Information Architecture

1
Information Architecture Design Tuesday
630930pm SZB 546 http//www.ischool.utexas.e
du/i385e A. Fleming Seay
School of Information, Fall 2007 University of
Texas
2
Course Overview

• Syllabus
• Requirements Preferences
• IA Design Readings
• Group Projects
• Dos and Donts
• IA Overview
• What is IA?
• Information Architect as a Profession

3
Syllabus and Topics Overview

• Weekly Work
• Readings
• Primary
• Secondary
• Class Work
• Discussions in class
• Participation is the key to getting something out
  of this course
• Cooperation Collaboration with others in class

4
Assignments

• Discussions
• Class discussions
• Presentations
• IA Topic
• Site design (your final assignment)
• IA Work
• Small assignments due every other week
• Site critique
• Examine a Web site for information structure,
  design, navigability, general usability
  underlying design technology

5
Rules for Assignments

• Assignments due at the absolute beginning of
  class
• Do not be late to class
• Late assignments are penalized 20 per 24 hour
  period
• You are responsible for making sure the
  assignment is received
• E.g. Due at Noon today, turned in tomorrow at
  Noon -20. Turned in a week later 0.
• Arrangements can be agreed upon for known issues
• Travel, Serious Illness or Work

6
Rules for Assignments (continued)

• Do not mail attachments to me unless agreed upon
• Make assignments Web accessible
• When required, notify class of your assignment
  via class listserv
• Posting or sent email times count as submission
  times
• For Web pages, DO NOT use MS Word or FrontPage No
  Save As
• Learn to use Web markup tools see the XHTML code

7
Class Work

• Mailing list (listserv)
• Go to https//utlists.utexas.edu/sympa/info/inf385
  e .
• Log in or create an account
• Click subscribe in left margin.
• Follow instructions.
• To post a message to the mailing list, address
  your email to inf385e_at_utlists.utexas.edu

8
IA Course Requirements

• Use Fundamental IA Tools
• HTML Editors
• Graphics Editors
• Site Mapping Tools
• Site Organization Tools
• Learn and Use IA Methodology
• Work Through the Phases of the IA Process
• Create and Maintain a Design Specification
• Use Structured Development Techniques

9
IA Course Preferences

• IA Technologies
• HTML, XHTML, XML
• Javascript and Databases
• Innovative Design using
• Content
• Interfaces
• Organization schemes (architectures)
• Work on a Real Project
• Developing Requirements
• Defining and Implementing Designs
• Dealing with changes deadlines

10
Dos and Donts for IA1

• Do turn in assignments at the very beginning of
  class.
• Dont be late for class.
• Dont use Microsoft Words Save As feature or
  FrontPage to build any Web pages.
• Do try new Web designs.
• Do use Web dev tools you havent used before.
• Do embrace different aspects of the IA roles.

11
Introductions

• Where are you from?
• What program are you in and what year?
• How much experience in building pages/sites?

12
Information Architecture Overview

• What is Information Architecture?
• What Do Information Architects Do?
• Approaches to Information Architecture
• Information Architecture Process
• Design and Information Architecture
• Designers and Information Architects
• Information as Product

13
What is Information Architecture?

• Builds on Skills, Methods History of
  Architecture
• IA is not just an analogy
• IA is Process-Oriented
• IA is both Art Science
• Built upon Theory (Knowledge Experiments)
• Realized in Practice (Skills Experience)
• IA is a Dynamic Discipline
• Technologies are continually changing
• People have accelerating needs expectations

14
What defines Info Architectures?

• Convey organization information
• Provide a logical, understandable structure for
  current ( future) information
• Seem well-designed (perception)
• Provide Just in Time information
• Support reference retrieval
• A picture worth a thousand words
• An architecture to find those 1,000 words more
• Not always a simple picture

