Manager of UX Strategy Jessie DuVerneay explores the foundation that can make or break a website – information architecture, and more specifically, services taxonomy. DuVerneay combines her love of library science with UX principles to explain the importance of these website building blocks, sharing strategies on how to get started.
11. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Think of it this way:
Strategy IA UX
Aspirational, Big Picture Concrete, Structure Complete, Interaction
“We want to build a house”
“We need bricks, and we
need to stack the bricks
intelligently, in the right
order”
“We have a house, we plaster
the walls and make sure the
doors are in the right spot”
The “Why” The “What” The “How”
12. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
UX Strategy Asks & Answers Questions
Strategy IA UX
What do we want this to do?
Why?
Who is this for?
What are our constraints?
What does success look like?
How might this differentiate
us from our peers?
How is this related to other
parts of our ecosystem?
Based on what we know about our
strategy, what pieces do we need?
How are they organized?
How will this structure meets the
needs of the org? Of the people
using it?
Now that we have
the pieces and and
a sense of how they
work together, how
can we make this
awesome?
14. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Information Architecture
Information Architecture (IA) is the frame, map, or
blueprint of your information environment, and a
website is only as good at its foundational
structure. IA’s goal is to build durable, stable
structures that help people solve problems. Good
IA can ensure your foundation is stable; that your
website will be durable, will scale well over time,
and will be liked by users.
15. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
What is IA?
Definition May Look Like
The “What”
The creation of intentional structures
that support the extension of strategy
into digital and physical places.
Making places made of information that
allow meaning making, wayfinding,
findability, and understanding.
Taxonomy
Sitemap
Navigation & Wayfinding
Wireframes
Content Model
Metadata & Labels
17. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Taxonomy
Not to be confused with TAXIDERMY
Classification into ordered categories:
Using the right words,
in the right order,
In the right context,
For the right reasons.
18. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Services Taxonomy
Your services taxonomy is the backbone of your
website. It impacts not just the listing of what is
offered, but also things like page structure,
search filters, breadcrumbs, and backend file
structure. As much of the clarity (and therefor UX)
of the site is dependent on this taxonomy,
ensuring that it follows best practices and is user
centered will ensure a meaningful and valuable
site experience.
23. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Navigation
Service Landing Page
Page Structures
Filters
Breadcrumbs
Cross-links (ie: from Bio Detail)
Search Results
Language in Non-digital Assets
24. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
POP QUIZ:
On a scale of
1 (yay!) to Scary Crying
Baby how do you feel
about your current
services taxonomy?
25. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
“It’s not important.
We don’t have time.”
“It’s fine the way it is.
It’s too politically loaded."
“No budget for that step.
That’s not in scope for this effort.”
“That’s not something we know how to do.
We can just add that in when we get to the designs.”
27. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
If you skip “X”, expect “Y”
Strategy IA UX
Products that don’t address
a business need
Specific tactics deployed
without the intended results
Something that will not be
valuable or have utility in
the near future
Wasted budget
Products that don’t make sense
& are hard to navigate
Disorienting user experience,
even though design, or UI might
seem fine (or even great)
Issues with findability &
scalability
Difficulty creating great UX
Complications & increased
budget in build
Low user adoption &
opinion of the system
Increased calls to support
Poor Conversion
Odd or lack of integration
with the rest of the
information environment
28. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Too many options
Important offerings are hard to find
Business opportunities are missed
Visitors feel the language used is not for them
Visitors are overwhelmed
Visitor experiences cognitive overload
Visitor does not understand offerings
Opportunity for continuing the conversation is missed
32. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT
41. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Strategic Planning
Technology Consulting
Data & Optimization Strategy
Web Development
Mobile & Custom App Development
Hosting & Application Management
Data Integration
Brand Research & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Visual & Interaction Design
DIGITAL STRATEGY
BRAND & EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
42. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT
43. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Strategic Planning
Technology Consulting
Data & Optimization Strategy
Web Development
Mobile & Custom App Development
Hosting & Application Management
Data Integration
Brand Research & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Visual & Interaction Design
DIGITAL STRATEGY
BRAND & EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
44. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT
47. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Building a Better Taxonomy: Top Down
Assess the current state taxonomy – identify
issues and areas for improvement
Establish and align on strategy for new taxonomy
Gather synonyms (from content, competitors,
industry taxonomies, and SEO)
Understand client mental models and preferred
language patterns
Become and/or extensively interview subject
matter experts (SME)
Select preferred terms, acceptable synonyms, and
any excluded words/terms
Sort preferred terms into correct hierarchical
categories
Suggest appropriate new taxonomy draft
Test and refine new taxonomy with users and
SMEs to confirm or continue refining
Provide recommendations on necessary
subsequent updates to navigation
48. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Building a Better Taxonomy: Bottom Up
Pick a problem area
Get the right people involved
Work through it together
Come to consensus
Formally update the taxonomy
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
51. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Go for it!
Identify the issues & opportunities
Be able to make the business / user case for improving your taxonomy
Approach your taxonomy strategically
Start as soon as you can
Think about if top down or bottom up will work best for you
Get the right people in the room
Test & Iterate!
Give yourself 3x the amount of time you think you’re going to need
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
Here is the floorpan of my mom’s house.
Use case: mom has to do laundry
Use case: mom has to go get groceries
Use case: mom has to put groceries in the kitchen
You can see the problem here
I mean, besides mom being the only one doing all the housework…
My bedroom was actually a hallway. I lacked privacy. I didn’t feel super safe - knowing that anyone could walk into my bedroom at any time. No amount of cool bedding or lights could make it seem like a normal, usable space for a teenager.
My mom’s key workflows were interrupted because of bad architecture.And at its core, thats what IA is. Information architects make sure this kind of goofy place making doesn't happen online.
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IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
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IMPORTANT******To replace an background image, please move the bluelayer to the side. And don’t forget to move it back!
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