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ORGANIZING WEB CONTENT OR: The Web is not Aunt Mildred’s Closet Matthew Reidsma April 19, 2011

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THE WEB IS A BUNCH OF DOCUMENTS

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ORGANIZING DOCUMENTS IS EASY, RIGHT?

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Paul Freund in his office, courtesy of Harvard Law School Special Collections

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I WROTE A DOCUMENT

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I WROTE A WEBSITE

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I A BUILT WEBSITE

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THE WEB FEELS LIKE A PLACE

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ARCHITECTURE

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ARCHITECTURE INFORMATION

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ARCHITECTS ORGANIZE BUILDINGS

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INFORMATION ARCHITECTS ORGANIZE WEBSITES

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ARCHITECTS ARE CAREFUL

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ARCHITECTS ARE METHODICAL

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ARCHITECTS PLAN AHEAD

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ARCHITECTS HAVE GOALS

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ALL BUILDINGS REQUIRE PLANS

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ALL BUILDINGS REQUIRE PLANS LARGE BUILDINGS REQUIRE ARCHITECTS

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ALL WEBSITES REQUIRE PLANS

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ALL WEBSITES REQUIRE PLANS LARGE WEBSITES REQUIRE INFORMATION ARCHITECTS

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HARD TO ADD A ROOM AFTER CONSTRUCTION

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EASY TO ADD A WEBPAGE AFTER LAUNCH

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JUST BECAUSE IT’S EASY DOESN’T MEAN IT’S A GOOD IDEA

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CAN WE PUT THIS ON THE WEBSITE SOMEWHERE?

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EASY TO JUST SHOVE IT IN THE CLOSET

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BUT

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IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE IT SHOULD GO HOW WILL YOUR USERS FIND IT?

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THE WEB IS NOT AUNT MILDRED’S CLOSET

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GREAT.

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NEED TO ORGANIZE OUR WEB CONTENT

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HOW?

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I’M GLAD YOU ASKED.

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01 WHY DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE?

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01 WHY DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE? 02 WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

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01 WHY DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE? 03 WHO ARE YOUR USERS? 02 WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

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01 WHY DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE? 03 WHO ARE YOUR USERS? 04 WHAT ARE THEIR GOALS? 02 WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

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05 WHAT CONTENT WILL YOU HAVE?

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05 WHAT CONTENT WILL YOU HAVE? • LETS USERS MEET THEIR GOALS • LETS YOU MEET YOUR GOALS

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BUT THIS WEBPAGE DOESN’T HELP ANYONE MEET THEIR GOALS. WHERE DO I PUT IT?

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No content

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TWO APPROACHES

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TWO APPROACHES • TOP DOWN • BOTTOM UP

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TOP DOWN

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HIERARCHY OF CONTENT

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DECIDE ON CATEGORIES FIT YOUR CONTENT IN THEM

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(HELPS WITH BROWSING)

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BOTTOM UP

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INVENTORY OF CONTENT

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SEE WHAT CONTENT YOU HAVE CREATE CATEGORIES THAT FIT

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(HELPS WITH SEARCHING)

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BOTH APPROACHES AT ONCE

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BOTH APPROACHES AT ONCE DESIGN A HIERARCHY BASED ON YOUR GOALS, BUT KNOW WHAT CONTENT YOU HAVE

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OKAY.

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HOW DO I MAKE CATEGORIES?

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TWO APPROACHES

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TWO APPROACHES • EXACT SCHEMES • AMBIGUOUS SCHEMES

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EXACT SCHEMES

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DIVIDE INFORMATION INTO WELL-DEFINED & MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE GROUPS

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EXAMPLES: • ALPHABETICAL • CHRONOLOGICAL • GEOGRAPHICAL

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AMBIGUOUS SCHEMES

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DIVIDE INFORMATION INTO CATEGORIES THAT DEFY EXACT DEFINITION

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EXAMPLES: • TOPIC • TASK • AUDIENCE

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FRUIT VEGETABLE BERRY

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No content

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WHICH SCHEME TO CHOOSE?

