What is Flat IA?

Flat IA minimizes hierarchy—all content is at the same level or 1-2 clicks from anywhere. No deep nesting or complex trees. Works for small sites with <20 pages or when all content is equally important. Prioritizes speed of access over organization.

When Should You Use This?

Use flat IA for small sites (landing pages, portfolios, small docs), when all content is equally important, or when users need fast access to everything. Common in personal sites, simple marketing sites, or when combined with powerful search. Don't scale it—>20 items and it becomes chaotic without structure.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• •Scaling too far—flat works for 10 items, chaos at 50+; add hierarchy when needed
• •No visual grouping—even flat IA needs visual organization (sections, spacing)
• •Missing search—flat IA relies on scanning; add search for >15 items
• •Alphabetical only—users don't think alphabetically; group by topic/usage
• •No mobile strategy—long flat lists are painful on mobile; add jump links or grouping

Real-World Examples

• •Apple product pages—flat navigation in hero, everything 1 click away
• •Linear changelog—flat list of updates, chronological, no nesting
• •Personal portfolios—About, Work, Contact all in top nav, no subpages
• •Stripe API docs—flat list of endpoints in sidebar, searchable