The document provides an introduction to an information architecture workshop. It includes an agenda for the workshop that covers background concepts, the design process, a project overview, user research, competitive reviews, personas, card sorting, site maps, page types, grids, navigation, and wireframes. The goals are to understand user experience design concepts and processes, experience a sample design project, and review basic information architecture deliverables.

1. Introduction to Information Architecture & DesignSchool of Visual Arts | Winter 2011Robert Stribley

2. Introduction

3. IntroductionAussie-Style Liquorice

4. Apples, Food Shed, Market, Brooklyn

5. Mailboxes with Paper Planes, Anthropologie Store

6. Soap

7. IntroIntroductionRobert StribleyI’m an senior information architect at RazorfishI writer music and arts reviews,I producer a promote a variety showI photograph various thingsI drink coffeeClients include:Bank of America, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, WachoviaBoston Scientific, NasonexChoice HotelsComputer Associates, EMCFordNextelRed CrossTravel Channel, Women’s Wear Daily

8. IntroAbout YouWhat’s your name?What do you do for work?What do you do for fun?Coffee, tea or bottled water?Introduction

9. IntroIntroductionGoals of this workshopUnderstand the basic concepts of user experience designExperience the general process and techniques used on a design projectReview the basic deliverables an information architect develops within a project

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

11. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.

12. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.

13. Owl butterfly at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.

14. Agenda

15. AgendaAgendaMorningBackgroundDesign ProcessOur ProjectUser ResearchCompetitive ReviewPersonasLunch

16. AgendaAgendaAfternoonCard SortingSite MapsPage TypesGridsNavigationSketchingWireframesQ&A

17. Background

18. BackgroundBackground: Defining IAin•for•ma•tionar•chi•tec•ture n.The combination of organization, labeling, and navigation schemes within an information system.

19. The structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content.

20. The art and science of structuring and classifying web sites and intranets to help people find and manage information.

21. An emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.NavigationInteractionArt/ScienceDiscipline/ CommunityInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web (1st Edition), p . 4, Rosenfeld and Morville

22. BackgroundBackground: Defining IAThe Information Architecture Institute defines information architecture as “the art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability.”

23. BackgroundBackground: Defining IA "It's hard to say who really is an information architect. In some sense, we all are.” — Alex Wright, Author Glut

24. Background: Defining IAcontextIAuserscontent

25. Background: Defining IAinterfaceinformation architecture

26. Background: Defining IAskinskeleton

27. Design ProcessBackground: Defining IAmetaphor: architectural plansFlickr.com: Cornell University Library

28. Background: History A Brief History of IA1975 Richard Saul Wurman coined the term “information architecture” to describe the field now more likely described as “information design”1994Formation of Argus Associates in Ann Arbor, WI, the first firm devoted to IA1998First edition of Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld’s Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, affectionately known as “The Polar Bear” book

29. Background: HistoryA Brief History of IA2000First IA Summit, Boston, MA – Defining Information Architecture2002Boxes & Arrows, online journal for information architects goes live

30. 3 new books on IA published, including Jesse James Garrett’sThe Elements of User Experience201112thAnnual IA Summit held in Denver, COPartially 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

31. Design Process

32. Design ProcessDesign ProcessDiscoveryDesignDefinitionDevelopment

33. Design ProcessDesign ProcessDiscoveryDesignDefinitionDevelopment Stakeholder interviewers

34. Business requirements

35. Competitive & comparative audits

36. User research

37. Site inventoryDesign ProcessDesign ProcessDiscoveryDesignDefinitionDevelopmentPersonas

38. Content & meta data audits

39. Card sorts

40. Use cases

41. Mood boards

42. Sketching

43. Site maps

44. Creative brief

45. UX briefDesign ProcessDesign ProcessDiscoveryDesignDefinitionDevelopment Site maps

46. Task flows

47. Sketching

48. Wireframes

49. Stakeholder reviews

50. Prototypes

51. Usability testing

52. Visual designDesign ProcessDesign ProcessDiscoveryDesignDefinitionDevelopmentFunctional specifications

53. Quality assurance

54. Site developmentBackgroundDeliverablesIA Deliverablesdiscoverdesigndefinerequirements documentsketchessite mapcomparative/competitive reviewpersonaswireframesfeature/functionality inventoryuser flowsprototypeexperience briefuse cases

