Introduction to Information Architecture and Design - As presented by Robert Stribley, 09/28/13, SVA

1. Introduction to Information Architecture & Design
School of Visual Arts | September 28, 2013
Robert Stribley
Photo by Michael Wolf from his Life in Cities series

2. Introduction
Today‘s presentation will be available on
SlideShare following the workshop:
www.slideshare.net/stribs

3. Chocolate display, Xocolatti, SoHo, New York

4. Body Gel, Sabon, SoHo, New York

5. Butterfly on the New York City Highline
Pattern Recognition:
In cognitive psychology, the ability
to identify familiar forms within a
complex arrangement of sensory
stimuli

6. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History‘s Butterfly Conservatory.

7. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History‘s Butterfly Conservatory.

8. Intro
Robert Stribley
•I‘m an Associate Experience
Director at Razorfish
•I like literature, cinema, music,
photography, cycling
•I drink coffee
Introduction
My clients have included:
• Bank of America, PNC, Wachovia
• JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley,
Oppenheimer Funds, Prudential, Smith
Barney, T. Rowe Price
• Boston Scientific, Nasonex
• Choice Hotels
• Computer Associates, EMC
• Ford, Lincoln
• Nextel
• Red Cross
• Pearson, Travel Channel, Women‘s
Wear Daily

9. Intro
About You
• What‘s your name?
• What do you do for work?
• What do you do for fun?
• Coffee, tea or bottled water?
Introduction

10. Intro
Goals of this workshop
• Understand the basic concepts of information
architecture
• Experience the general process and techniques used
on a design project
• Review the basic deliverables an information architect
develops within a project
Introduction

11. Agenda

12. Agenda
Morning
• Background
• Design Process
• Our Project
• User Research
• Competitive Review
• Personas
• Lunch
Agenda

13. Agenda
Afternoon
•Card Sorting
•Site Maps
•Page Types
•Navigation
•Sketching
•Wireframes
•Q&A
Agenda

14. Background

15. Background
in•for•ma•tion ar•chi•tec•ture n.
Background: Defining 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 art and science of structuring and
classifying web sites and intranets to help
people find and manage information.
• An emerging discipline and community of
practice focused on bringing principles of
design and architecture to the digital
landscape.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (1st Edition), p. 4, Rosenfeld and Morville
Navigation
Interaction
Art/Science
Discipline/
Community

16. Background
―It's hard to say who really is an
information architect. In some
sense, we all are.‖
— Alex Wright, Author Glut
Background: Defining IA

17. userscontent
context
IA
Background: Defining IA

18. Interface
(skin)
information architecture
(skeleton)
Background: Defining IA

19. Design Process
metaphor: architectural plans
Flickr.com: Cornell University Library
Background: Defining IA

20. Background: History
A Brief History of IA
1975
• Richard Saul Wurman coined the term
―information architecture‖ to describe the field
now more likely described as ―information
design‖
1994
• Formation of Argus Associates in Ann Arbor,
WI, the first firm devoted to IA
1998
• First edition of Peter Morville and Lou
Rosenfeld‘s Information Architecture for the
World Wide Web, affectionately known as
―The Polar Bear‖ book

21. Partially adapted from: ―A brief history of information architecture‖ by Peter Morville and Information Architecture:
Designing information environments for purpose, edited by Alan Gilchrist and Barry Mahon
A Brief History of IA
2000
• First IA Summit, Boston, MA – Defining
Information Architecture
2002
• Boxes & Arrows, online journal for information
architects goes live
• 3 new books on IA published, including Jesse
James Garrett‘s The Elements of User
Experience
2014
• 15th Annual IA Summit held in San Diego, CA,
March 25-30
Background: History

22. Design Process
satire on project phases
by Harold Kerzner

23. Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
Design Process

24. Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Stakeholder interviews
• Business requirements
• Competitive & comparative audits
• User research
• Site inventory
Design Process

25. Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Personas
• Content Audit
• Card sorts
• Use Cases
• Sketching
• Site Map
• Creative Brief
• UX Brief
Design Process

26. Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Site Map
• Task Flows
• Sketching
• Wireframes
• Stakeholder Reviews
• Visual Design
• Prototype
• Usability Testing
• Functional Specifications
Design Process

27. Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Site Development
• User Acceptance
Testing (UAT)
• Quality
Assurance (QA)
• Usability Testing
Design Process

