Rosenbaum IA means Information Architecture: But what does it mean to web developers, systems analysts, educators, and librarians? Howard Rosenbaum School of Library and Information Science Center for Social Informatics Indiana University I-ASIST Spring Program

Rosenbaum IA means information architecture I. What is information architecture? Information science? Social science? II. Elements of IA Social Technical III. Putting IA to work Team based web design

Rosenbaum I. What is information architecture? A professional role in web design and the design of digital media collections IAs are responsible for the overall structure and organization of the site It involves organizing a site's content into categories and creating an interface to support those categories Also designing navigation and searching systems to help people find and manage information A systematic, question-based process for creating digital products to communicate meaning and improve users’ performance It is user-centered

Rosenbaum Information science: Social science Argus Associates. (1998). Information architecture defined [It] involves the design of organization, labeling, navigation, and indexing systems to support both browsing and searching. It plays a central role in determining whether users can easily find the information they need. [It] begins with research into mission, vision, content, and audience. This... provides a foundation for the development of a successful information architecture design that supports long-term growth and management

Rosenbaum “Proper World Wide Web site design is largely a matter of balancing the structure and relationship of menu or ‘home’ pages and individual content pages or other linked graphics and documents. The goal is to build a hierarchy of menus and pages that feels natural and well-structured to the user, and doesn’t interfere with their use of the Web site or mislead them.” Lynch, P. J. (1995). Yale University C/AIM WWW Style Guide

Rosenbaum What does an IA have to know? Information science: information organization and access Computer science: programming and databases Usability engineering: understanding how people use the site Graphic design: developing imagery that supports the site’s mission Writing: to explain this to peers and decisionmakers Marketing: developing the site so that is can be sold to its intended audience Psychology: understanding the intended audience

Rosenbaum What does an IA have to do? Thinking What are the relevant content domains? Given the constraints what can be done? Planning How are these domains related to each other? What is the structure of these relationships? Designing What arrangement best supports the structure and organizational requirements? Managing What people, tools, and resources are available?

Rosenbaum An IA should Enjoy working with information: gathering, evaluating and organizing it Like research: interviewing stakeholders and analyzing results Be curious about tools and processes of site development Want to improve performance Be ready to fight battles to help users Have a good working know edgle of organizations Be interested in communicating complex ideas clearly

Rosenbaum A broad view of IA It involves developing and communicating a holistic view of a web site It includes the overall social and technical structure of the site and the relationships among its elements It requires the classification of site goals and objectives IA places the web site into a larger social context How will it affect the work flow, communications patterns, and distribution of power in the organization? How will it appear to its users?

Rosenbaum IA means information architecture I. What is information architecture? Information science? Social science? II. Elements of IA Social Technical III. Putting IA to work Team based web design

Rosenbaum II. Elements of information architecture Social: Doing the research What are the mission, vision, and goals for the site? What will be the central metaphors for the site? How will the site grow and change over time? What will be the impacts on the organization? Technical: Design and build How will the site be organized ? What content and functionality will the site contain? What types of navigation, labeling, and searching will be used?

Rosenbaum Doing the research Preparation Site goals The audience User experience User scenarios The competition The design document

Rosenbaum Consider this question: “What should our team create to give people experiences that are useful, usable, and desirable, that create value for our business and our clients?” How can we answer it? Rettig emphasizes the importance of an ethnographic approach “Go where people work, learn, live and play. Discover unexpressed or masked needs. Let your design be driven by genuine understanding of the people you are trying to serve.” Rettig, M. (2000). Ethnography and information architecture.

Rosenbaum In practical terms, this means: Observation: go into the setting and watch people Shadowing: follow them around Examining artifacts and their uses Interviews: interview people in their workplace This can be structured or unstructured Sampling: can involve time or task sampling They fill out activity diaries on your schedule Self-reporting: they have the greatest amount of control Ask them to take pictures or keep journals

Rosenbaum Site design begins well before the first page is ever coded This early stage requires considerable research The first step is to understand the goals of the site owners How well do you understand their business? What are their main products and services? What are their business rules? Then work to understand the audience for the site Who do they sell to? Write user profiles and scenarios Conduct needs requirements

Rosenbaum Determining the goals for the site Can be done informally with conversations with key stakeholders Can be done formally at meetings with clear agendas Questions to consider Who should you talk to or include in the meeting? Who has to buy in to the concept? Goal To achieve a group consensus

Rosenbaum The basic set of questions should include: What is the mission or purpose of the organization? Check the answers you get against company literature What are the goals of the site? As people talk about goals for the site, categorize them into short term and long term goals Who are the intended audiences? Check these answers against the company’s market research Why will people come to the site? What are the main tasks that people are expected to perform?

