Information architectureDonna Spencer - Maadmob

(@maadonna)

About me• User experience freelancer – information

architecture, interaction design, content strategy

• Far too long (10+ years)

• Run UX Australia (Sydney, late August 2011)• @maadonna

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Topics covered• Information-seeking behaviours

• How people look for info & what they do with it

• Classification schemes• Ways to organise information & when they work

• Processes• How to determine the best IA

• Labelling• Testing IA• I’ll answer questions at the end (ask them at

any time in the ‘questions’ window)

Information-seeking behaviours

Browse or search• People say that an individual either browses

or searches• Not true - depends on what they need to do

Finding known items• Know what you want• Have words to describe it• Fairly good idea of where to start• Know there is an answer• Know when you see the answer

imdb.com

Exploring• Have some idea of what you want to know• May not know how to articulate it/

terminology• May not know where to start• May never end

Refine and narrow• Large set of items• Some criteria that matters• Narrow down to those of interest

topgear.co.uk

Comparing• Often follows from narrowing/refining• See items side-by-side to compare them

topgear.co.uk

Getting a broad idea• Sometimes people just need to know the

basics• Don’t need the detail

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pixies

Discovering unknown• Things you didn’t know were there, but you

find yourself interested in

youtube.com

Keeping up to date• Don’t need an answer, but need to keep an

eye on things

google.com/analytics

Refinding• Finding something you’ve seen before• Don’t underestimate the importance of this

yogajournal.com

amazon.com

Information behaviours• In your projects, think about what people

need to do• Then figure out how to design for it

Classification schemes

Organisation schemes• For any set of content, there are many ways

we could organise it – many different schemes

• Some of the most common:• Subject/topic

• Geography

• Task

• Audience

• Mixed

Subject/topic

choice.com.au

alistapart.com/topics/

Geography

lonelyplanet.com

last.fm

Task

paypal.com

Audience

monash.edu.au

dell.com

chi2010.org

Mixed

ato.gov.au

Designing and testing IA

Designing IA• Process of synthesis - user research, business

goals, content• Draft top level groupings/attributes

• Just make something up!

• Check it• See if it suits the content

• See if it will suit the users

• Revise it• Stop when it feels right• Start discussing it with people

Tips• How many content groups?• Think about navigation, but put it aside• If stakeholders hate it...• Team or individual• Don’t do it in front of a computer• Make notes about rationale• Sequencing

Great labels• Are dull!• Call things by their correct name• Are consistently used• Use terms the audience uses• Are as clear as possible

yogajournal.com

3am.co.uk

Testing IA• Just tests concepts and labels• Still will need to test navigation/pages• Need

• Draft IA

• Scenarios

• Participants

optimalworkshop.com

plainframe.com

Questions(if there are more than I can answer, I’ll answer some at

http://practical-ia.com/)

And a plug...

Find out more in my full day workshop. 31 March, IA Summit,

Denver (Colorado)http://2011.iasummit.org/

Thanks

• http://maadmob.com.au/• +61 409-778-693• donna@maadmob.net• Twitter etc: maadonna