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Information Architecture for Everyone (WIAD)

Souvik Das Gupta
February 24, 2018

Information Architecture for Everyone (WIAD)

This talk makes a broad attempt to answer the question “What is Information Architecture?”, covering examples from various spheres of life.

Talk presented in World IA Day 2018, New Delhi: https://2018.worldiaday.org/location/new-delhi-india

Souvik Das Gupta

February 24, 2018
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Transcript

  1. Information Architecture
    for everyone

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  2. @souvikdg

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  3. Miranj

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  4. By the end of this talk you 

    should be aware of what is

    Information Architecture

    without facing jargon-bullets.

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  5. “Architecture”

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  6. Photo credit: variationblogr on Visual Hunt / CC BY

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  7. а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216

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  8. а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216
    Blueprint

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  9. Architecture
    may mean two different things

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  10. Conceptual Structure
    a.k.a. blueprint or technical drawing

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  11. A Practice
    i.e. application of skill or knowledge

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  12. Information Architecture
    similarly may refer to either,

    but here we’ll primarily refer to the practice

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  13. Mess

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  14. 9 4 49 25 16 __

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  15. 4 9 16 25 __ 49

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  16. 4 8 16 32 __ 128

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  17. 4 8 15 16 __ 42

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  18. 4 8 15 16 __ 42
    23

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  19. 9 4 49 16 25 __
    36

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  20. wtf-am-i-supposed-to-do-wit by kris krüg on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/18768224

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  21. 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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  22. mess by amanda on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinprick/5879923126

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  23. Unkept Room by Tom Blackwell on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjblackwell/6007033415

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  24. Photo credit: José Morcillo Valenciano on Visual Hunt / CC BY

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  25. –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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  26. Mess

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  28. Mess
    is somewhat manageable in small amounts

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  30. Mess
    is a problem at scale

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  31. Order by Volgar on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/volgar/27461981479

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  32. Tukwila/International Blvd Station Parking lot by Atomic Taco on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/atomictaco/4333647127

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  33. 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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  34. India by Herry Lawford on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/6779074382

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  35. My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950

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  36. 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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  37. Mess

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  38. Mess

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  39. Information Architecture

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  40. –Abby Covert
    in How to Make Sense of Mess
    “Every mess and every thing shares one important
    non-thing : information.”

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  41. –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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  42. Things
    may be tangible or intangible

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  43. Things
    have inherent information

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  44. Things
    are everywhere

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  45. Where do you encounter IA?
    well, everywhere

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  46. French dictionary page2 by Liz Eckmann on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/24498687@N03/2337550017

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  47. Old Map (33) by rosario fiore on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/38703275@N06/6884558828

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  48. Docos by John Keogh on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/6721198

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  49. Facebook Messenger app by PROKārlis Dambrāns on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/janitors/14039237076

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  50. arsp_064 by Anthony Ryan on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/useanthonyryansphotos/7946386402

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  51. Exhibition Hall by Robert Ziegler on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/63998580@N06/5980150860

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  52. buffet by bigbigbigbigtoe on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/10402746@N04/7165271584

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  53. –No one, ever
    “Hey, nice IA!”

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  54. IA
    is typically accepted as is

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  55. –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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  56. House Numbering
    An example

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  57. European Scheme / Odd and Even

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  58. Clockwise Scheme

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  59. Distance Scheme

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  60. Organising Things
    for them to make sense

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  61. Labelling
    Structuring

    Grouping

    Arranging

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  62. Block Diagram
    Flow Diagram
    Gantt Chart
    Quadrant Diagram
    Venn Diagram
    Swim Lane Diagram
    Hierarchy Diagram
    Mind Map
    Schematic
    Journey Map

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  63. “Architecture”

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  64. information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915

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  65. information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915
    Information Architect

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  66. 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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  67. 365 0917 by Tim Caynes on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/5408753242

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  68. 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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  69. Break Away
    thoughtfully and deliberately

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  70. Break Away
    from internal biases

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  71. Break Away
    from existing paradigms

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  72. Break Away
    from known structures

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  73. Break Away
    from visual neatness or aesthetics

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  74. Break Away
    and question until we reach clarity in 

    understanding the properties inherent in things

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  75. Let’s try it

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  76. But first, some theory…

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  77. What are the different ways
    things can be arranged?

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  78. Random
    is not really a useful way

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  79. –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.”

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  80. Location
    spatially

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  81. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

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  82. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dorsal_Ventral_Body_Cavities.jpg

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  83. Alphabet
    alphabetically

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  84. Little phone by John Sheldon on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/18909153@N08/6965138569

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  85. Lord to Mumps by Kevin Grocki on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/kgrocki/4353715409

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  86. Time
    chronologically

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  87. Music by Jesse Kruger on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessekruger/390534244

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  88. Photo credit: aafes49 on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-ND

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  89. Category
    similarity

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  92. Hierarchy
    continuum or rank

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  93. Photo credit: Gilbert R. on visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

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  94. Mailboxes by Lodewijk van den Broek on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/12760128@N04/3765909892

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  95. Now let’s try it

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  96. The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092

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  97. The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092
    Cookbook

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  98. 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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  99. Information

    is subjective

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  100. 4 8 15 16 23 42

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  101. My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950

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  102. Information

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  103. User Context

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  104. Information

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  105. Information
    User

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  106. Information
    Context

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  107. Information
    User Context

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  108. Information
    User Context
    IA

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  109. –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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  110. –Me
    “Information Architecture is the thoughtful,
    deliberate practice of achieving a shared mental
    model, and further applying it to make 

    something understandable”

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  111. You’re now an
    Information Architect…

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  112. …and can possibly save the
    world from mess.

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  113. !

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