Introduction to information architecture

This was a virtual seminar I presented for ASIS&T in January 2011. There were some great questions, and I answered some on the IA book website. In this virtual seminar, you’ll learn all about information architecture – what it is, why it’s so important to do well and the major things to do and not to do. We’ll discuss:
how people look for information and what they need to do with it when they find it
different ways you can organize information and when they are suitable
exactly how (processes) you can figure out the best ways to organize your content
the tricky issue of what to call things
other key IA tips
It’s all based on Donna’s experience designing information architecture, navigation and content for a wide range of information systems (usually big ones) such as government and corporate websites, intranets and document management systems.

Transcript

1. Information architecture Donna Spencer - Maadmob (@maadonna)
2. About me • User experience freelancer – information architecture, interaction design, content strategy • Far too long (10+ years) • Run UX Australia (Sydney, late August 2011) • @maadonna !"#$%&'#()*+ ,'-%.'%-#/.0%*#0".% 1'23%4'#%.50%-06+ 7%2#"1(1"8%*9/$0%.'% /)4'#:"(')%"#15/.01.9#0+
3. Topics covered • Information-seeking behaviours • How people look for info & what they do with it • Classification schemes • Ways to organise information & when they work • Processes • How to determine the best IA • Labelling • Testing IA • I’ll answer questions at the end (ask them at any time in the ‘questions’ window)
4. Information- seeking behaviours
5. Browse or search • People say that an individual either browses or searches • Not true - depends on what they need to do
6. Finding known items • Know what you want • Have words to describe it • Fairly good idea of where to start • Know there is an answer • Know when you see the answer
7. imdb.com
8. Exploring • Have some idea of what you want to know • May not know how to articulate it/ terminology • May not know where to start • May never end
9. Refine and narrow • Large set of items • Some criteria that matters • Narrow down to those of interest
10. topgear.co.uk
11. Comparing • Often follows from narrowing/refining • See items side-by-side to compare them
12. topgear.co.uk
13. Getting a broad idea • Sometimes people just need to know the basics • Don’t need the detail
14. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pixies
15. Discovering unknown • Things you didn’t know were there, but you find yourself interested in
16. youtube.com
17. Keeping up to date • Don’t need an answer, but need to keep an eye on things
18. google.com/analytics
19. Refinding • Finding something you’ve seen before • Don’t underestimate the importance of this
20. yogajournal.com
21. amazon.com
22. Information behaviours • In your projects, think about what people need to do • Then figure out how to design for it
23. Classification schemes
24. Organisation schemes • For any set of content, there are many ways we could organise it – many different schemes • Some of the most common: • Subject/topic • Geography • Task • Audience • Mixed
25. Subject/topic
26. choice.com.au
27. alistapart.com/topics/
28. Geography
30. lonelyplanet.com
31. last.fm
32. Task
33. paypal.com
34. Audience
35. monash.edu.au
36. dell.com
37. chi2010.org
38. Mixed
39. ato.gov.au
40. Designing and testing IA
41. Designing IA • Process of synthesis - user research, business goals, content • Draft top level groupings/attributes • Just make something up! • Check it • See if it suits the content • See if it will suit the users • Revise it • Stop when it feels right • Start discussing it with people
42. Tips • How many content groups? • Think about navigation, but put it aside • If stakeholders hate it... • Team or individual • Don’t do it in front of a computer • Make notes about rationale • Sequencing
45. Great labels • Are dull! • Call things by their correct name • Are consistently used • Use terms the audience uses • Are as clear as possible
46. yogajournal.com
48. 3am.co.uk
49. Testing IA • Just tests concepts and labels • Still will need to test navigation/pages • Need • Draft IA • Scenarios • Participants
51. optimalworkshop.com
52. plainframe.com
53. Questions (if there are more than I can answer, I’ll answer some at http://practical-ia.com/)
54. And a plug... Find out more in my full day workshop. 31 March, IA Summit, Denver (Colorado) http://2011.iasummit.org/
55. Thanks • http://maadmob.com.au/ • +61 409-778-693 • donna@maadmob.net • Twitter etc: maadonna