28. Background
IA Deliverables
site map
feature/functionality
inventory
comparative/competitive
review
requirements document
personas
sketches
use cases
user flows prototype
wireframes
discover designdefine
experience brief
Deliverables

29. Background
IA Deliverables
site map
feature/functionality
inventory
comparative/competitive
review
requirements document
personas
use cases
user flows prototype
wireframes
discover designdefine
experience brief
visual design
sketches
Deliverables

30. Our Project

31. What to do?
Our Project

32. Our Project
Events.com wants to revamp its website to
become the go-to online resource for people
wanting to attend or promote events across
the United States.
Our Project

33. Discover

34. User Research
User Research in Copenhagen‘s Elderly Homes

35. User Research
―Through research, we aim to learn enough
about the business goals, the users, and the
information ecology to develop a solid
strategy.‖
– Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville
Discovery: User Research

36. User Research
Methodology
• Focus Groups
• Surveys
• Interviews
Goals
• Identify patterns and trends in user behavior,
tasks, preferences, obstacles.
Discovery: User Research

37. User Research
Class Exercise: Survey Questions
• How do you learn about events in NYC?
• What type of events are you interested in?
• What‘s more important to you:
– Price
– Type of Event
– Location
– Date
• How often do you attend the events?
• Do you ever need to promote an event?
• Do you ever invite people to an event?
Discovery: User Research

38. Competitive Review
image by
brandon schauer

39. Discovery: Competitive Audit
―This type of assessment helps set an
industry ‗marker‘ by looking at what the
competition is up to, what features and
functionalities are standard, and how others
have solved the same problems you might
be tasked with.‖
– Dorelle Rabinowitz
Discovery: Competitive Review

40. Competitive Review
Heuristic Evaluation
… involves evaluators examining the
interface and judging its compliance
with recognized usability principles
(the ‗heuristics‘)
- Wikipedia
Discovery: Competitive Review

41. Competitive Review
Heuristic Evaluation
Ten Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen
Discovery: Competitive Review
•Recognition rather than recall
•Flexibility and efficiency of use
•Aesthetic and minimalist design
•Help users
recognize, diagnose, and recover
from errors
•Help and documentation
•Visibility of system status
•Match between system and the
real world
•User control and freedom
•Consistency and standards
•Error prevention
Self Study
For a more detailed explanation of these heuristics, see Nielsen‘s explanation here:
http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

42. Competitive Review
Methodology
• Review and analyze competitor sites according to
particular criteria
• Draw key findings, which can influence and guide IA
through the design phase
• Include a scorecard for a high-level depiction of
comparison points across all sites
Also:
• Comparative Reviews
Discovery: Competitive Review

43. Competitive Review
Examples of Usability Criteria
Note: These examples are not intended to provide a comprehensive listing. Appropriate criteria may depend on the project
to be completed.
Home Page
• Are home page elements appropriately weighted and distributed?
• Is information clustered in meaningful ways?
Navigation
• Is the navigation structure concise and consistent?
• Are paths to important information intuitive and unobstructed?
Content
• Is content current? Are there visible indications of content freshness?
• Is content properly adapted for the Web? Is tone of voice consistent throughout content? Is
content chunked appropriately?
• Are headings and titles scannable?
Design
• Are colors appropriate to the Web? Is white space used appropriately? Is text readable?
Search
• Are search results relevant and cleanly presented?
Functionality
• Are functionality and forms efficiently designed?
Messaging
• Are errors messages clear on the site? Is help readily available to users?
• Are there appropriate means for user feedback?
Discovery: Competitive Review

44. Competitive Review
Competitors
Discovery: Competitive Review

45. Competitive Review
Key Findings
• Search placed prominently on each site
• Clear need for and emphasis upon filtering events
• Calendars provide obvious benefit, but aren‘t always
prominent
• Profiles and community features are also common, but
handled with varying degrees of detail, success
• Free events are often highlighted
• Event detail pages vary, may have maps, RSVP, sharing,
rating, commenting functionality
• Displaying other venues and restaurants adds utility
• Maps prove helpful, especially to out-of-towners
• The ability to add or promote an event is not always
present or prominent
Discovery: Competitive Review

46. Competitive Review
What else have we learned?
• Who are the audiences of these sites?
• What are the strengths of these sites?
• What are their weaknesses?
• How might another event site differentiate itself from these sites?
Discovery: Competitive Review

47. Define

48. Personas
Created at Personas: http://personas.media.mit.edu
Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, recently
on display at the MIT Museum by the Sociable Media Group from the
MIT Media Lab . It uses sophisticated natural language processing
and the Internet to create a data portrait of one's aggregated online
identity. In short, Personas shows you how the Internet sees you.

