My Grandmother the Information Architect: The IA of Everyday Life

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My Grandmother the Information Architect The IA
of Everyday Life

• Hallie Wilferthalliewilfert_at_gmail.com

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Meet my grandmother
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Meet my grandmother
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Meet my grandmother
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IA Home Organization
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Methodology
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Definition of an Information Architect

• Clarifies the mission and the vision for the
  site, balancing the needs of its sponsoring
  organization and the needs of its audiences
• Determines what content and functionality the
  site will contain
• Specifies how users will find information in the
  site by defining its organization, navigation,
  labeling, and searching systems
• Maps out how the site will accommodate change and
  growth over time.

• Clarifies the mission and the vision for the
  site, balancing the needs of its sponsoring
  organization and the needs of its audiences
• Determines what content and functionality the
  site will contain
• Specifies how users will find information in the
  site by defining its organization, navigation,
  labeling, and searching systems
• Maps out how the site will accommodate change and
  growth over time.

• Clarifies the mission and the vision for her
  home, balancing the needs of my grandfather and
  the needs of visitors and house guests.
• Determines what content and functionality her
  home will contain
• Specifies how users will find things in her home
  by defining its organization, navigation,
  labeling, and searching systems
• Maps out how her home will accommodate change and
  growth over time, e.g., moving to a smaller
  place.

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Content Inventories
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Lesson Take time to do things right and you will
not have to do them again ...not for a while,
anyway
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The Christmas Tree
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Lesson There's space for everything as long as
everything is labeled clearly
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Lesson Give items enough space and make what is
going on as transparent as possible
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My grandmas audience

• Audience of one
• Grandma is the gatekeeper through whom all things
  must pass
• Keeps things consistent
• Keeps things under her control

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In a different household
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Grandmas Junk Drawer
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My Junk Drawer
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Grandma vs. Hallie
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Card Sorting
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Card Sorting

• Grandma says,
• Dont look in the den, nothings in its place.
  I mean I have everything in groupings, but
  nothing is where it should be yet.

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Card Sorting
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Warning Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too
deep
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Warning Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too
deep
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So what else?

• Grandma has more to teach us than just how to
  organize

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Possible traits of an organized person

• Demanding

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Possible traits of an organized person

• Exacting

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Possible traits of an organized person

• Inquisitive

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Possible traits of an organized person

• Persistent

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Possible traits of an organized person

• Know-it-all

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Possible feelings about an organized person

• Resentment

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Possible feelings about an organized person

• Passive Aggression

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Possible feelings about an organized person

• Hoping youll just go away

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Possible feelings about an organized person

• Acceptance

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Possible feelings about Information Architects

• Are impediments to getting things done
• Think they know everything
• Act like their way is the only way

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What does this make you?
A NAG!
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So what can we do?

• Prove that IAs make everyone's job easier
• Understand that everyone is capable of doing IA
• Try, try again - persistence pays off

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What if you don't have a grandma like this?

• Everyone uses information architecture
• Junk drawers
• Sorting laundry
• Pantries

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IA is everywhere

• Home organization in popular culture
• Real Simple magazine online
• Container Store
• Professional organizers

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IA in magazines
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Real Simple says

• Imagine the potential buyer (or worse, a
  relative) going through your closets or drawers.
  What would you not want him or her to see?
• Tackling clutter without knowing your priorities
  can be counterproductive. People who take a
  tidy up approach are actually rearranging
  rather than organizingSooner or later, the space
  relapses to its original condition.

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IA in magazines
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IA in magazines
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IA in stores
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IA in stores
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IA in books
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IA from the Books

• Organization from the Inside Out says
• Being organized has less to to with the way an
  environment looks than how effectively it
  functions. If a person can find what he or she
  needs when he or she needs it, feels unencumbered
  in achieving his or her goals, and is happy in
  his or her space, then that person is well
  organized.

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What weve learned

• Take time to do things right and you will not
  have to do them again
• There's space for everything as long as
  everything is labeled clearly
• Give items enough space and make what is going on
  as transparent as possible
• Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too deep
• It might not be love at first site (groan), but
  everyone can learn to love their IA
• Information Architecture is everywhere if we know
  where to look

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Thank you!

• Hallie Wilfert
• halliewilfert_at_gmail.com