INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE RECOMMENDATIONS FRAMEWORK FOR SICV BRASIL

Abstract

Information Architecture provides the means to evaluate and design digital information environments and relates directly to the principles of scientific data management, which establish the findability of records as the primary condition for their (re)use. Such concepts are relevant to research data repositories, whose openness depends on their records being findable. This study aims to propose a framework of Information Architecture recommendations, organized into three layers (principles, guidelines, and recommendations), based on the analysis of the Brazilian National Bank of Life Cycle Inventories. In terms of methodology, the research is applied, qualitative, and descriptive, combining a content inventory of the environment with a systematic analysis of its organization, labeling, navigation, and search systems, in light of data findability. The findings reveal a technically sound environment, primarily designed for a specialized audience, with limitations that restrict record retrieval for non-specialist users. These findings were systematized in the proposed framework, in which each recommendation is traceable and classified according to its origin and implementation effort. The study concludes that many of the limitations stem from the soda4LCA platform. This makes the instrument transferable and contributes to data findability and adherence to the Open Science principles.