Information architecture as theory and practice I. On the term “information architecture”

Information architecture as theory and practice I. On the term “information architecture” • Origins II. Conducting the analysis • Why do the research? • How to do the research III. What IAs do IV. Elements of IA • What IAs deliver

Information architecture as theory and practice • On the term “information architecture” • Richard Saul Wuhrman introduced it in the 60s thinking about the role of information urban planning and design • Used an architectural metaphor • Information as instructions for organizing space • It involves the creation of systemic, structural, and orderly principles to make something work • The thoughtful making of either artifact, or idea, or policy that informs because it is clear • Wyllys, R.E. (2000). Information Architecture. • http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~l38613dw/readings/InfoArchitecture.html

From a speech in 1976: “Information architect: 1) the individual who organizes the patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear 2) a person who creates the structure or map of information which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge 3) the emerging 21st century professional occupation addressing the needs of the age focused upon clarity, human understanding, and the science of the organization of information.” Wurman, R.S. and Bradford, P. (eds). (1996). Information Architects. Zurich, Switzerland: Graphis Press.

The practice of IA It takes place in an information ecology Users Factors: audience, tasks, needs, information seeking, experience Understanding user demographics and preferences Who us using the site and how they are using it Content Factors: documents, data types, content objects, volume, existing structure This content has to be managed It plays an important role in shaping the website

Information ecology Content (cont.) Ownership: centralized or distributed? Homegrown or outsourced? Structure: what types of files? Sizes? Markup? Dynamically generated? Context: organizational structure and culture Factors: mission, business goals, business processes, workflow, funding, technology, resources, constraints The website is an artifact of the organization, its public face, and a “touch point”

II. Conducting the analysis • Why do the research? Theoretical reasons Research on organizations can help developers avoid problems that can undermine projects Practical reasons It is a necessary step in the project life cycle It saves time, money, and effort It allows you to figure out what you have to do You can get a sense of the existing situation You can understand what the constraints are and who can impose them

• How to do the research There are different ways to set up the problem Ask an open-ended question Set up a relationship and test it There are a variety of ways to study an organization You can talk to people interviews You can ask people to fill out forms surveys You can watch people observation You can test people experimentation There are variations within these approaches as well

There is a difference between academic research and IA research There is less need for rigor You don’t have to worry about generalizability Peer review is not an issue There are good reasons to use good research practices If your methods are reliable, you can reuse them You can be assured of quality data and reasonable conclusions You can have consistency within and across projects Over time this can lead to best practices You can then train new employees more easily

The goal of the research is to understand the “socio- technical context” of the web site Given the constraints of the project, what is the best way to learn about the organization’s “information ecology”? What is it that you want to know? What is the “big picture?” Vision What is the role of the web in the organization? How is the current and/or future site viewed in the organization? What are the short and long term goals for the site? How does the organization plan to use the site?

What is the “big picture?” Resources What can the organization afford? What types of financial, technical, and human resources can be made available for development? What is the long term commitment to maintaining and upgrading the site? Audiences Why do/should people come to the site? What do people do when they come to the site? What are the major tasks that they would like people to do?

Research strategies Determine who it is you should be talking to Study the web site carefully See what departments or groups in the organization are represented on the site Note all names and contact information Use your initial contact Learn how the organization is structured and try to figure out who has a stake in the web site Confirm your hunches with your contact

Settle on your strategy or strategies Individual email or telephone interviews? Group email or conference calls? Individual face-to-face interviews? Group meetings Each has its advantages and drawbacks Face-to-face interviews and group meetings are good ways to gather information In addition to the research value, these strategies also serve a social function You learn about stakeholder biases You learn about political and power relationships

III. What IAs do Preparation Site goals The audience User experience User scenarios The competition The design document

Consider this question: “What should our team create to give people experiences that are useful, usable, and desirable, that create value for our business and our clients?” How can we answer it? Rettig emphasizes the importance of an ethnographic approach “Go where people work, learn, live and play. Discover unexpressed or masked needs. Let your design be driven by genuine understanding of the people you are trying to serve.” Rettig, M. (2000). Ethnography and information architecture. http://www.enteract.com/~marc/asis/slide0009.htm

