Presented by Loren Baxter at ESDC

1. Design Patterns For Navigating
Complex Taxonomies
Presented by Loren Baxter

2. TAXONOMY
the science or technique of classification. - dictionary.com

3. COMPLEX TAXONOMY
A rich dataset that has many objects with various attributes.
Something people will need to navigate.
Examples:
‣ Product Catalogs
‣ User Directories
‣ Article Archives

4. WHY WE CARE
"Most companies are so confused, the last thing they need is
more data." - @tamaraadlin
The same is true of people. They need the right data.

5. KEY POINTS
1. Navigation + search = foundation
2. Progressive disclosure: consider when data is presented
3. Categorization can be dynamic and powerful
4. Discovery engines add value

6. NAVIGATION AND SEARCH
are always best together. Think peanut butter and jelly.
‣ Top levels should remain constant
‣ Show where the user is
‣ Simple and advanced search
‣ Faceted navigation

7. CASCADING MENU
GUIDELINES
• Avoid 3+ levels of
cascades
• Poor Contrast
• Allow adequate vertical
margins to support selection
www.msn.com (2007)

8. CASCADING MENU
GUIDELINES

9. SEARCH (+)
Google One Box search
High efficiency, minimalist design
Extend public strategy to the enterprise

10. GOAL BASED SEARCH
I’ve got chicken, peas, broccoli.
What can I make for dinner?

11. GOAL BASED SEARCH
I’ve had a
long day…
What’s in my
refrigerator?

12. GOAL BASED SEARCH
Provide appropriate
content for selection
(image, rating, etc)

13. KEY POINTS
1. Navigation + search = foundation
2. Progressive disclosure: consider when data is presented
3. Categorization can be dynamic and powerful
4. Discovery engines add value

14. PROGRESSIVE DISCLOSURE
Not all data is created equal. It should be presented in layers.

15. INFORMATION HIERARCHY
Help users see the most important information.
Then, show more details upon request.
But make it efficient.
an efficient interface (for programmers)

16. LAYERED DATA
www.shopping.com

17. HIERARCHICAL DATA
www.amazon.com

18. KEY POINTS
1. Navigation + search = foundation
2. Progressive disclosure: consider when data is presented
3. Categorization can be dynamic and powerful
4. Discovery engines add value

19. CATEGORIZATION
is where we need to flex our design muscle. We can let
people slice through data in interesting ways.

20. CATEGORIZATION
Static, curated list
Dynamic, faceted list
Dynamic, social list (“folksonomies”)

21. CATEGORIZATION
Categories can be:
‣ Object oriented
‣ Goal oriented
‣ What else?

22. DYNAMIC FACETS
www.shopping.com

23. SOCIAL FACETS

24. GOAL-BASED TAXONOMY

25. KEY POINTS
1. Navigation + search = foundation
2. Progressive disclosure: consider when data is presented
3. Categorization can be dynamic and powerful
4. Discovery engines add value

26. DISCOVERY ENGINES
Augment standard search + browse. Provide value to
advanced users.
Generally more advanced technologies.

27. GOAL BASED SEARCH
I want a cute
What if your search had ... name!
As-you-type feedback
With data visualization
And drilldown results?

28. GOAL BASED SEARCH
http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager

29. DISCOVERY ENGINES
Allow non-standard, non-linear ways to browse the data.

30. CASE STUDY
Tyco Electronics
Global Provider of Electronics
Over 500,000 Products
Typical User: Design Engineer
Worldwide Audience
Over 50 recent corporate acquisitions
Product Catalogs Stacked 1 Meter High
User Centered Design Approach To Redesign

31. BEFORE: SIMPLE PICTURE
CATALOG

32. BEFORE: COMPLEX “STEP
SEARCH”
32
Dynamic Facets
were confusing

33. NEW DESIGN GOALS
Visual and textual browse
Tabs for search strategies
Good information ‘Scent’
Nearby Search with part # default
‣ Strong keyboard focus

34. HOME PAGE: SEARCH /
BROWSE

35. INTEGRATED “DIRECTED
SEARCH”

36. DIRECTED SEARCH - FILTER
APPLIED

37. PICTURE SEARCH -
EXCELLENT FOR GLOBAL USE

38. TRANSITION FROM PICTURE
SEARCH TO BROWSE

39. REMEMBER
Taxonomies are getting more complex
Adapt your navigation strategies to meet the new information
challenges
Shield users from the complexity
Lower the efficiency cost of navigation
Leverage design patterns to repeat success

40. THANK YOU!
Please leave your card on the front or back table for a FREE
“Taxonomy Checklist”
Loren Baxter
twitter: @lorenbaxter
Visit our Web sites at
www.classicsys.com
www.guiguide.com
Email: jimh@classicsys.com
Phone: 925-237-2581