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Information Architecture: Concepts + Applications By Dan Klyn and Shari Thurow KSU UXD UXconnect – December 2, 2013
Information Architecture: Concepts + ApplicationsBy Dan Klyn and Shari ThurowKSU UXD UXconnect – December 2, 2013
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Buenos Aires, Argentina Antwerp, Belgium São Paulo, Brazil Zagreb, Croatia
Hermoupolis, Syros, Greece Budapest, Hungary
Tehran, Iran Milan, Italy
Siracusa, Italy Tokyo, Japan
Warsaw, Poland Johannesburg, South Africa
Barcelona, Spain Bristol, United Kingdom
Ann Arbor, MI, United States Chicago, IL, United States
Charlotte, NC, United States Des Moines, IA, United States
Los Angeles, CA, United States Miami, FL, United States
New York, NY, United States Portland, OR, United States
Washington, DC, United States http://worldiaday.org
World Information Architecture Day2.15.14
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Places Made of Information
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Places Full of Complexity and Contradiction
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“information architecture is the only field I’m aware of that is concerned with the structural integrity of meaning across contexts.
Anyone who questions the relevance of IA by diminishing it to “just” website navigation in 2013 is talking about their understanding of the state of the profession 15 years ago”
-- Jorge Arango past President of The Information Architecture Institute
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1. IA WTF
2. IA FTW
A model for understanding information architecture
Using information architecture to make search awesome
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A Model for Understanding Information Architecture
Arrangement of the parts.
OntologyParticular meaning.
Rules for interaction among the parts.
Choreography
Taxonomy
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Image pilfered from @inkblurt’s tweetstream
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What Is The Meaning of App Store?
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… How About Here?
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What Is The Meaning of iTunes?
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taxonomy
Arrangement
of the parts
ontology
Particular meaning
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Taxonomy = Arranging Meaning in Context
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Taxonomy = Arranging Meaning in Context
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Taxonomy = Arranging Meaning in Context
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Taxonomy = Arranging Meaning Across Contexts
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Taxonomy = Arranging Meaning Across Contexts
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A Model for Understanding Information Architecture
Arrangement of the parts.
OntologyParticular meaning.
Rules for interaction among the parts.
Choreography
Taxonomy
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Choreography = Rules For How The Parts May Interact
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Choreography: Appropriate Unfolding?
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Choreography: Appropriate Unfolding?
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Ontology
Arrangement of the parts
Particular meaning
Rules for
interaction
among the
parts.
Choreography
A Model for Understanding Information Architecture
Arrangement of the parts.
OntologyParticular meaning.
Rules for interaction among the parts.
Choreography
Taxonomy
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1. IA WTF
2. IA FTW
A model for understanding information architecture
Using information architecture to make search awesome
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Findability is critical facet of UX:
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desirable
useful
valuable
accessible
credible
usable
findable
desirable
useful
valuable
accessible
credible
usable
findable
desirable
useful
valuable
accessible
credible
usable
findable
http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php
The facet I focus on:
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find•a•bil•i•ty [fahynd-duh-bil-i-tee] −noun
a. The quality of being locatable or navigable.
b. The degree to which a particular object is easy to discover or locate.
c. The degree to which a system or environment supports navigation and retrieval (search).
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Query (search) AskBrowse
Adapted from diagram in Morville and Callender’s Search Patterns.
Search engine optimization is…
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…optimizing an interface for search engines.
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Search engine optimization is…
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People (Searchers) Search Engines
SEARCH-ENGINE FRIENDLY
…optimizing an interface for people who use search engines.
technology-centered design
user-centered
design
“I overheard a senior vice president say, ‘…and then we’ll get the SEO fairies to sprinkle magic pixie dust and everything will be swell!’ It was a joke, but there’s truth in every joke.
What did he mean by magic pixie dust? There is no such thing in SEO.”
-- http://searchengineland.com/why-seo-needs-its-own-reputation-management-64637
SEO is not…
Search engine optimization is…
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• …optimizing a website for people who use search engines.
• SEO professionals are concerned with:– Labeling website content so that it is easy to find– Organizing website content so that it is easy to find– Ensuring search engines have access to desired content– Ensuring search engines don’t have access to undesirable content
• Applies to both:– Web search engines– Site search engines
Also applies:
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• Human users
• Non-human users
Desktop Notebook Tablet Mobile
Fundamental building blocks of SEO:
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Architectureand Design
Keywordsand Labels
LinkDevelopment
and Social
Searcher Goals
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Architecture, navigation, and layout:
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Most important
Least important
On-the-page criteria:
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On-the-pagecriteria
Architectureand Design
Keywordsand Labels
LinkDevelopment
and Social
Searcher Goals
Off-the-page criteria:
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Off-the-pagecriteria
Keywordsand Labels
Architectureand Design
LinkDevelopment
and Social
Searcher Goals
What searchers and search engines determine:
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Architectureand Design
Keywordsand Labels
LinkDevelopment
and Social
Searcher Goals
Infrastructure& Scent
Aboutness
Validation & Credibility
Searcher Goals
=
Web searcher goals:
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Navigational
(Where can I go?)
Transactional
(What can I do?)
Informational
(What can I learn/know?)
Navigational queries:
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Re-find
Known content/site
Go = navigational:
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Even if a site has a #1 position:
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3
Searchers don’t want this:
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C
Informational queries:
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Answer to question Quick fact
ListRead reviews
Know/learn = informational:
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C
Transactional queries:
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Watch a video
Listen to music
Look at pictures
Download
Do = transactional:
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SEO professionals also want this:
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3
Mobile queries:
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Quick fact LocationPersonal
Information
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• We all have search responsibilities:– Keywords (labels) are important.– Treat most pages as a point of entry.– Don’t limit access to desired content.– Accommodate searching as well as browsing behaviors.– Be aware that some of your findability solutions can cause search engine
problems (both web and site search engines).
IA and usability decisions have a direct impact on findability.
The “blame” game:
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Thank [email protected]@sharithurow
Search Engine Visibility From New Riders
Companion site at: SearchEnginesBook.com
When Search Meets Web Usability
Companion site at: SearchMeetsUsability.com
Buenos Aires, Argentina Antwerp, Belgium São Paulo, Brazil Zagreb, Croatia
Hermoupolis, Syros, Greece Budapest, Hungary
Tehran, Iran Milan, Italy
Siracusa, Italy Tokyo, Japan
Warsaw, Poland Johannesburg, South Africa
Barcelona, Spain Bristol, United Kingdom
Ann Arbor, MI, United States Chicago, IL, United States
Charlotte, NC, United States Des Moines, IA, United States
Los Angeles, CA, United States Miami, FL, United States
New York, NY, United States Portland, OR, United States
Washington, DC, United States http://worldiaday.org
World Information Architecture Day2.15.14