In practical terms, this means: Observation: go into the setting and watch people Shadowing: follow them around Examining artifacts and their uses Interviews: interview people in their workplace This can be structured or unstructured Sampling: can involve time or task sampling They fill out activity diaries on your schedule Self-reporting: they have the greatest amount of control Ask them to take pictures or keep journals

Site design begins well before the first page is ever coded This early stage requires considerable research The first step is to understand the goals of the site owners How well do you understand their business? What are their main products and services? What are their business rules? Then work to understand the audience for the site Who do they sell to? Write user profiles and scenarios Conduct needs requirements

Determining the goals for the site Can be done informally with conversations with key stakeholders Can be done formally at meetings with clear agendas Questions to consider Who should you talk to or include in the meeting? Who has to buy in to the concept? Goal To achieve a group consensus

The basic set of questions should include: What is the mission or purpose of the organization? Check the answers you get against company literature What are the goals of the site? As people talk about goals for the site, categorize them into short term and long term goals Who are the intended audiences? Check these answers against the company’s market research Why will people come to the site? What are the main tasks that people are expected to perform?

Gather all of the data and begin analyzing them This involves sorting and categorizing Goals, activities/tasks, main content areas Prepare a preliminary listing of these and use “member checking” Be prepared for conflict, disagreement, and compromise There should be a deliverable (a design document) It summarizes the key points of the site and acts as an initial blueprint The major stakeholders should all sign off on the document

Technical: Design and build Code Scripts Words Images Presentation: visual display Structure: Organization of content Behavior: What people do on the site <html> <head> <title>Web page</title> <script language=javascript> </script> </head> <body> Text <IMG SRC=image.gif”> </body> </html> Basics of web architecture

Site design and basic questions Where am I? Where can I go? What can I do here?

IAs work with four kinds of systems Organization/structural systems These constrain the ways content can be grouped Labeling systems Artifacts of taxonomies that determine logical relations among content groups. Navigation systems Provide means of moving through the site based on the scheme for the labeling Searching systems Help resolve user problems with navigation, labelling and organization

IV. Elements of information architecture Components Constituent parts of a digital information space Web site: pages, navigation scheme, site map functionalities Dimensions Web site: multidimensional information space with hypertext navigation Boundaries Lines of demarcation around the information space Web site: not clear because of linking

Purpose The functions of the information space Web site: provide access to information, educate, sell, entertain Heterogeneity Characteristics of the content Web site: many different media types, formats, programming and markup languages Centralization How the information space is controlled Web site: becoming more decentralized in content management and technical maintenance

Orientations to information architecture Social: Doing the research What are the mission, vision, and goals for the site? What will be the central metaphors for the site? How will the site grow and change over time? What will be the impacts on the organization? Technical: Design and build How will the site be organized ? What content and functionality will the site contain? What types of navigation, labeling, and searching will be used?

What do IAs deliver? Site map This is a visualization of the taxonomy and structural relationships among content domains It also provides an overview of the navigation scheme Content maps These are detailed depictions showing what is on each page and how content on some pages is linked to content on other pages Page view A drawing or block diagram showing what information, links, content, promotional space, and navigation will be on each page

What else? Prototypes: An outline or storyboard of a functional prototype Could also be a working prototypes with HTML, Flash, Director, or PowerPoint Written reports A narrative description of the site linking it to organizational mission, messages, and marketing constraints Change management How will the site grow and change over time? What will be involved in maintenance?

Test, test, test Track down participants through customer lists, related organizations, discussion lists, conferences Pay them if you can afford it What should you ask? Get their name and use it Find out their web skill level and familiarity Ask other questions essential to viewing the results What should they do? Give them tasks, watch, and listen Let them browse, watch, and listen

The process of information architecture Maintenance and updating Planning and strategy: predesign analysis Feedback and redesign Conceptual design: prototyping Information organization: Content development Launch Production: Navigation systems Search tool Labeling systems Operations Testing: Quality assurance and usability

Information architecture as theory and practice I. On the term “information architecture”