People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World (with narrative)

© COPYRIGHT 2016 BALANCE, INC. & JONATHAN MORGAN HTTP://BALANCEINC.COM
People, Product, and Place:
IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World
WORLD IA DAY 2016 - PITTSBURGH
02/20/2016
BALANCE
JONATHAN MORGAN
DIRECTOR OF EMERGING EXPERIENCES
@PROMOROCK
balanceinc.com

MY FIRST COMPUTER: TRS-80
My first computer and my first introduction to coding. This is when I decided that the last thing I would waste my life on would be computers.

1996 desktop computer
FAST FORWARD 15 YEARS: CONNECTIVITY
Both the technology and I became more sophisticated. The Internet changed everything (for me).
We were now able to connect to the world outside our bedrooms and offices in an entirely new way.

2000 feature phone
MOBILE WEB: CONNECTIVITY AWAY FROM THE DESK
Advances in mobile technology allowed us to access information on the go. Anytime and anywhere.
But this still wasn’t much different than what we had available at our desks.

MOBILE GPS: CONTEXT THROUGH CONNECTIVITY
Mobile GPS was a significant step forward, affording less transactional interactions between personal technology and the world.
For the first time, we have mobile technology that fills the gaps between ‘here’ and ‘there’.

BLUETOOTH: CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THINGS
Bluetooth took a step in a different direction. Instead of connecting to the wide world around us, it focused on connecting us to other things we own.
For better…..

…. Or worse
BLUETOOTH: CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THINGS
… or worse.
Each of these connective personal technologies was a piece of the puzzle that culminated in…

…. Or worse
THE SMARTPHONE: THE CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES
Now the technology in our pocket has the capacity to access and collect information on nearly every facet of our environment, including ourselves.
Typical smartphones include wifi, BLE, NFC, motion co-processors, barometric, light, and proximity sensors, among others. 3D sensors, radar, …. (soon)

…. Or worse
THE APP EVOLUTION: A SHIFT IN EXPECTATIONS
The most talked about apps of 2008 were able to leverage these embedded technologies to provide value. The combination of wifi &/or cellular and
GPS got users one step closer to their goal by eliminating the ‘cold search’. But to a large degree, this was still transactional = ‘I ask, you give’.

…. Or worse
THE APP EVOLUTION: THE INTRODUCTION OF CONTEXT
Leveraging similar technology as Facebook (2008), Uber is able to greatly simplify their interface = less need for navigation, single screen design,
and limited typing. But what is really groundbreaking is how they leverage CONTEXT = Me in relation to them in relation to where I need to be.

TECHNOLOGY IS USELESS WITHOUT
BIG BRAINS TO MAKE SENSE OF THE
INFORMATION
• Understand the information
• Qualify it
• Structure it in a way that supports a need
This is what we do as Information Architects.
WE MAKE THE COMPLEX SIMPLE
To leverage the full power of connectivity, we
first need understand context.

WHAT IS
CONTEXT?
PEOPLE
PRODUCT PLACE
PEOPLE? PRODUCTS? PLACE?
SITUATION,
LOCATION,
PERSONALITY,
PROFICIENCIES, …
PHYSICAL,
DIGITAL,
UTILITARIAN,
DECORATIVE, …
CITY,
DISTRICT,
STREET,
ROOM, …
How is it classified?
SPATIAL, TEMPORAL, SENSORY, SOCIAL &
CULTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ATMOSPHERIC,…
Let’s explore a place to answer this.

EAST FOURTH STREET DISTRICT CLEVELAND, OHIO

Layout of the Immediate Environment
Spatial
Temporal
Sensory
Social & Cultural
Psychological
Atmospheric

Volume, Density, Activity, and State of
Mind of People
Spatial
Temporal
Sensory
Social & Cultural
Psychological
Atmospheric
Trajectory
Spatial | Temporal
Orientation
Spatial
1 2 3 4 5
Volume
Spatial
Density
Spatial | Temporal
Interactions: With the Environment
Spatial | Temporal | Environmental
Interactions: One-to-one, One-to-many
Spatial | Temporal | Social & Cultural | Psychological
Attention
Sensory | Psychological
Emotion
Psychological Cadence
Spatial | Temporal

Stationary Artifacts
Spatial
Temporal
Sensory
Social & Cultural
Psychological
Atmospheric
Patios
Spatial
Marquees
Spatial
Planters
Spatial
Lighting
Spatial
Driveway
Spatial
Pedestrian Only Walkway
Spatial
Tables & Chairs
Spatial

Weather & The Unpredictable
Spatial
Temporal
Sensory
Social & Cultural
Psychological
Atmospheric
It’s Cleveland. The Weather is a Wild Card.
Atmospheric

Sound & Smell
Spatial
Temporal
Sensory
Social & Cultural
Psychological
Atmospheric
Smell of Food is Everywhere
Sensory
Variable Levels and Density of Sound
Sensory

CONTEXTUAL
INFORMATION IS NOT
CONTEXT
THEN WHAT IS CONTEXT?

