information architecture bottom up
Post on 18-Oct-2014
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Slides for my STC14 presentation "Information Architecture Bottom Up."TRANSCRIPT
Information Architecture Bottom Up
Mark BakerSTC Summit 2014
Dewey Decimal: All of human knowledge in one hierarchy
THE TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOC as Curriculum
Curriculum into miscellany
TOC as classification
TOC as classification
10
TOC as list
TOC as simple list
TOC as Classification
TOC as hierarchy based on nature
Natural Hierarchy
TOC as hierarchy based on user’s interests
14
Arbitrary Hierarchy
Year Transmission
Price Mileage
Body-style Exterior color
Private seller vs Dealer
TOC as hierarchy based on whimsy
17
Faceted Classification
Faceted classification: each class independent of the others
CLASSIFICATION PROBLEMS
19
Limits of TaxonomyPlantae/Angiosperms/Eudicots/Rosids/Malpighiales/Violaceae/Viola/Viola tricolor
PansyThree faces under a hoodFlame FlowerJump up and Kiss MeFlower of JovePink of my JohnStepmother FlowerFootball flowers
Experts classifyEveryone else names
20
Google: Stepmother flower
Search term: stepmother flower
21
Google: Football flower
Search term: football flower
22
Google: Three faces under a hood
Search term: three faces under a hood
THE PROBLEM OF SCALE
TOCs get larger
25
Self-contained?
And larger…And the context more remote…
27
Limits of Top Down Organization
Reader’s patience with curriculum Scope Scale Variety Complexity Unevenness “Everything is Miscellaneous”
No more channelsAll content flows to the Web
TOP-DOWN TO BOTTOM-UP
20th Century Encyclopedia: alphabetical
33
Exercise: Classify this
21st Century Encyclopedia: ???
34
DYNAMIC SEMANTIC CLUSTERING
35
Search results
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Search Results
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Twitter #hashtags
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Forums
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Q&A Sites
40
Exercise: Classify this
Static semantic clustering through linking
A topic in a bottom-up architecture is a hub of its local subject space
Incomprehensible from the top down
43
Exercise: Classify this
Perfectly lucid from the bottom up
Readers encounter pages bottom-up even when designed top-down
Principles of bottom-up information architecture
Make every topic work as page one Make every topic a hub of its local
subject space Provide robust search Respect the broader information grid
in which your content is embedded
47
Self-contained?
Black Forest Ham and Gruyère Frittata
Self-contained
48
Not all-encompassing
Reluctant Gourmet
Specific and limited purpose
Establish context
51
Self-contained?
Black Forest Ham and Gruyère Frittata
Assume the reader is qualified
BIG PICTURE
Pathfinder Pathfinder Pathfinder
WorkflowWorkflow Workflow Workflow
Task Task Task Task Task Task
Stay on one level
The walled garden
The bazaar
Every Page is Page One
Questions?
Contact information Mark Baker Analecta Communications Inc. +1 613 422 9400 [email protected] Twitter: @mbakeranalecta http://analecta.com http://everypageispageone.com