Information Architecture: Concepts + ApplicationsBy Dan Klyn and Shari ThurowKSU UXD UXconnect – December 2, 2013

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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 you!sthurow@search-usability.com@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