49. Personas
―Personas summarize user research findings
and bring that research to life in such a way
that everyone can make decisions based on
these personas, not based on themselves.‖
– Steve Mulder
Definition: Personas

50. Personas
Methodology
• Cluster Analysis
Goals
• Create a narrative
based on real data to
illustrate user
behavior, motivations,
goals
Definition: Personas
Small Budget
Big Budget
PlannerPromoter

51. Personas
Characteristics of Effective Personas
• Varied and distinct
• Detailed
• Not weighed down with minutiae
• Tied into business-specific goals
• Backed by data
Definition: Personas

52. Definition: Personas
SabrinaJenny DonnyJerry

53. Sabrina, 27
The party planner
Location:
Gramercy Park
Attitude:
Organized, outgoing
Financial Perspective:
Generous, bit of spendthrift
Online Habits:
Avid user of social networking sites,
Twitter, Facebook, etc
Events:
Wine tastings, gallery openings
Quote:
―I love getting bunches of friends
together to attend all these NYC
events. There‘s so much great stuff to
do in this city!‖
Small Budget
Big Budget
PlannerPromoter
PersonasDefinition: Personas

54. Jerry, 44
The out-of-towner
Location:
Cincinnati, OH
Attitude:
Casual, yet adventurous
Financial Perspective:
Moderate spender
Online Habits:
Utilitarian use of the Web to
research trips, read about the arts
and pay bills
Events:
Museums, visiting landmarks, tours
Quote:
―I‘m visiting the Big Apple with my
wife and we want to check out
some art-related events.‖
Small Budget
Big Budget
PlannerPromoter
Definition: Personas

55. Personas
Donny, 38
The local comedian
Location:
East Village
Attitude:
Laidback, loosely organized
Financial Perspective:
Frugal, paycheck to paycheck
Online Habits:
Spends time networking, promoting his
act online, haunts comedy sites
Events:
Comedy slams, variety shows
Quote:
―I land a few comedy gigs around the
city and I want to promote them better.‖ Small Budget
Big Budget
PlannedPromoter
Definition: Personas

56. Jenny, 33
The professional promoter
Location:
Williamsburg
Attitude:
Busy, disciplined, professional
Financial Perspective:
Healthy budget for promotions and
advertising
Online Habits:
Heavy use of social networking sites both
professionally and personally, shops online
Events:
Small gigs, big concerts, DJ sets
Quote:
―I manage a few bands and DJs and I
have to ensure they‘re listed in the right,
targeted places.‖
Personas
Small Budget
Big Budget
PlannedPromoter
Definition: Personas

57. Class Exercise: Personas
Definition: Personas
• What tasks might each persona attempt to complete on Events.com?
• What features can you imagine each persona might like on such a site?
• What obstacles or pain points might they encounter?
SabrinaJenny DonnyJerry
Self Study
‖Personas and the Role of Design Documentation" by Andrew Hinton, Boxes and Arrows, 2008/02/27

58. Lunch Break

59. Agenda
Afternoon
• Card Sorting
• Site Maps
• Page Types
• Navigation
• Sketching
• Wireframes
• Q&A
Agenda

60. Card Sorting

61. Card Sorting
―There are often better ways to organize
data than the traditional ones that first
occur to us. Each organization of the
same set of data expresses different
attributes and messages. It is also
important to experiment, reflect, and
choose which organization best
communicates our messages.‖
– Nathan Shedroff, Experience Strategist
Definition: Card Sorting

62. Methodology
• Grouping and labeling with index cards, post it notes
• Two types:
– Open – Participants sort cards with no pre-established categories.
Useful for new architectures
– Closed – Participants sort cards into predetermined, provided
groups. Useful for fitting content into existing architectures
• Online card sorts
– WebSort, OptimalSort, Socratic
Goals
• Organize content more efficiently
• Find names for groups of content based on users‘ perspectives
Definition: Card Sorting
Self Study
"Card sorting: a definitive guide" by Donna Spencer and Todd Warfel, Boxes and Arrows, 2004/04/07

63. Case Studies:
•Wachovia Wealth Management Group
•American Red Cross
•Automotive Manufacturer
Definition: Card Sorting

64. Class Exercise: Card Sorting
As individuals:
• Take 5 minutes to think of all the events a
person could attend
• Write each event you come up with on a Post-
It note
Definition: Card Sorting

