Information architectures: theory and practice (Internet, Web, Grid, Cloud), design

1. Information architectures: theory and practice (Internet, Web, Grid, Cloud), design Peter Fox Xinformatics – ITEC/CSCI/ERTH-4400/6400 Module 6b, March 8, 2016

2. Contents • Information architecturestheory and practice (Reference, Internet, Web, Grid, Cloud) • Design • Next classes

3. (Information) Architecture • Definition: • “is the art of expressing a model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems” (wikipedia) • “… I mean architect as in the creating 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.” Wuman

4. More detail to connect us • “The term information architecture describes a specialized skill set which relates to the interpretation of information and expression of distinctions between signs and systems of signs.” (wikipedia, emphasis added)

5. Meaning not deep thought • “Information architecture is the categorization of information into a coherent structure, preferably one that the most people can understand quickly, if not inherently. • It's usually hierarchical, but can have other structures, such as concentric or even chaotic.” (wikipedia)

6. Typical example – learning portal

7. And relation to design? • “In the context of information systems design, information architecture refers to the analysis and design of the data stored by information systems, concentrating on entities, their attributes, and their interrelationships. • It refers to the modeling of data for an individual database and to the corporate data models an enterprise uses to coordinate the definition of data in several (perhaps scores or hundreds) of distinct databases. • The "canonical data model" is applied to integration technologies as a definition for specific data passed between the systems of an enterprise. • At a higher level of abstraction it may also refer to the definition of data stores.” (wikipedia)

8. Art or skill? • Form follows function (Sullivan) – who put this into effect in building structures, homes? • Based on two previous foundations classes, information theory and signs, it should be clear that the answer is ‘yes’ (both).

9. Is this Architected?

10. Semiotic triangle • When you build an information system (elements, relations, operation), it has “SYMBOLS” to stand for “SOMETHING” • Design of your symbols and how they go together (architecture) enables the “THOUGHT” (or not)

11. Remember this one?

12. Examples

13. So, now some “design”

14. Design theory; elements, principles, color… • Elements • Form • Value • Texture • Lines • Shapes • Direction • Size • Color • Relate these to previous class, signs and relations between them

15. Principles of design • Balance • Balance in design is similar to balance in physics • Gradation • of size and direction produce linear perspective. • of color from warm to cool and tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective. • can add interest and movement to a shape. • from dark to light will cause the eye to move along a shape. • Repetition • with variation is interesting, without variation repetition can become monotonous. 

16. Balance, gradation, repetition

17. Principles of design • Contrast • is the juxtaposition of opposing elements e.g. opposite colors on the color wheel - red / green, blue / orange etc. • in tone or value - light / dark. • in direction - horizontal / vertical. • The major contrast in a painting should be located at the center of interest. • Too much contrast scattered throughout a painting can destroy unity and make a work difficult to look at. • Unless a feeling of chaos and confusion are what you are seeking, it is a good idea to carefully consider where to place your areas of maximum contrast.

18. Contrast

19. Principles of design • Harmony • in painting is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. e.g. adjacent colors on the color wheel, similar shapes etc. • Dominance • gives a scene interest, counteracting confusion and monotony • can be applied to one or more of the elements to give emphasis

20. Harmony, Dominance

21. Principles of design • Unity • Relating the design elements to the idea being expressed in a rendering reinforces the principal of unity. • E.g. a scene with an active aggressive subject would work better with a dominant oblique direction, course, rough texture, angular lines etc. whereas a quiet passive subject would benefit from horizontal lines, soft texture and less tonal contrast. • in a painting also refers to the visual linking of various elements of the work.

22. Unity

23. Color • Primary Colors - Red, Yellow, Blue - these colors should not be intermingled, they must be bought together in some other form • Secondary Color - Orange, Violet, Green, these colors are created by mixing two primaries. • Intermediate Colors - Red Orange, Yellow Green, Blue Violet, etc.; mixing a primary with a secondary creates these colors. • Complementary Colors - are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.  When placed next to each other they look bright and when mixed together they neutralize each other. 

24. Wheels

25. Color applied • Harmony is when an artist uses certain combinations of colors that create different looks or feelings        • Analogous Colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel for example red, red orange, and orange are analogous colors. • Triadic Harmony is where three equally spaced colors on the color wheel are used for example, Yellow, Red, Blue is a triadic harmony color scheme. • Monochromatic is where one color is used but in different values and intensity.

26. Color applied • Warm colors are on one side of the color wheel and they give the felling of warmth for example red, orange and yellow are the color of fire and feel warm. • Cool colors are on the other side of the color wheel and they give the feeling of coolness for example blue, violet, are the color of water, and green are the color of cool grass.

27. Back to (Reference) architectures • “provides a proven template solution for an architecture for a particular domain. It also provides a common vocabulary with which to discuss implementations, often with the aim to stress commonality. • A reference architecture often consists of a list of functions and some indication of their interfaces (or APIs) and interactions with each other and with functions located outside of the scope of the reference architecture.” (wikipedia)

28. U.S. Federal Enterprise Arch • E.g. The Federal Enterprise Architecture Reference Model Ontology (FEA-RMO) is a domain specific ontology of the Federal Enterprise Architecture reference models. • FEA-RMO directly translates the Performance, Business, Service Component, and Technical reference models into their executable representation in OWL-DL. • http://web-services.gov/fea-rmo.html

29. FEA Domain model

31. Data Description

32. Data Sharing

33. Data Context

34. IA=IM? • Did we just examine an enterprise reference architecture that was actually a domain (conceptual) information model along with its logical model? • How about THAT! • BUT…

35. Architectures – what is seen? • Some illustrate information architecture as an iceberg. • Just like an iceberg, the majority of information architecture work is out of sight, "below the water." • The work includes the creation of plans, controlled-vocabularies, and blueprints all before any user interfaces are created.

36. Architecture paradigms • Model • View • Controller

37. Internet/ Intranet • Communications versus information architecture? • http://www.slideshare.net/postwait/scalable-internet-architecture • See the reading for this week, the role of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and architecture

38. E.g. is this better?

39. WWW • Design for the web (Tim Berners Lee) • “Principles such as simplicity and modularity are the stuff of software engineering; decentralization and tolerance are the life and breath of Internet. To these we might add the principles of least powerful language, and the test of independent invention when considering evolvable Web technology.”

40. Original design issues • See http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Overview.html • Here are the criteria and features to be considered: • Intended uses of the system. • Availability on which platforms? • Navigational techniques and tools: browsing, indexing, maps, resource discovery, etc • Keeping track of previous versions of nodes and their relationships • Multiuser access: protection, editing and locking, annotation. • Notifying readers of new material available • The topology of the web of links • The types of links which can express different relationships between nodes

41. Original design issues • These are the three important issues which require agreement between systems which can work together • Naming and Addressing of documents • Protocols • The format in which node content is stored and transferred • Implementation and optimization • Caching , smart browsers, knowbots etc., format conversion, gateways

42. Web architectural elements URI HTML HTTP Yes, this is the conceptual information model of the Web!

43. Common Gateway Interface An early “architecture” that implemented the conceptual model but changed the “interface”!

44. Client – Server and multi tier Interface!

45. Web page/site architecture • Hierarchies, we call them levels: • Top level (the main page) • Second (and further) level (via navigation) • Balancing the levels • Interface! • Remember your use case, the actors, the resources, the information model, information entropy, the signs, ... • Just as light relief, let’s look back…

46. Coupled Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions

47. CEDAR 1.0 circa 1990

48. CEDAR 2.0 circa 1994

49. 2000