A"...while the visual designer typically thinks of hierarchy and organization in terms of what is visually present on an individual page or during separate interaction states, the information architect thinks about those items in terms of how the user's experience unfolds over time—i.e., in terms of the user's goals, tasks, flows, and navigation options. The IA's aim is to help users pick up the appropriate information scent by orchestrating the presentation of "surrogates" (to borrow a term from library science) as the user steps through the site/ecosystem. The surrogates may take the form of page titles, headings, menu options, tab labels, section overviews, search result descriptions, category and subcategory names, breadcrumbs, alt and hover text, etc. In that respect the IA's job is similar to that of a physical architect who specializes in wayfinding. Like the physical architect, the IA's job is to help people get to where they need to go.
Another way to say this is that whereas the visual designer views hierarchy and organization primarily from a 2-D perspective, the IA also has to factor in the axis of time. And since the surrogates mentioned above all involve language, the IA has to attend closely to the explicit and associative meanings of the words being used to describe things along the way.
I'd be interested to hear if you think this comparison is off-base or misrepresents the art of visual design. Obviously there is a ton of overlap between the two disciplines, and I would never say that a visual designer can't or shouldn't create wireframes. (I might say that an IA shouldn't meddle with fonts, colors, and brand imagery, however.) I think it's more a matter of finding an agreeable division of labor so that each type of designer can attend to the aspects that they have the most expertise in."
Answered by Michael Magoolaghan of Knowledge Weave
AI do agree that simpler is sometimes better, because you actually shouldn't be drawing the line. A good design on the web needs to be functional in order to be successful. That doesn't mean it can't be creative, aesthetically beautiful, clever, or thought provoking. However, if a user can't find the information they need or cannot take the intended action for the site (such as ordering a product), the design will fail. That said, keep in mind that there are different types of websites. If you were designing a game, for instance, it would look much different than an ecommerce website. Usability requirements don't go away, though, they just change for the type of site you are designing. With a game site there would need to be an understanding of game controls, keeping track of scores, managing multiple players, and storing high score records, etc.
AIt is definitely easier for a designer to get a job these days if they also have coding skills (even at a basic level). However, be clear to represent yourself and your skills accurately when interviewing to ensure the role is truly for a designer and not for a developer. Some smaller employers might think that if you can code at all, you are a full-trained developer. Just like designers, developers have areas of specialty and levels of expertise.
If you have the luxury to design for a studio or a department that has developers, the coding requirements will be much lighter for the designer. Either way, the designer is much more successful if they understand how design functions within a coded page. This means understanding the limitations of the code and end-environments/devices, the structure of the coded page, common user-interaction patterns, requirements for accessibility, how to manage expectations of clients who want the site to look like a printed piece, etc.
I would say a good basic set of knowledge for you if you'd like to learn more of the code would be to take at least one, maybe two, more interactive courses while at school (and try a freelance project or internship over the summer). At least one of the classes should be with HTML/CSS, which is how most websites are coded. Interactive courses with Flash/After Effects are for animations, movie intros, etc. If you are considering a career in advertising or animation; you would also want to take a course for this. Note: Flash/After Effects also require coding knowledge such as Actionscript.
If you do decide that you would like to be an interactive designer, you should try to get a broad experience in technologies, devices and the overall industry. Then grow your indepth knowledge in the area you would like to specialize in. This isn't easy to to while you are in school, simply because of the demands of your other classes. So focus on the core coding for now.
Thanks for the great questions! Let me know if you have more. mt