65. Class Exercise: Card Sorting
Now, as a group:
• Take a few minutes to organize your events
into categories (group & label them)
• Then we‘ll share some categories
Definition: Card Sorting

66. Card Sorting: Next Steps
With the results of a card sort we then can:
• Build consensus
• Refine terminology
• Create a site map
• Help define navigation
Definition: Card Sorting

67. Design

68. Site Maps

69. Conceptual DesignDesign: Site Maps
―A site map is a high level
diagram showing the hierarchy
of a system. Site maps reflect
the information structure, but
are not necessarily indicative of
the navigation structure.‖
- Step Two Designs

70. Conceptual DesignDesign: Site Maps

71. Conceptual DesignDesign: Site Maps

72. Page Types
The Mercator Atlas of Europe
From The British Library

73. Conceptual Design
Home Page Category Page Details Page
Design: Page Types

74. Navigation
Navigation Bridge, USS Enterprise
by Serendigity, Flickr

75. Grids
Types of Navigation
• Site Structure – major nav
• Hierarchical – product families
• Function – sitemap privacy
• Direct – banner ad/shortcut
• Reference – related links
• Dynamic – search results
• Breadcrumb – location
• Step Navigation – sequence
through forms/results
• Faceted Navigation – filters
results
Design: Navigation
Areas of Navigation
• Global – universal header/footer
• Local – left nav/right nav
• Local content – text links, buttons
Styles of Navigation
• Rollover
• Dropdown
• Flyout
• Tabs
• Accordion
Self Study
Adapted from Atsushi Hasegagwa‘s The 7 Navigation Types of Web Sites

76. Grids
Mega Dropdowns
Design: Navigation

77. Grids
Power Footers
Design: Navigation

78. Sketching
Ornithopter
by Leonardo da Vinci, 1485-1487

79. Design: Sketching

80. SketchingDesign: Sketching

81. Sketching
Any guesses what
this is a sketch of?
Design: Sketching

82. “twttr sketch‖ Twitter.com
Sketching
Twitter
[This sketch] has very special significance – it's hanging in the office somewhere with one other page.
Whenever I'm thinking about something, I really like to take out the yellow notepad and get it down.
– Jack Dorsey, Twitter
Design: Sketching

83. Sketching
―There are techniques
and processes whereby
we can put experience
front and center in design.
My belief is that the basis
for doing so lies in
extending the traditional
practice of sketching. ‖
- Bill Buxton
Design: Sketching
Bill Buxton
Sketching User
Experiences

84. Bill Buxton
Sketching User
Experiences
Sketching
Attributes of a Sketch
•Quick
•Timely
•Inexpensive
•Disposable
•Plentiful
•Clear vocabulary
•Distinct gesture
•Minimal detail
•Appropriate degree of refinement
•Suggest & explore rather than confirm
•Ambiguity
Design: Sketching

85. Sketching
Methodology
• Draw
• Limit your time
• Don‘t worry about mistakes or style
Goals
• Benefit from the participation of your colleagues
• Quickly generate ideas and refine through
iterations
Design: Sketching

86. Sketching
Process
1.Discuss
2.Sketch
3.Share
4.Revise
Design: Sketching

87. • Discuss the purpose of the experience you‘re
sketching
• What features are necessary?
• How would you prioritize them?
• What‘s the audience?
Design: Sketching
Discuss

88. Sketch
• Sketch silently
• Limit your time
• Sketch as much has possible, as many
different ideas as possible
Design: Sketching

89. Share
• Review your work with your team
• You offer your feedback to others
• What you like
• Questions about didn‘t work for you
• You‘re not grilling your colleagues and this
is not a competition
Design: Sketching

90. Revise
• Now sketch again/begin your wireframe with a
more informed view, more and better ideas
• Iterate on your design
Design: Sketching

91. Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Collaborative Sketching
In teams, sketch your ideas.
Create & Promote an Event
1. Take 5 or so minutes first to discuss what
features belong here
• Is it a single page? Multiples steps?
2. Time for silent sketching
3. Time for sharing your sketches
Design: Sketching

92. Design: Sketching
Jenny Donny
Don‘t forget to keep your personas in mind

93. Sketching Tools:
The following apps are all for the iPad
• Adobe Ideas ($9.99)
• Bamboo Paper (Free)
• Muji Notebook ($4.99)
• Penultimate ($0.99)
• SketchBook Pro ($4.99)
InfoDesign: Sketching Tools