PRODUCT PLACE
CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION
+
RELATIONSHIPS
+
UNDERSTANDING
RELATIONSHIPS
“CONTEXT IS AN AGENT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS OF THE
AGENT’S ENVIRONMENT”
ANDREW HINTON, UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT: ENVIRONMENT,
LANGUAGE, AND INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
CONTEXTUAL
INFORMATION
ENVIRONMENT
UNDERSTANDING
PEOPLE

WE HAVE CONSIDERED CONTEXT IN OUR
WORK THROUGHOUT OUR CAREERS.
But our ‘playground’ has shifted from this…

…to this…

…and soon, if not already, this.
But in my opinion, our greatest
opportunity lies in …

… old-timey, human-to-human interaction.

The most profound technologies
are those that disappear. They
weave themselves into the fabric
of everyday life until they are
indistinguishable from it.
Mark Weiser
The Computer for the 21st Century
1991
This paper introduced the concept of Ubiquitous Computing, or Calm Technologies.

…. Or worse
PRODUCT VS. SERVICE DESIGN: OUR PRODUCT IS A SERVICE
The challenge in our line of work is to turn data & information into understanding that drives the creation of something of unique value.
The real world is complex. It’s filled with information. It’s filled with context.

CALM TECHNOLOGIES
FEED ON INFORMATION
BUT COME ALIVE
THROUGH CONTEXT

STEVE MANN
TIMELINE THROUGH THE YEARS
…. Or worse
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE + CALM TECHNOLOGIES
Creating something of value necessitates structure and clarity. We need to adapt our current methods to better understand opportunity.  
We look through the lens of the information available to us, the interactions taking place, and the relationships of myriad facets of the experience.

Communicating Context

CUSTOMER APP / ASSOCIATE APP ➡

While this example leverages context and
emerging technologies, it’s far from ‘calm’.
• It commands attention
• It’s needy
• It’s still an app (or apps)
Let’s explore a more ‘calm’ example through a  
collaborative activity.

OPPORTUNITY MODELING
Let’s see how we might use similar thinking
to uncover opportunities to solve really big
problems with relatively small solutions.
Activity duration: approximately 2 hours*
*excluding upfront research & preparation

Through the use of readily available
technology, we can develop the
infrastructure, platform, and an
affordable product to help the blind
safely navigate complex city
environments.
a hypothesis & a big problem

1. Collaboratively
deconstruct a scenario
through the lens of a
persona
Consider all elements of the
environment with a special focus
on those elements that pose the
greatest concern and/or risk to
the success of a solution.
Extract and document potential
steps in her journey on Post-its.
Each member of the team will
internalize the information during
the process. Making it less
necessary to continually return to
these artifacts.

2. Map relevant contextual information to each
step in her journey
Move the flow defined in the first step to the whiteboard.
Collaboratively explore and document any contextual information that
might be relevant to the hypothesis, scenario, and persona.
The contextual information listed under each step in the journey should
relate only to that step.

3. Define the ‘Information Need’ of our persona
at discrete moments in time
Analyze how the contextual information might affect the ability of our
persona to complete her journey - one step in her journey at a time.
Clearly communicate her Information Needs to further focus our
attention on what is most important at that particular slice in time.

4. Identify potential opportunities &/or solution
spaces
Document any potential opportunities to serve our persona at each step
in her journey. This should be based solely on the Information Needs
listed above it.
Do not limit yourself to just digital solutions. Solutions that involve real
people are often far more reliable and beneficial. So, no ideas are off the
table as long as it aligns with an Information Need.

5. Collectively ideate feature/support  
‘thought-starters’
At this point in the process, we want to understand what is necessary to
turn opportunities into a tangible solution - a product, product feature,
or service.

6. Rank and classify potential features/solutions
Identify themes in the solutions documented in the previous step.
Classify each potential solution by where it will likely live - on the person
(personal product/technology), the environment (infrastructure, public
products, human services), etc.

7. Map potential features to dependencies
Restate the intent of the feature or solution, define the support needed
(technology, human, etc.), and designate in more detail where the
support will live.

8. Explore the possibilities
Explore what solutions might look like.
Evaluate each by asking, ‘does this align with the reality of the user, the
reality of the environment, and the reality of the technology?’ and ’is this
a viable path for further exploration?’. 
The outcome of this exercise is not to define concrete solutions but
rather uncover opportunity to create value. This is merely the foundation
for further exploration and refinement. In the process, we infect the
team with information and empathy.
If done well, no one will even know they were thinking and acting like an
Information Architect.

Through the use of readily available
technology, we can develop the
infrastructure, platform, and an
affordable product to help the blind
safely navigate complex city
environments.
a hypothesis & a big problem made small(er)

The most profound technologies
are those that disappear. They
weave themselves into the fabric
of everyday life until they are
indistinguishable from it.
Mark Weiser
The computer for the 21st Century
1991
A direct challenge for Information Architects:

IoT + IA
Without us, concepts like the Internet of Things are dry,
lifeless, and impersonal.
Regardless of the next hot acronym, our skill set  
is invaluable…

We make the complex simple!
If the Internet or digital technology went away tomorrow, a really
good Information Architect and/or User Experience professional
will be just as valuable as they are today.

People, Product, and Place:
IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World
WORLD IA DAY 2016 - PITTSBURGH
02/20/2016
BALANCE
JONATHAN MORGAN
DIRECTOR OF EMERGING EXPERIENCES
@PROMOROCK
balanceinc.com

People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World (with narrative)

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World (with narrative)

Similar to People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World (with narrative) (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World (with narrative)

Editor's Notes