55. BackgroundDeliverablesIA Deliverablesdiscoverdesigndefinerequirements documentsketchessite mapcomparative/competitive reviewpersonaswireframesfeature/functionality inventoryuser flowsprototypeexperience briefuse casesvisual design

56. Our Project

57. Our ProjectWhat to do?

58. Our ProjectEvents.comwants 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

59. Discover

60. User ResearchUser Research in Copenhagen’s Elderly Homes

61. 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 Rosenfield & Peter MorvilleDiscovery: User Research

62. User ResearchMethodologyFocus GroupsSurveysInterviewsGoalsIdentify patterns and trends in user behavior, tasks, preferences, obstacles. Discovery: User Research

63. User ResearchClass Exercise: Survey QuestionsHow 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

64. Competitive Reviewimage by brandonschauer

65. 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 RabinowitzDiscovery: Competitive Review

66. Competitive ReviewDiscovery: Competitive ReviewMethodologyUsability CriteriaScorecardHeuristic EvaluationGoalsReview and analyze competitor sites according to particular criteriaDraw key findings, which can influence and guide IA through the design phaseAlso:Comparative Reviews

67. Competitive ReviewDiscovery: Competitive ReviewCompetitors

68. Competitive Review: FlavorpillDiscovery: Competitive ReviewFlavorpill“Flavorpill loves culture. We embrace the high-brow, low-brow, underground, mainstream, and everything in between — as long as it's good.A city guide for those who like to go out, Flavorpill publishes a daily update of worthwhile cultural-event listings, from art exhibits and readings to concerts, plays, and festivals.”http://flavorpill.com/about

69. Competitive Review: FlavorpillDiscovery: Competitive ReviewHome PageSearchRecent ActivityOur PickWhat’s Happening TodayEvents calendarFeatured VenueFeatured EventsGiveawaysNew York GuideNavigationPrimaryEvents

70. Today

71. Editor Picks

72. Giveaways

73. Venues

74. Daily Dose

75. FlavorwireUtilityCity Dropdown

76. Sign In/Sign Out

77. SignUp/ Profile

78. Follow Us (RSS, Facebook, Twitter)

79. SearchFeatures & FunctionalitySearch

80. Calendar

81. Filtering

82. Google maps

83. Comments

84. ProfileGoing.comCompetitive Review: Going.comDiscovery: Competitive Review“Going helps you find fun things to do and fun people to meet.Ever wish there were one place where you can find all the events around town?Want to know whether an event is worth going to and see who else likes it?Looking to meet some new people who are up for doing fun things?We felt the same frustration and decided to do something about it. The result is Going: we now have hundreds of events a day and thousands of people who are up for doing fun things.”http://newyork.going.com/about_site

85. Competitive Review: Going.comDiscovery: Competitive ReviewFeatures & FunctionalitySearch

86. Calendar

87. Profiles

88. Who likes it?

89. Comments

90. Event posting and promoting

91. RSVP online/Buy tickets

92. Event filtering

93. Link to Google MapsHome PagePost an EventSearchInboxOrganizer ToolsWhat’s Popular this WeekCity FeedRecession BustersTop Searches (tag cloud)Photo BoothNavigationPrimaryThings to Do

94. Places to Go

95. People to SeeSecondaryRecession Busters

96. More CitiesUtilityProfile

97. Inbox

98. Post an Event

99. Search

100. Settings

101. LogoutDiscovery: Competitive ReviewNYCgo.com“NYC & Company is New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization. Our mission is to maximize travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, build economic prosperity and spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world. ”http://nycgo.com/?event=view.footerArticle&id=49568Competitive Review: NYCgo.com

102. Competitive Review: NYCgo.comDiscovery: Competitive ReviewHome PageSearch

103. This Week carousel

104. NYC Highlights

105. Events calendar

106. Recent News

107. Plan Your Trip

108. Deals & Offers

109. Filter by borough

110. My NYC profilesNavigationPrimaryTop Attractions

111. What to Do

112. Where to Stay

113. Plan Your Trip

114. Deals

115. Broadway

116. NYC Restaurant Week

117. FreeSecondaryTravel Trade

118. Meeting Planners

119. Membership

120. PressUtilitySearch (with categories)

121. Language Selector

122. Temperature

123. Twitter, Facebook, EmailFunctionalitySearch

124. Google maps

125. Calendar

126. Find an event

127. Filtering

128. MyNYCCompetitive ReviewDiscovery: Competitive ReviewKey FindingsSearch placed prominently on each site, sometimes with advanced search