Information Architecture Donna Maurer

About me Freelance information architect/interaction designer I design interfaces for complex informational and interactive systems 5+ years IA experience Designed loads of business applications, websites, intranets Practiced, taught and wrote about IA Studying Masters of Human Factors

Freelance information architect/interaction designer

I design interfaces for complex informational and interactive systems

5+ years IA experience

Designed loads of business applications, websites, intranets

Practiced, taught and wrote about IA

Studying Masters of Human Factors

Lecture overview What is information architecture Information can be arranged and accessed in many ways Design process for information architectures Information architecture for interactive systems

What is information architecture

Information can be arranged and accessed in many ways

Design process for information architectures

Information architecture for interactive systems

What information architecture is about IA Institute definition The structural design of shared information environments. The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability. An emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape .

IA Institute definition

The structural design of shared information environments.

The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability.

An emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape .

Information-seeking behaviours Known item – know exactly what you want, how to describe it and may know where to look Exploratory – have an idea of what you want, may not know how to describe it, may not know where to look May not know what you need to know Returning to information – going back to something you have already seen

Known item – know exactly what you want, how to describe it and may know where to look

Exploratory – have an idea of what you want, may not know how to describe it, may not know where to look

May not know what you need to know

Returning to information – going back to something you have already seen

Information is arranged in many ways Date Alphabetical Geography Topic Hierarchy Faceted Organic Combination Good IA allows access to information in many ways

Date

Alphabetical

Geography

Topic

Hierarchy

Faceted

Organic

Combination

Good IA allows access to information in many ways

By date

Alphabetical

By geography

By audience

By audience

By task

By task

By task

By category

By category

By category

By category

References Date: www.theage.com.au A-Z: www.azlyrics.com Geography: travel.yahoo.com Audience: www.ato.gov.au Audience: www.canberra.edu.au Task: www.fsa.usda.gov/haynet/ Topic: en.wikipedia.org Category: amazon.com Category: ebay.com.au

Date: www.theage.com.au

A-Z: www.azlyrics.com

Geography: travel.yahoo.com

Audience: www.ato.gov.au

Audience: www.canberra.edu.au

Task: www.fsa.usda.gov/haynet/

Topic: en.wikipedia.org

Category: amazon.com

Category: ebay.com.au

Site structures Two key methods of creating sites: Hierarchy Database Hierarchy: Similar to your computer’s file system – folder structure Strict hierarchy: each item has only one location Polyhierarchy: items can be in more than one location Database Metadata is used on each item and is used to generate links to content

Two key methods of creating sites:

Hierarchy

Database

Hierarchy:

Similar to your computer’s file system – folder structure

Strict hierarchy: each item has only one location

Polyhierarchy: items can be in more than one location

Database

Metadata is used on each item and is used to generate links to content

Metadata ‘ Data about data’ Title Description Authored date Keywords Historically used to improve searching – search can use the metadata fields Also can be used to relate information together

‘ Data about data’

Title

Description

Authored date

Keywords

Historically used to improve searching – search can use the metadata fields

Also can be used to relate information together

About hierarchies UC Home Future students Current students Staff Announcements Entry into UC About UC courses UC College Campus life Announcements OSIS Academic dvisions & schhols Studying at UC OPUS Directories & maps Academic dvisions & schhols

Database – categories and dates

Database - author

Database - Using tags

Database – using tags

Getting around - navigation

Navigation Every page of a site should let you know: Where am I What’s here Where can I go now Where have I been People don’t always work from the home page – they get to a page from a link or from a search

Every page of a site should let you know:

Where am I

What’s here

Where can I go now

Where have I been

People don’t always work from the home page – they get to a page from a link or from a search

Baaaad navigation

Good navigation

Types of navigation Global navigation Persistent across a site Allows access to major parts of the site Local navigation Lets you move around the current ‘section’ Contextual navigation Inline links, to anywhere Supplemental navigation Helpers – site map, A-Z index See also Related links

Global navigation

Persistent across a site

Allows access to major parts of the site

Local navigation

Lets you move around the current ‘section’

Contextual navigation

Inline links, to anywhere

Supplemental navigation

Helpers – site map, A-Z index

See also

Related links

Navigation

Social navigation

Labeling Good labels Are understandable by the reader Are consistent within the site Clearly describe where you are going next Labeling is not easy – it is as complex as structure and navigation Where to get labeling ideas: User research Search terms Referrer terms Call centre/people in contact with users

Good labels

Are understandable by the reader

Are consistent within the site

Clearly describe where you are going next

Labeling is not easy – it is as complex as structure and navigation

Where to get labeling ideas:

User research

Search terms

Referrer terms

Call centre/people in contact with users

Search What to search Query structure - how to search it Relevance - which results are the most important How to display the results

What to search

Query structure - how to search it

Relevance - which results are the most important

How to display the results

In an IA project Research Business needs User requirements Content Gives me an understanding of the domain Understand technical opportunities or limitations Design site structure (site map) Design navigation and page layouts (wireframes) Design metadata, search and relationships Usability test throughout the process Creates a blueprint for the site – technical work after blueprint created and tested

Research

Business needs

User requirements

Content

Gives me an understanding of the domain

Understand technical opportunities or limitations

Design site structure (site map)

Design navigation and page layouts (wireframes)

Design metadata, search and relationships

Usability test throughout the process

Creates a blueprint for the site – technical work after blueprint created and tested

A simple site map

A more complex site map

A simple wireframe

IA for interactive sites Sites that are primarily about ‘doing things’ use IA differently Fewer pages than a large informational site, so site map may show workflow not structure Navigation and labeling still important More emphasis on scenarios Wireframes show a lot more detail and show all screens Design process is very similar

Sites that are primarily about ‘doing things’ use IA differently

Fewer pages than a large informational site, so site map may show workflow not structure

Navigation and labeling still important

More emphasis on scenarios

Wireframes show a lot more detail and show all screens

Design process is very similar

The elements of user experience

IA Resources Books Information Architecture for the World Wide Web – Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville Elements of user experience – Jesse James Garrett Information Architecture – Blueprints for the Web – Christina Wodtke Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug Online Boxes and Arrows – http://www.boxesandarrows.org/ IAslash - http://www.iaslash.org/ IAwiki – http://www.iawiki.org/ Digital Web Magazine – http://www.digital-web.com/ Some blatant self-promotion My weblog – http://www.maadmob.net/donna/blog/ My website – http://www.maadmob.com.au/

Books

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web – Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville

Elements of user experience – Jesse James Garrett

Information Architecture – Blueprints for the Web – Christina Wodtke

Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug

Online

Boxes and Arrows – http://www.boxesandarrows.org/

IAslash - http://www.iaslash.org/

IAwiki – http://www.iawiki.org/

Digital Web Magazine – http://www.digital-web.com/

Some blatant self-promotion

My weblog – http://www.maadmob.net/donna/blog/

My website – http://www.maadmob.com.au/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.1 Australia License. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.1/au/ for more information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.1 Australia License.

See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.1/au/ for more information