15
DNA is information, now this is IA
16
This IA is useful too
17
IA has Density
18
Site Maps

• Communicate structure
• Where to go
• Where youve been
• How much is there

19
Not just graphics

• Tables of content
• Index
• Shelves of Books
• List of links

20
What Do Info Architects Do?

• Use Tools and Methods
• Apply Experience Understanding of Users
• Manage the IA Process
• Roles Include
• Application Development
• Content Development
• Design
• MIS
• Education
• Product Management

21
What Do Info Architects Do?

• Work through an IA Methodology
• Plan
• Analyze
• Design
• Construct
• Verify
• Maintain
• Iterate the process
• Adapt to technology, information customer needs

22
AKA IA?

• Experience Design
• Experience Modeling (X-Mod)
• User Modeling
• Usability Engineering
• Webmaster
• Interaction Design
• Multimedia Developer
• Instructional Designer
• Web Developer
• The Visio job search

23
Information Architecture is

• Proactive
• Strategic for Information Systems
• Tactical for Technologies
• Profitable for the Organization
• Central to Business
• Applicable to Any Endeavor
• Not just Web sites
• Information Process
• Fluid
• Indispensable

24
IA in Context
Learning
Information Seeking
Information Architecture
Information Retrieval
Browsing Strategy
Analytical Strategy
25
Approaches to IA

• Mediator of the Design Process
• Interpreter of User Needs and Uses
• Applying Theory to Practice (Top-Down)
• Designing Extending from Examples (Bottom-Up)
• Visionary
• Producer, Director
• Artist or Scientist
• Objective / Subjective
• Project Lead IA Designer Usability - QA

26
What about Design?

• Design as Problem Solving
• View of the world as an information space
• Improving the information space
• Products that solve these problems
• Information as Product
• Connections Organization as Product
• Processes that solve problems
• Education (eLearning)
• Business Transformation (Web 2.0)
• Information Architecture is critical for good
  Application Design

27
Design IA

• Creating managing information
• Visualization alone isnt enough
• Users. Content. Context.

28
Design is an Attitude

• View of the world as a problem space
• Improving the problem space
• Solving problems that no one even knew existed
• Creativity put to use
• Applying solutions from one domain to another
  (synthesis)

29
Designers Information Architects

• Focus on the Users
• Apply Theory
• Understand the system
• Use tools proficiently
• Extend the system
• Create new systems
• Solve problems

30
Our IA Methodology

• Planning
• Analysis
• Design
• Technology Independent
• Technology Dependent
• Construction
• Verification
• Maintenance

31
IA Methodology
Planning
Analysis
Design
Verification
Construction
Maintenance
32
Principles of UI Design IA

• Allow feedback control
• Expose the UI functionality
• Make functionality clear distinct
• Reduce working memory load
• Show progress context of task
• Support experts novices
• Let user select the right interface
• Reveal UI system functionality in phases
• Amount of information shown, preferred

33
What about Visualization IA?

• Interactive GUIs are a good start
• Graphical views of information can provide an
  overview
• Is a picture (of an action) worth 1000 words?
• Is a picture of a dataset worth more?
• Graphics help with abstraction, how can they
  represent specifics?
• Visual metaphors may be one key
• Navigation as a mechanism for interpretation

34
Types of Visualization Interaction

• Windows, Icons, Menus Pointers
• Desktops, dialogs forms
• Colors Highlighting
• Panning Zooming
• Focus-plus context
• Magic Lens, Fisheye lens

35
Web Categories
36
Drill down selection in a GUI
37
Visual Clustering
38
GUIs are good for users

• But lets not go overboard.
• Although intuitively appealing, graphical
  overviews of large document spaces have yet to be
  shown to be useful and understandable for users.
  In fact, evaluations that have been conducted so
  far provide negative evidence as to their
  usefulness.
• Jef Raskins Humane Interface
• Well architected information makes GUIs better
• The information structure(s) should guide the
  interface

39
Deliverables for next week

• Sign up for the listserv
• Course readings discussion
• Tools Tutorials Review in two weeks
• Using your iSchool account (FTP)
• Visio OmniGraffle
• DreamWeaver