Website Redesign of Teaching Indigenous Languages (TIL): The Teaching Indigenous Languages (TIL) website, hosted by Northern Arizona University, is a valuable resource dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving Indigenous languages in the U.S. It offers a rich collection of materials for educators, researchers, and community members. With thousands of the Earth’s spoken languages at risk of disappearing by 2100, the site plays a crucial role in supporting cultural and historical continuity.

This proposal provides recommendations for enhancing the information architecture of the Teaching Indigenous Languages website (https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html). This report outlines the initial research and next steps in understanding the information needs of Teaching Indigenous Languages users, including educators, students, researchers, parents and community members. The research strategy consists of an environmental scan, card sorting exercise, and user testing, all aimed at optimizing the site’s design for an intuitive and effective user experience.

Our redesign focused on improving the information architecture to support intuitive searching and browsing. Using IA techniques such as card sorting, user personas, and journey mapping, we proposed clearer content differentiation, consistent navigation pathways, and cohesive page layouts. We developed sitemaps, wireframes, and recommendations to enhance the site’s intuitiveness and engagement. These changes aim to make the site more accessible and user-friendly for a wider range of users and stakeholders.

Key improvements include introducing a hierarchical navigation system, adding search functionality, refining content labels, and creating dedicated pathways for educators, learners, and families. By integrating multimedia, simplifying the structure, and prioritizing user experience, our redesign strengthens the site’s role as a resource for educators, students, researchers, and Indigenous communities while serving as a model of effective, user-centered information architecture.

Ashley Akiba is pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at SJSU and anticipates receiving a degree in Fall 2025. Her interests include digital asset management, metadata, and accessibility in the fields of language and story preservation, medical data management, and cultural heritage safeguarding. She has experience in ADA formatting and information program curation for immigrant and indigenous communities.

Sara Poliskin holds a B.A. in Art History and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University. Her research focuses on leveraging information practices to address societal challenges, expand equitable access to knowledge, and empower diverse communities through scholarship and digital justice. With an academic focus on cultural heritage preservation, digital asset management, and information organization, Sara is committed to developing systems that ensure historical records and knowledge remain accessible, well-structured, and preserved for future generations.

Sheree Trotman holds a BA in Geography and a Dip. in Public Communications from the University of Guyana, a PGDip in Library and Information Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, and an MS in Health Informatics, University of Edinburgh. She has extensive experience working in special libraries, information and communications, and technology, across sectors such as disaster management, HIV response, women and development, standardization and quality assurance, primarily within the international development world.

Sheree also spent over a decade in nonprofit, entering the sector through AmeriCorps service where she worked with constituent relationship management (CRM) systems to manage donation tracking and volunteer engagement. She is pursuing the Post-Master’s Certificate in Web Programming and Information Architecture to expand her skills in programming languages, database management, structuring digital content, and UX.

Alina Wang is a graduate student in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at San José State University (SJSU). She holds a Master of Arts in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is passionate about data visualization, website and user experience (UX) design, and information architecture. She aims to integrate her background in educational technology into librarianship and become a UX or data librarian.