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ASK

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WHAT MAKES SENSE? WHAT HELPS USERS? ASK

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OFFER BOTH APPROACHES

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EXACT SCHEMES: • TITLE • AUTHOR AMBIGUOUS SCHEME: • SUBJECT

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GOT IT.

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LET’S ORGANIZE OUR WEBSITE

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LET’S ORGANIZE OUR WEBSITE • RESOURCES WITH MARC METADATA • MCNAUGHTON BOOKS • SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS WITH STANDING ORDERS • ELECTRONIC RESOURCES WE OWN • ELECTRONIC RESOURCES WE SUBSCRIBE TO

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LABEL MUCH?

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SPEAK THE USERS’ LANGUAGE

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DESCRIBE THE CONTENT

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BE CONSISTENT

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IS THAT IT?

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NOT QUITE.

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NAVIGATION

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EVER BEEN LOST ON A WEBSITE?

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THE WEB FEELS LIKE A PLACE

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ORGANIZATION IS ABOUT BUILDING ROOMS.

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NAVIGATION ADDS DOORS AND WINDOWS

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NAVIGATION SYSTEMS OFTEN MIRROR ORGANIZATION SYSTEMS

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NAVIGATION SYSTEMS SHOULD MAKE SENSE TO YOUR USERS

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USERS ARE ALWAYS ASKING WHERE AM I NOW?

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THAT’S A LOT TO REMEMBER.

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TOOLS OF THE TRADE

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CONTENT INVENTORY KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

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CONTENT INVENTORY KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE CONTENT STRATEGY KNOW WHY YOU HAVE IT

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ALWAYS KNOW WHY EVERYTHING IS ON YOUR WEBSITE

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CARD SORTS

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LABEL INDEX CARDS WITH HEADINGS FROM YOUR CONTENT

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ASK USERS TO ORGANIZE THEM IN WAYS THAT MAKE SENSE TO THEM

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10 MINUTES + 50 CENTS = HOW YOUR USERS THINK

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USER INTERVIEWS

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JUST ASK.

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WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM YOUR SITE? JUST ASK.

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PERSONAS & SCENARIOS

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PERSONAS

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PERSONAS • STAND IN FOR REAL USERS • BASED ON INTERVIEWS AND RESEARCH

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Courtesy of Usability.gov

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SCENARIOS

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SCENARIOS • BRING YOUR PERSONAS TO LIFE • SEE HOW USER GOALS ARE ACCOMPLISHED

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HELPS YOU SEE YOUR WEBSITE THROUGH YOUR USERS’ EYES

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BLUEPRINTS

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MAP OUT THE ORGANIZATION LABELS NAVIGATION

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No content

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WIREFRAMES

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TRANSLATE THE INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE INTO A VISUAL LAYOUT

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Wireframe by Will Evans: http://blog.semanticfoundry.com/2009/01/01/shades-of-gray-wireframes-as-thinking-device/

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Mockup by Mark Brooks: http://blog.semanticfoundry.com/2009/01/01/shades-of-gray-wireframes-as-thinking-device/

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SO...HOW DOES THIS HELP ME?

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DO YOU CREATE WEB CONTENT?

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DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO USE IT?

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CREATE PERSONAS FOR YOUR TYPICAL USERS

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ALWAYS ASK WHAT WOULD MY USERS DO?

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RARELY ASK WHAT WOULD I DO?

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GET FEEDBACK FROM YOUR USERS

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MAKE MISTAJES

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MAKE MISTAKES

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MAKE MISTAKES GET FEEDBACK

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IMPROVE SOMETHING BASED ON FEEDBACK

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RINSE. REPEAT.

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QUESTIONS?

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THANKS. I WRITE ABOUT THIS STUFF A LOT matthewreidsma.com @mreidsma