information architecture - polito.it · information architecture is ... “ the art and science of...
Post on 10-Aug-2020
0 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Information Architecture
Dario Bonino, Fulvio Corno
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 1
dario.bonino@polito.itfulvio.corno@polito.it
What makes a web site good?“...proper WWW site design is
largely a matter of balancing the structure and relationship of menu, home pages, and individual content pages...”
“...build a hierarchy of menus and pages that feel natural and well structured to the users...”
By Lynch, P.J. (1995) WWW Style Guide
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 2
Experience first, pay later... “ Usability has assumed a much
greater importance in the Internet economy than it has in the past... “
The equation is simple: In product and software design
customers pay first and experience usability later
On the web, users experience usability first and pay later
It's very clear why usability is important for web design” By Nielsen, J. (1999) Designing Web
Usability
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 3
Architecture analogy
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 4
A building must:Look goodBe usable (for working, living,
playing, etc.)Stand up
A web site must:Look goodBe usable (e.g., information
must be findable)Stay up (i.e., not crash)
Art vs EngineeringCombination of art vs.
engineering
Same for I.A.
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 5
Crumbles...Buildings crumble...
Web site crumbleWhen you last encountered a
broken link?
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 6
Pretty but unusableBuilding
Web siteshttp://www.cocacola.it/
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 7
So what you think IA is?
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 8
I draw a siteMap, I'm doing
IA
Usability testing?Yep! We all think
it works great!
We surveyed whatour users
want!
I use Visio...I'm an Information
Architect
What IA is NOT Information Architecture is
not: Simply drawing up a sitemapSimply pumping out masses
of “wireframes”Designing for ourselvesOnly navigationFrivolous expense for “Big
Projects” onlyA wish list itemA kind of database design
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 9
Information Architecture is ...“the art and science of
structuring, organizing and labeling information to help people find and manage information”
By Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, “Information Architecture for the World Wide Web”, 3rd edition, November 2006.
Balances the characteristics and needs of users, content, context.
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 10
Information Architecture is ... The practice of designing, for
a website or intranet, the:Site structureNavigationLabeling
Sometimes is used as synonym for “User Centered Design”, which involves:Understanding users and their
needsDesigning with those needs in
mindValidating design decisions with
user involvement
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 11
Basic design questions
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 12
Where I Am?Where I can go?What can I do?
More questions...How can I find something?What's available on this site? I know what I want, how can
I find it?What happens now?How can I restart from
scratch? I know what I want, how can
I browse to reach it? ...
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 13
Real World Web SitesDo they answer questions?Look at:
http://www.alexa.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.expedia.comhttp://www.facebook.com/http://www.bing.com/http://www.foxnews.com/http://news.bbc.co.uk/http://www.pixmania.comhttp://www.microsoft.com/en/
us/default.aspxhttp://www.dell.com
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 14
The 3 pillars of IA (1/2)
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 15
Structure Labeling Navigation
The 3 pillars of IA (2/2)Site StructureCategorizationClassificationHierarchy
NavigationAccessing the site structure“Findability”
LabelingNaming sections, links,
navigation, etc.
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 16
IA components (1/3)StructureThe main organization of the
site content (taxonomies)NavigationSite-wide navigation
Where I am?Where I can go?
Local navigationNavigation inside a web site section
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 17
IA components (2/3)Navigation (continued...)BreadcrumbsSite Map / Summary
Summary of the site content and link to site sections and subsections
Usually in form of taxonomic schema
Site IndexLinks in alphabetical order
Site guideOffers specific information
about specific site aspects
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 18
IA components (3/3)LabelingControlled vocabularies
Domain specific termsThesaurus
Term descriptionsLinks between terms: synonyms,
antonyms, meronyms, etc.
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 19
Jaguar?
General IA process (1/3)
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 20
ResearchUnderstand the user and the
context
DesignSolve the problem at hand
ValidateTest design against
requirements
General IA process (2/3)ResearchUser researchBusiness objectivesConventions and best practices
(de facto standards)DesignUse knowledge of users Involve them in the processBalance user needs, business
objectives and possible content
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 21
General IA process (3/3)ValidateUsability testing and iterative
design
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 22
* # @!!! grrr # !
General IA process
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 23
ResearchUnderstand the user and the
context
DesignSolve the problem at hand
ValidateTest design against
requirements
ResearchGet out and understand
your usersWhat do they need?What do they want?How do they use
technology?How might they use your
web site?What information they
need?
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 24
User Research Techniques
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 25
User Research TechniquesMany activities Interviews, expert review,
heuristic reviewSurveys, focus groups and other
market research techniquesCompetitor analysis, best
practice reviewEthnographic activities such as
contextual inquiry (site visit) and diary studies
Web analytics, search engine logs, CRM (Customer Relationships Management), sales data analysis
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 26
Something about...
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 27
I need to go toDayton for
a conferenceI want to do some
Sightseeing
I need to bookthe flight
and the hotelI don't knowwhat the cityhas to offer
Lucy
Lucy...User researchwe meet LucyLucy is in the target
audience for a travel web site (e.g., ww.expedia.com)
Lucy is a young researcher in biology
Lucy uses the web a fair bit
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 28
And...
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 29
What content dowe already have?
We need todrive traffic to
the destination X
Craig
Other research tasksNeed to consider more
than usersBusiness Stakeholders (as
Craig)Business ObjectivesWeb site goalsThe context we have to
design in:Content inventoryAlready deployed solutionsavoid the re-build from scratch
temptation!
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 30
General IA process
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 31
ResearchUnderstand the user and the
context
DesignSolve the problem at hand
ValidateTest design against
requirements
Design Inputs:Existing knowledge
Categorization schemes (e.g., alphabetical, chronological, geographical, by subject/topic)
Conventions (e.g., search box on the top right)
Research outcomesNeeds and behavior of audiencePractical limitations on content
and technologyBusiness drivers and requirements
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 32
Two main levels in IA design
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 33
Planning and Strategy
Conceptual design
Information organization
Production & Testing
Feedback and re-design
LowLevel
HighLevel
High Level designMany approachesA site map is most common
output of high level designCard sorting is one of the
most adopted techniquesIt's a cross-border task
between research and design
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 34
Designing the travel web site...
HomeGuides
International Vacations
Domestic Vacations
PackagesBook now
Are you also interested in?
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 35
I need to go toDayton for
a conference
I want to do somesightseeing
We need todrive traffic to
the destination X
Designing the travel siteExisting knowledgeCategorization schemes
(alphabetical, chronological, geographical, by subject/topic)
Travel content → geographical Input from ResearchNeeds and behavior of the
target audienceResults of card sortingBusiness objectives and political
driversDraft information
architecture
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 36
Low level design
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 37
Low Level IA activitiesMany approaches to
designWireframes are the most
commonConventionsDesign patterns may be
usefulStrength and weaknesses of
the adopted platform shall be took into account
...
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 38
General IA process
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 39
ResearchUnderstand the user and the
context
DesignSolve the problem at hand
ValidateTest design against
requirements
Validate
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 40
Usability evaluation (1/2)Realistic user groupsWell defined tasksObservation of user
behaviorQuestionnairesThink aloudIt's a very complex
discipline!
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 41
Usability evaluation (2/2)
03/11/2009 EBWA - Information Architecture 42
Like it!
top related