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

Transcript

1. Information Architecture for everyone
2. @souvikdg
3. Miranj
4. By the end of this talk you 
 should be aware of what is
 Information Architecture
 without facing jargon-bullets.
5. “Architecture”
6. Photo credit: variationblogr on Visual Hunt / CC BY
7. а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216
8. а print from sortavala architecture book by Sasha ЯR on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/rotten_reverie/8103565216 Blueprint
9. Architecture may mean two different things
10. Conceptual Structure a.k.a. blueprint or technical drawing
11. A Practice i.e. application of skill or knowledge
12. Information Architecture similarly may refer to either,
 but here we’ll primarily refer to the practice
13. Mess
14. 9 4 49 25 16 __
15. 4 9 16 25 __ 49
16. 4 8 16 32 __ 128
17. 4 8 15 16 __ 42
18. 4 8 15 16 __ 42 23
19. 9 4 49 16 25 __ 36
20. wtf-am-i-supposed-to-do-wit by kris krüg on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/18768224
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
22. mess by amanda on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinprick/5879923126
23. Unkept Room by Tom Blackwell on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjblackwell/6007033415
24. Photo credit: José Morcillo Valenciano on Visual Hunt / CC BY
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.”
26. Mess
28. Mess is somewhat manageable in small amounts
30. Mess is a problem at scale
31. Order by Volgar on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/volgar/27461981479
32. Tukwila/International Blvd Station Parking lot by Atomic Taco on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/atomictaco/4333647127
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
34. India by Herry Lawford on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/6779074382
35. My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950
36. My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950 Mess is not about visual neatness or aesthetics
37. Mess
38. Mess
39. Information Architecture
40. –Abby Covert in How to Make Sense of Mess “Every mess and every thing shares one important non-thing : information.”
41. –The Information Architecture Institute “Information architecture is the practice of deciding how to arrange the parts of something to be understandable.”
42. Things may be tangible or intangible
43. Things have inherent information
44. Things are everywhere
45. Where do you encounter IA? well, everywhere
46. French dictionary page2 by Liz Eckmann on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/24498687@N03/2337550017
47. Old Map (33) by rosario fiore on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/38703275@N06/6884558828
48. Docos by John Keogh on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/6721198
49. Facebook Messenger app by PROKārlis Dambrāns on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/janitors/14039237076
50. arsp_064 by Anthony Ryan on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/useanthonyryansphotos/7946386402
51. Exhibition Hall by Robert Ziegler on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/63998580@N06/5980150860
52. buffet by bigbigbigbigtoe on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/10402746@N04/7165271584
53. –No one, ever “Hey, nice IA!”
54. IA is typically accepted as is
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!”
56. House Numbering An example
57. European Scheme / Odd and Even
58. Clockwise Scheme
59. Distance Scheme
60. Organising Things for them to make sense
61. Labelling Structuring
 Grouping
 Arranging
62. Block Diagram Flow Diagram Gantt Chart Quadrant Diagram Venn Diagram Swim Lane Diagram Hierarchy Diagram Mind Map Schematic Journey Map
63. “Architecture”
64. information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915
65. information by Tobi Gaulke on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-gato-gato/12851862915 Information Architect
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.”
67. 365 0917 by Tim Caynes on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/5408753242
68. 365 0917 by Tim Caynes on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/5408753242 “Black Box” things we don’t see or understand
69. Break Away thoughtfully and deliberately
70. Break Away from internal biases
71. Break Away from existing paradigms
72. Break Away from known structures
73. Break Away from visual neatness or aesthetics
74. Break Away and question until we reach clarity in 
 understanding the properties inherent in things
75. Let’s try it
76. But first, some theory…
77. What are the different ways things can be arranged?
78. Random is not really a useful way
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.”
80. Location spatially
81. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
82. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dorsal_Ventral_Body_Cavities.jpg
83. Alphabet alphabetically
84. Little phone by John Sheldon on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/18909153@N08/6965138569
85. Lord to Mumps by Kevin Grocki on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/kgrocki/4353715409
86. Time chronologically
87. Music by Jesse Kruger on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessekruger/390534244
88. Photo credit: aafes49 on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-ND
89. Category similarity
92. Hierarchy continuum or rank
93. Photo credit: Gilbert R. on visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
94. Mailboxes by Lodewijk van den Broek on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/12760128@N04/3765909892
95. Now let’s try it
96. The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092
97. The recipe by Bill Holsinger-Robinson on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/billhr/3190017092 Cookbook
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?
99. Information
 is subjective
100. 4 8 15 16 23 42
101. My destroyed desk by josephbergen on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbergen/2128605950
102. Information
103. User Context
104. Information
105. Information User
106. Information Context
107. Information User Context
108. Information User Context IA
109. –The Information Architecture Institute “Information architecture is the practice of deciding how to arrange the parts of something to be understandable.”
110. –Me “Information Architecture is the thoughtful, deliberate practice of achieving a shared mental model, and further applying it to make 
 something understandable”
111. You’re now an Information Architect…
112. …and can possibly save the world from mess.
113. !