Practicing Information
Architecture
Faye Hoffman
Information Architect
University of Victoria
Who Am I?
• What do I do?
– I work for UVic
– Web Coordinators Group in Communication Services
– Information Architect
• Previously:
– With: ACD Systems, Ciber Inc., Corel Inc., Grey
Interactive, NCompass Labs (Microsoft Content
Management Server), Electronic Arts
– For: Hewlett Packard, Agilent, Open University, Digital
Signature Trust, VanCity, Vancouver Television, Disney
Interactive, Broderbund, Hollister and too many longgone start-ups to mention…
• Further back:
– ECCAD – Fine Arts
– NSCAD – Visual Communication
What I’m Going to
Talk About
• What is Information Architecture?
• Role of an Information Architect
• Where Does IA Fit?
• Phases of IA
• Approaches to IA
• Considerations & Deliverables
• Traditional vs. Persuasive Architecture
• Key Goals
What is IA?
• The combination of organization, labeling and navigation
schemes within an information system.
• The structural design of an information space to facilitate
task completion and intuitive access to content.
• The juxtaposition of individual pieces of information in
order to convey meaning.
• A site component, a phase, a job or role, a discipline or
degree and a community.
Role of an IA
•
Balance the needs of the business and the users with
the capabilities of technology to design comprehensive
systems that include the organization, navigation, and
interaction of the final solution.
•
Organize patterns inherent in data, making the complex
clear.
•
Create the structure or map of information which allows
others to find their personal paths to knowledge.
Where Does IA Fit?
Matt Jones – blackbeltjones.com
Phases of IA
• Strategy is where it all
begins.
• Scope transforms
strategy into
requirements.
• Structure gives shape to
scope.
• Skeleton makes structure
concrete.
• Surface brings everything
together visually.
Approaches to IA
• Top-Down
– Driven by user research
– Develop mental models of audience types
– Derive main site organization from this
understanding of approaches to the task
• Bottom-Up
– Closely linked with content analysis
– Focused on:
• Understanding and describing the content
• Finding the patterns and groupings
• Matching content with user needs
Top Down, Bottom Up
Content /Data
Content area (Course
granularity) E.g. Search,
Content Management/DatabaseProducts
Site
Content object (Finer
granularity) E.g. Search
Form, Product Description
Content Area
Content object attributes
E.g. Search Form Fields,
Content placeholders.
Content Object
Considerations &
Deliverables
Integrating IA and Content
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Content Considerations/Steps
Requirements
Gathering
What to Display
Who owns what
Update Frequency
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Organize
Information
Type of Content
When to Display
Display to Whom
Wireframes
Paper Prototypes
Interactive Prototypes
Design
Information
How to Display
Formatting Content
Element Specifications
Requirements
Gathering
Business
Context
Users
Determine what users need,
how they find and use it …
and ensure that
stakeholder/business goals
are fulfilled in the process
Content
Identify patterns
in content
Determine how stakeholders
think they should organize & present
their information
Vision & Scope
Considerations &
Deliverables
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Requirements
Gathering
Organize
Information
Informal Content
Inventory
Formal Content
Inventory
Content Map
Content Map
User Flow
•
•
•
•
Exposes key decision points
Identifies holes/issues
Identifies page count
Builds consensus about functionality
User Flow
Use Cases
Considerations &
Deliverables
Integrating IA and Content
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Requirements
Gathering
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Organize
Information
Wireframes
Paper Prototypes
Interactive Prototypes
Design
Information
Wireframe
Wireframe - Grouping
Considerations &
Deliverables
Integrating IA and Content
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Content Considerations/Steps
Requirements
Gathering
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Organize
Information
Wireframes
Paper Prototypes
Interactive Prototypes
Design
Information
What to Display
Who owns what
Update Frequency
Considerations &
Deliverables
Integrating IA and Content
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Content Considerations/Steps
Requirements
Gathering
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Organize
Information
Wireframes
Paper Prototypes
Interactive Prototypes
Design
Information
What to Display
Who owns what
Update Frequency
Type of Content
When to Display
Display to Whom
Considerations &
Deliverables
Integrating IA and Content
IA Considerations/Steps
Features and Functions
Client and User Wish-lists
Recommendations
Content Considerations/Steps
Requirements
Gathering
What to Display
Who owns what
Update Frequency
Content Audits
User Flow Diagrams
Site/Content Maps
Organize
Information
Type of Content
When to Display
Display to Whom
Wireframes
Paper Prototypes
Interactive Prototypes
Design
Information
How to Display
Formatting Content
Element Specifications
Traditional vs. Persuasive
Architecture
• Traditional
– Principles of consistency and accessibility to all “other”
information available on the site.
•
Persuasive
– Principle that what matters most is whether users can
quickly and easily advance to the next step in the
pursuit of their goal.
Persuasive
Architecture
• Process of planning and architecting a site which
persuades a user to do something.
– “Something” can be a product, sign up for a newsletter,
apply for admission, give a gift to the University, etc.
• It is not a one-solution-for-all users approach.
– Involves significant effort in user profiling, task analysis
and business analysis.
Persuasive
Architecture
• Involves persuasive architecture, navigation,
copywriting, labeling and visual design.
• Can lead to significant increase in sales,
applicants etc.
• Can minimize abandonment.
Institutional
Application
We are in business to inform and persuade.
• Recruitment Efforts
• Development Efforts
• Internal application adoption
Utilizing Both
Approaches
•
Continue to include user goals as primary
motivators for navigational structure
–
•
Continue to support traditional, consistent
navigation
–
•
What actions need to be taken?
How can the action be taken?
Identify and build, design & write for key
“persuasive” paths
–
How do we persuade someone to take the action
we desire?
Key Goals
To simplify and increase the understanding and
transparency of design processes and user
experiences
To create designs and plans that serve as the
foundation and blueprints for meaningful, useful
and compelling use experiences
To ultimately contribute to the success of the
University by helping people find, use and
manage information more effectively
Discussion