94. Wireframes
photo & sculpture by
polly verity

95. Wireframes
―Web site wireframes are blue prints
that define a Web page‘s content and
functionality. They do not convey
design – e.g. colors, graphics, or
fonts.‖
- fatpurple
Design: Wireframes

96. Design: SketchingDesign: Wireframes - Examples
wireframe by
matthieu mingasson

97. Design: SketchingDesign: Wireframes - Examples
screencap from
The Right way to Wireframe
by Semantic Will

98. Design: SketchingDesign: Wireframes - Examples
iPad news app wire
by F. Yamada

101. Wireframing/Prototyping Tools:
• Adobe InDesign
• Axure
• Omnigraffle (Mac)
• Microsoft Visio
• Mockingbird (online, free)
Also:
• Adobe Proto (coming for iPad)
• Balsamiq
• iPlotz
• iMockups (iPad)
• Omnigraffle (iPad)
InfoDesign: Wireframing Tools
Self Study
Smashing Magazine: 35 Excellent Wireframing Resources

102. Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Final Wireframe
In your teams, create your final deliverable, a home page for Events.com
Sketch First
1) Discuss features needed for a homepage
2) Sketch your ideas for a homepage individually
3) Review your sketches and provide feedback
Design: Wireframes

103. Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Final Wireframe
Then Wireframe
1) Now, each of you will create a final ―wireframe‖
2) Be sure to incorporate your team mates‘ design
ideas and feedback
Design: Wireframes

104. Design: Sketching
SabrinaJenny DonnyJerry
Don‘t forget to keep your personas in mind

105. Design: Sketching
Wireframe & Prototyping Tools
Axure
Dreamweaver
InDesign
Visio
Design: Wireframes
Develop

106. Books:
• Information Architecture for the World Wide
Web – Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville
• Information Architecture: Blueprints for the
Web – Christina Wodtke, Austin Govella
• The Elements of User Experience – Jesse
James Garrett
• Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the
User Experience – James Kalbach, Aaron
Gustafson
• Design of Everyday Things – Donald Norman
Local Events:
• IA Meetup
• Content Strategy Meetup
Web Sites:
• Alertbox
• A List Apart
• Boxes & Arrows
• wireframes.tumblr.com
InfoAdditional Resources
Organizations:
• Human Computer Interactions (HCI)
• Interaction Designers Association (IxDA)
• Usability Professionals Association (UPA)
Further Studies:
• School of Visual Arts
• Continuing Ed classes
• MFA in Interaction Design
• Adaptive Path
• The Information Architecture Institute
• The IA Summit
• Pratt – Course in Information Design
• Nielsen Norman Group
• Rosenfeld Media
• User Interface Engineering
Video:
The Right Way to Wireframe by Russ Unger (YouTube)

107. Q&A

108. Slideshare address:
http://www.slideshare.net/stribs
My article on how to find an IA job:
http://blog.onwardsearch.com/2012/08/information-architecture-a-guerilla-guide-to-breaking-in/
@stribs
InfoAdditional Info

109. Design: Sketching
Wireframe & Prototyping Tools
Axure
Dreamweaver
InDesign
Visio
Design: Wireframes
Addendum:
• Grids
• Dieter Rams: 10 Principles of Good Design
• Defining Wireframes vs. Sketches, Templates, vs. Pages

110. Grids

111. Grids
―The true benefit of using a grid is that
as you learn how to use a grid, you
start to think systemically about the
solutions you design. You start to try
and see how various details can echo
one another, how different regions of
the canvas can be reused or used for
similar things, how like elements can be
grouped together.‖
– Khoi Vinh, former design Director, NYTimes.com
Design: Grids

112. GridsDesign: Grids

113. GridsDesign: Grids

114. GridsDesign: Grids

115. Grids
Self Study: Want to know more?
Learn more about design by grids:
960 Grid System
960.gs
Design by Grid
www.designbygrid.com
Hashgrid
www.hashgrid.com
Design: Grids

116. Good design is…
Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.
© Dieter Rams, amended March 2003 and October 2009
Dieter Rams: 10 principles of good design

117. Design: SketchingDefining Sketches Versus Wireframes, Templates Versus Pages
Templates Pages
Apply to many different pages Specific, may apply to a single
page or screen
Examples:
• basic page
• category page
• product page
Examples:
• homepage
• ecommerce or transactional
form
Sketches Wireframes
Quick More time-consuming
Few details Very detailed
Not typically delivered Professional deliverable