By the end of this talk you
should be aware of what is
Information Architecture
without facing jargon-bullets.
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“Architecture”
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Photo credit: variationblogr on Visual Hunt / CC BY
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а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216
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а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216
Blueprint
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Architecture
may mean two different things
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Conceptual Structure
a.k.a. blueprint or technical drawing
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A Practice
i.e. application of skill or knowledge
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Information Architecture
similarly may refer to either,
but here we’ll primarily refer to the practice
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Mess
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wtf-am-i-supposed-to-do-wit by kris krüg on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/18768224
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wtf-am-i-supposed-to-do-wit by kris krüg on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/18768224
Mess
disorganised, therefore not understandable
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mess by amanda on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinprick/5879923126
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Unkept Room by Tom Blackwell on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjblackwell/6007033415
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Photo credit: José Morcillo Valenciano on Visual Hunt / CC BY
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–Abby Covert
Information Architect and author of How to Make Sense of Any Mess
“I define the word ‘mess’ the same way that most
dictionaries do: A situation where the interactions
between people and information are confusing or
full of difficulties.”
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Mess
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No content
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Mess
is somewhat manageable in small amounts
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No content
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Mess
is a problem at scale
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Order by Volgar on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/volgar/27461981479
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Tukwila/International Blvd Station Parking lot by Atomic Taco on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/atomictaco/4333647127
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Tukwila/International Blvd Station Parking lot by Atomic Taco on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/atomictaco/4333647127
Mess
may be visually neat and tidy
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India by Herry Lawford on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/6779074382
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My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950
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My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950
Mess
is not about visual neatness or aesthetics
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Mess
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Mess
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Information Architecture
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–Abby Covert
in How to Make Sense of Mess
“Every mess and every thing shares one important
non-thing : information.”
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–The Information Architecture Institute
“Information architecture is the practice of deciding
how to arrange the parts of something to be
understandable.”
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Things
may be tangible or intangible
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Things
have inherent information
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Things
are everywhere
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Where do you encounter IA?
well, everywhere
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French dictionary page2 by Liz Eckmann on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24498687@N03/2337550017
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Old Map (33) by rosario fiore on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/38703275@N06/6884558828
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Docos by John Keogh on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/6721198
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Facebook Messenger app by PROKārlis Dambrāns on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/janitors/14039237076
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arsp_064 by Anthony Ryan on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/useanthonyryansphotos/7946386402
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Exhibition Hall by Robert Ziegler on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/63998580@N06/5980150860
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buffet by bigbigbigbigtoe on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10402746@N04/7165271584
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–No one, ever
“Hey, nice IA!”
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IA
is typically accepted as is
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–Most people while experiencing mess
“Where am I?”
“Where am I supposed to go next?”
“Where do I find something”
“This doesn’t make any sense!”
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House Numbering
An example
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European Scheme / Odd and Even
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Clockwise Scheme
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Distance Scheme
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Organising Things
for them to make sense
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Labelling
Structuring
Grouping
Arranging
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Block Diagram
Flow Diagram
Gantt Chart
Quadrant Diagram
Venn Diagram
Swim Lane Diagram
Hierarchy Diagram
Mind Map
Schematic
Journey Map
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“Architecture”
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information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915
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information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915
Information Architect
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information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915
–Richard Saul Wurman
Regarded as the Father of Information Architecture
“An information architect is the individual who
organises the patterns inherent in data, making the
complex clear.”
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365 0917 by Tim Caynes on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/5408753242
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365 0917 by Tim Caynes on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/5408753242
“Black Box”
things we don’t see or understand
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Break Away
thoughtfully and deliberately
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Break Away
from internal biases
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Break Away
from existing paradigms
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Break Away
from known structures
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Break Away
from visual neatness or aesthetics
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Break Away
and question until we reach clarity in
understanding the properties inherent in things
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Let’s try it
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But first, some theory…
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What are the different ways
things can be arranged?
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Random
is not really a useful way
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–Richard Saul Wurman
“Information may be infinite, however… The
organisation of information is finite as it can only be
organised by LATCH: Location, Alphabet, Time,
Category, or Hierarchy.”
Little phone by John Sheldon on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/18909153@N08/6965138569
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Lord to Mumps by Kevin Grocki on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kgrocki/4353715409
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Time
chronologically
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Music by Jesse Kruger on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessekruger/390534244
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Photo credit: aafes49 on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-ND
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Category
similarity
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No content
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No content
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Hierarchy
continuum or rank
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Photo credit: Gilbert R. on visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
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Mailboxes by Lodewijk van den Broek on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12760128@N04/3765909892
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Now let’s try it
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The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092
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The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092
Cookbook
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The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092
If one has a large collection
of food recipes,
what are the ways in which
one could organise them?
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Information
is subjective
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My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950
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Information
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User Context
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Information
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Information
User
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Information
Context
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Information
User Context
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Information
User Context
IA
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–The Information Architecture Institute
“Information architecture is the practice of deciding
how to arrange the parts of something to be
understandable.”
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–Me
“Information Architecture is the thoughtful,
deliberate practice of achieving a shared mental
model, and further applying it to make
something understandable”