossaryConsistencyConsistency is the use of uniform patterns, behaviours, and visual elements across a product to create familiarity and predictability. It helps users learn once and apply that knowledge throughout the experience.Open glossary term, and glossaryUsabilityUsability is how easy and efficient it is for users to complete tasks within a product. It focuses on clarity, simplicity, and reducing effort so users can achieve their goals without confusion or friction.Open glossary term.
Where is taxonomy used?
In glossaryNavigationNavigation is the system of menus, links, and cues that lets people move through a product and reach what they need. It exposes the underlying structure, and is how most users experience that structure.Open glossary term, glossarySearchSearch is the functionality that allows users to find content or information by entering queries. It relies on indexing, metadata, and relevance algorithms to return useful results.Open glossary term, and content management glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term.
What makes a good taxonomy?
glossaryClarityClarity is how easily users can understand what is happening and what they need to do.Open glossary term, glossaryConsistencyConsistency is the use of uniform patterns, behaviours, and visual elements across a product to create familiarity and predictability. It helps users learn once and apply that knowledge throughout the experience.Open glossary term, and glossaryAlignmentAlignment is a shared understanding of goals and priorities across teams and stakeholders, strong enough that people act consistently without checking first. It is not the same thing as everyone agreeing.Open glossary term with user expectations.
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