Slides from a recent Brikit webinar about designing an Information Architecture in Confluence that scales as your information needs grow. You can watch the full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iLmqdxzz3k

1. Designing an Information Architecture
That Scales in Confluence

2. GoFaster.
WorkBetter.
MoveTogether.
with Digital Workplace Design

3. Todayyou’lllearn
1. Why you need information design
2. Our approach
3. Concrete steps you can use
• Documenting your design
• Soliciting feedback
• Risk management techniques

4. Information
Overload
WHY WE DO INFORMATION DESIGN
“25% of employees experience poor health or significant stress due to
the volume of information they are required to manage in their jobs…”
Ruff, Joseph. “Information Overload: Causes, Symptoms and Solutions,” Learning Innovations Laboratories, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
December, 2002. http://www.newsmaster.be/flow/dw/ciel/2011/aout11/infooverloadbrief.pdf
“73% of employees agreed that they needed ‘enormous amounts of
information’ to be successful in their job.”
And yet…

5. • No sense of ‘the whole’ / how it all ‘relates’
• Not sure how to ‘get around’ or ‘where to go’
• Uncertain if contributions are meaningful
• Can’t do anything
WHY WE DO INFORMATION DESIGN
Displacement

6. WHY WE DO INFORMATION DESIGN
Coordination
• Setting boundaries & forms
• Identifying & using meaningful concepts
• Orienting ‘travelers’ and participants
• Planning for today and tomorrow

7. OurApproach
• Integrating design disciplines
• Phased and iterative methodology

8. Thefourpillarsof
DigitalWorkplace
Design
1Visual
2Information
3Technology
4Solution

9. Methodology:
fivephasesofdevelopment
Design
Define
Build
Launch
2
1
3
4
5Operate

10. OurApproachto
• Review users, purposes, goals
• Five ‘fingers’ of information design
• Iteration cycle
InformationDesign

11. IterationCycle
1. Write it down 2. Mock it up
3. Let it sit (talk & think about it)4. Revise and repeat
1 2
4 3

12. 5Fingersof
InformationDesign
1Structure 2Taxonomy 3Navigation
4Permissions 5Information
Lifecycle

13. • Define it
• How to ‘do’ it
• What you get by thinking about it
Digin
Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information LifecycleStructure

14. 1Structure
• Structure is a hierarchical perspective of
your site’s content
• Structure depends on your technology
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

15. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

16. Whatdoweget?
• The primary ‘categories’ of the site
• Asserted ‘belonging’ of content
• Purposes for most spaces and some pages
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

17. 2Taxonomy
• A list of official, ‘controlled’ terms for things you
care about
• Types or uses of terminology:
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
Descriptive
What is the content ‘about’?
Structural
What ‘type’ of content is it?
Functional
What does the content ‘do’?

18. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

19. • The primary ‘categories’ of the site (again!)
• Labels, label application ‘rules’
• Navigation headings
• Naming conventions (for Page Titles)
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
Whatdoweget?

20. 3Navigation
• ‘Wayfinding’ pathways and signage that
enable users to ‘move’ through the site and
find information
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

21. FourMainTypes
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
1
2
4
3
Primary
1 header; space or site-wide
2 Secondary
side-bar; pages within space
3 Tertiary
on page; discovery, within page/space
4 Footer
footer links (‘fat footer’); site wide

22. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

23. • The primary ‘categories’ of the site (again!)
• Reinforces perspective / sense of whole
• Facilitates discovery (and satisfaction)
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
Whatdoweget?

24. 4Permissions
• The roles and purposes of your
users, and what they can do
with respect to your content
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

25. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

26. • Defined groups
• Reflection of organization’s ‘culture’
• Security policy
• Identify users for testing & evaluation
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
Whatdoweget?

27. 5Information
Lifecycle
• The ‘flow’ of information from its
creation to its disposition, and the
associated forms, ’rules’ and policies
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

28. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

29. Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle

30. • Content types disclosed
• Content disposition policies
• Blueprints for content reuse
• Change management plans
Structure Taxonomy Navigation Permissions Information Lifecycle
Whatdoweget?

31. Summary
1. Information Design is coordination
2. ID is part of a comprehensive methodology
3. 5 fingers of Information Design
4. Iterative technique, starts with tables
5. Plans for today and tomorrow

32. Thankyou.
brikit.com