1 / 33

Practicing Information Architecture

Learn about the role of an Information Architect, the key phases and approaches to Information Architecture, considerations and deliverables, and the importance of both traditional and persuasive architecture. Gain insights on how to balance user needs, business goals, and technology capabilities to create comprehensive and user-friendly information systems.

willab
Download Presentation

Practicing Information Architecture

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Practicing Information Architecture Faye Hoffman Information Architect University of Victoria

  2. Who Am I? • What do I do? • I work for UVic • Web Coordinators Group in Communication Services • Information Architect • Previously: • With: ACD Systems, Ciber Inc., Corel Inc., Grey Interactive, NCompass Labs (Microsoft Content Management Server), Electronic Arts • For: Hewlett Packard, Agilent, Open University, Digital Signature Trust, VanCity, Vancouver Television, Disney Interactive, Broderbund, Hollister and too many long-gone start-ups to mention… • Further back: • ECCAD – Fine Arts • NSCAD – Visual Communication

  3. What I’m Going to Talk About • What is Information Architecture? • Role of an Information Architect • Where Does IA Fit? • Phases of IA • Approaches to IA • Considerations & Deliverables • Traditional vs. Persuasive Architecture • Key Goals

  4. What is IA? • The combination of organization, labeling and navigation schemes within an information system. • The structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content. • The juxtaposition of individual pieces of information in order to convey meaning. • A site component, a phase, a job or role, a discipline or degree and a community.

  5. Role of an IA • Balance the needs of the business and the users with the capabilities of technology to design comprehensive systems that include the organization, navigation, and interaction of the final solution. • Organize patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear. • Create the structure or map of information which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge.

  6. Where Does IA Fit? Matt Jones – blackbeltjones.com

  7. Phases of IA • Strategy is where it all begins. • Scope transforms strategy into requirements. • Structure gives shape to scope. • Skeleton makes structure concrete. • Surface brings everything together visually.

  8. Approaches to IA • Top-Down • Driven by user research • Develop mental models of audience types • Derive main site organization from this understanding of approaches to the task • Bottom-Up • Closely linked with content analysis • Focused on: • Understanding and describing the content • Finding the patterns and groupings • Matching content with user needs

  9. Top Down, Bottom Up

  10. Considerations & Deliverables

  11. Users Business Context Content Requirements Gathering Determine what users need, how they find and use it … and ensure that stakeholder/business goals are fulfilled in the process Identify patterns in content Determine how stakeholders think they should organize & present their information

  12. Vision & Scope

  13. Considerations & Deliverables

  14. Informal Content Inventory

  15. Formal Content Inventory

  16. Content Map

  17. Content Map

  18. User Flow • Exposes key decision points • Identifies holes/issues • Identifies page count • Builds consensus about functionality

  19. User Flow

  20. Use Cases

  21. Considerations & Deliverables

  22. Wireframe

  23. Wireframe - Grouping

  24. Considerations & Deliverables

  25. Considerations & Deliverables

  26. Considerations & Deliverables

  27. Traditional vs. Persuasive Architecture • Traditional • Principles of consistency and accessibility to all “other” information available on the site. • Persuasive • Principle that what matters most is whether users can quickly and easily advance to the next step in the pursuit of their goal.

  28. Persuasive Architecture • Process of planning and architecting a site which persuades a user to do something. • “Something” can be a product, sign up for a newsletter, apply for admission, give a gift to the University, etc. • It is not a one-solution-for-all users approach. • Involves significant effort in user profiling, task analysis and business analysis.

  29. Persuasive Architecture • Involves persuasive architecture, navigation, copywriting, labeling and visual design. • Can lead to significant increase in sales, applicants etc. • Can minimize abandonment.

  30. Institutional Application We are in business to inform and persuade. • Recruitment Efforts • Development Efforts • Internal application adoption

  31. Utilizing Both Approaches • Continue to include user goals as primary motivators for navigational structure • What actions need to be taken? • Continue to support traditional, consistent navigation • How can the action be taken? • Identify and build, design & write for key “persuasive” paths • How do we persuade someone to take the action we desire?

  32. Key Goals To simplify and increase the understanding and transparency of design processes and user experiences To create designs and plans that serve as the foundation and blueprints for meaningful, useful and compelling use experiences To ultimately contribute to the success of the University by helping people find, use and manage information more effectively

  33. Discussion

More Related