Rosenbaum What is the relationship between the organization’s business strategy and its web site architecture? “Business strategy and information architecture are closely inter-related. For most organizations, the days of slapping a web site on top of an existing business strategy are gone. Web sites, extranets, and intranets play key roles in defining relationships between a company and its customers, investors, suppliers, and employees. The structure and organization of these sites [are] critical to success.” Moreville, P. (2000). Information Architecture and Business Strategy

Rosenbaum Gather all of the data and begin analyzing them This involves sorting and categorizing Goals, activities/tasks, main content areas Prepare a preliminary listing of these and use “member checking” Be prepared for conflict, disagreement, and compromise There should be a deliverable (a design document) It summarizes the key points of the site and acts as an initial blueprint The major stakeholders should all sign off on the document

Rosenbaum Learning about the audience by attempting to define the user experience This helps to establish a clear definition of the audience It also helps in understanding how users will react to the site This involves another round of conversations and/or meetings Get them to rank the range of potential audiences Ask them to describe the needs and goals of the most important audience members Use these results to create user scenarios These are stories about how people will use the site

Rosenbaum Learn about the competition Find out who the main competitors are Analyze their sites Criteria#1#2#3#4 Design Navigation Look and Feel Search Personalization Scripting Currency

Rosenbaum Technical: Design and build Web page Text Code Scripts Words Images Presentation: visual display Structure: Organization of content Behavior: What people do on the site Basics of web architecture

Rosenbaum Site design and basic questions Where am I? What can I do here? Where can I go?

Rosenbaum IAs work with four kinds of systems Organization/structural systems These constrain the ways content can be grouped Labeling systems Artifacts of taxonomies that determine logical relations among content groups. Navigation systems Provide means of moving through the site based on the scheme for the labeling Searching systems Help resolve user problems with navigation, labelling and organization

Rosenbaum What do IAs deliver? Site map This is a visualization of the taxonomy and structural relationships among content domains It also provides an overview of the navigation scheme Content maps These are detailed depictions showing what is on each page and how content on some pages is linked to content on other pages Page view A drawing or block diagram showing what information, links, content, promotional space, and navigation will be on each page

Rosenbaum What else? Prototypes: An outline or storyboard of a functional prototype Could also be a working prototypes with HTML, Flash, Director, or PowerPoint Written reports A narrative description of the site linking it to organizational mission, messages, and marketing constraints Change management How will the site grow and change over time? What will be involved in maintenance?

Rosenbaum Test, test, test Track down participants through customer lists, related organizations, discussion lists, conferences Pay them if you can afford it What should you ask? Get their name and use it Find out their web skill level and familiarity Ask other questions essential to viewing the results What should they do? Give them tasks, watch, and listen Let them browse, watch, and listen

Rosenbaum Introduction to information architecture I. What is information architecture? Information science? Social science? II. Elements of IA Social Technical III. Putting IA to work Team based web design

Rosenbaum The process of information architecture Planning and strategy: predesign analysis Information organization: Content development Launch Conceptual design: prototyping Production: Navigation systems Search tool Labeling systems Operations Testing: Quality assurance and usability Feedback and redesign Maintenance and updating

Rosenbaum Goto, K. (1999). Web Design Workflow Putting IA to work: Team based web design Define the site goals (client) Set up over-all concept Organize content information Determine site functionality Create budget and schedule Assign team responsibilities

Rosenbaum Production: main activities Begin building the site Develop and refine content Get graphics production underway Produce HTML and scripts Deploy database and server-side programming Organize server administration and hosting

Rosenbaum Set team boundaries and procedures What are the benchmarks and deliverables? Will they work on-site or remotely? Will they QA their work or will someone else? The kickoff Get the project off the ground with an initial meeting Review the scope in detail Assemble detailed specifications Create preliminary project schedules Establish lines of communication Build enthusiasm and a sense of team identity

Rosenbaum Develop “ site architecture ” Map out the site Show lay out and functions Show all pages of the site with each having its own name Establish navigation and site flow Review and define technical needs

Rosenbaum Once the team is assembles and work begins Schedule regular meetings Assess progress according to benchmarks Seek client input Maintain constant communication between meetings Gather documentation of all phases (including problems and resolutions) Set up a project documentation library accessible by the team Pay close attention to “ versioning ” Save all iterations and prototypes Handle conflict immediately

Rosenbaum Managing the team Set clear guidelines for each task Disseminate widely so every team member knows what other team members are doing Include benchmarks and description of deliverables Be clear about the work flow process Set up a development server Have a review site accessible to the team Include all relevant information about the project Contact information Schedules and work flow diagrams

Rosenbaum Interface design: Digital artist worsk with the producer and programmer to ensure that design elements work to web standards Technical engineering aspects of the site, including forms, databases, frames, etc. are developed and tested Publishing and marketing begin

Rosenbaum Launch: main activities Aggressively test site for cross-platform, cross-browser compatibility Review code for consistency and functionality Check all links Review site for spelling and grammar concerns Upload site to the live server where it will reside

Rosenbaum Begin an ongoing assessment, collecting and analyzing a reasonable set of metrics Try to demonstrate: Lowered costs: distribution of sales materials, press releases, phone calls Improved business development: new leads in existing and new markets Improved customer service: use of forms, , other feedback, sales Improved public perception: user feedback, mention in the press, links from other sites Better site performance: hits, page views, new and repeat users, downloads Improved usability

Rosenbaum Post launch activities Test, evaluate and make appropriate changes Perform routine maintenance Or set up a clear plan for maintenance and train appropriate people Add regular updates and additional content to the site as needed Or set up a clear process by which new content can be added and old content removed This can involve a plan for archiving and dogital document management Promote site to the public (or within the organization in the case of intranet development) Discuss future expansions and redesigns