Adam Polansky Lead Information Architect Travelocity.com A PROCESS BY ANY OTHER NAME… Applying Information Architecture With Bridges, Cooking & Hardware

Some bridges occur naturally

Some bridges occur intuitively

Some bridges extend from their environments

Some bridges augment their environments

Some bridges are purely functional

Some bridges are aesthetic

Some bridges are used for people

Some bridges are not

Some bridges take on purposes for which they weren’t intended

Worse Thing: Push-back because time needed for artifacts seen as bottle-neck Bad Thing: Misguided demand for a process based on artifacts. Good Thing: IA is becoming recognized in more firms. THERE AIN’T NO RECIPE!

Shhhhhh! Matters not…. the process does

Every development process includes three basic areas of activity. The job of the IA is to find ways to close the gaps between them COMMON FOR ALL PROCESSES Idea Plan Build IA IA

So there’s this guy….

Origin Info Vehicle Destination Disposition INFORMATION TRANSFER Look at these elements. Characterize the forces that act upon them. Decide what you can do to bridge the communication gaps.

Look at these elements.

Characterize the forces that act

upon them.

Decide what you can do to bridge

the communication gaps.

Domain Expertise Institutional Knowledge System Constraints Location of Resources New Development New Technology Mature or Existing Product Skill Sets Time Cost Quality CHARACTERIZATION FORCES Size of Team

Annotated Wireframe Annotated Mock-ups Narrative Document Interaction-Level Spec FACTORING FORCES IN Idea Plan Build IA IA Conversation White board Thumbnail Sketch Process Flow Site Map Lo-Fi Wireframe Hi-Fi Wireframe Interactive Wireframe FORCES? FORCES?

Annotated Wireframe

Annotated Mock-ups

Narrative Document

Interaction-Level Spec

Conversation

White board

Thumbnail Sketch

Process Flow

Site Map

Lo-Fi Wireframe

Hi-Fi Wireframe

Interactive Wireframe

IF: The team is small They’ve all worked together on the product before They’re all located in the same room Time is short (but reasonable) The features exist elsewhere in same site Documentation exists from previous projects THEN: White-board session to see where high level changes occur Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality Annotated Screen shots from existing product to show where changes occur FACTORING FORCES IN Idea Plan Build

IF:

The team is small

They’ve all worked together on the product before

They’re all located in the same room

Time is short (but reasonable)

The features exist elsewhere in same site

Documentation exists from previous projects

THEN:

White-board session to see where high level changes occur

Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality

Annotated Screen shots from existing product to show where changes occur

BUT… IF: The team is small Some of them worked together on the product before Some of them are located in Bangalor and they are new to the team Time is short (but reasonable) The features are new to the site No documentation exists from previous projects THEN: Process Flows to see where high level changes occur Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality Detailed functional spec to include screen shots and interaction details FACTORING FORCES IN Idea Plan Build

BUT… IF:

The team is small

Some of them worked together on the product before

Some of them are located in Bangalor and they are new to the team

Time is short (but reasonable)

The features are new to the site

No documentation exists from previous projects

THEN:

Process Flows to see where high level changes occur

Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality

Detailed functional spec to include screen shots and interaction details

It’s not the process. It’s not the tools. It’s the practitioner. Choose artifacts based upon your understanding of the forces that will affect communication