Presented by

Jessica DuVerneay & Marti Gukeisen

A Beginners Guide to Taxonomy

Presented by

Jessica DuVerneay & Marti Gukeisen

A Beginners Guide to Taxonomy

3

IA CLASS - 2008

IA SUMMIT - 2012

UMSI GRADUATION

Tales of Two Taxonomists

Part 1: Some ContextCase Study ‘A’: Pragmatic Project Walkthrough

Part 3: A Deeper Dig Case Study ‘B’: Back to Reality – In the Middle of It All

Part 2: Some SpecificsTheory, Tips & Advice

Client: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)

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Statement of Work (SOW)

uuuuhhhhh… Statement of What?!?

• Understanding Taxonomies?!?

• Search Engine Keyword Market?!?

• Comprehensive System?!?

• Polyhierarchy?!?

• Synonym Mapping?!?

• Governance Plan?!?

24Hours

!?!…aaaand I had this much time:

The Problem

Glossary of TermsInjectables and Dermal Fillers• Amphadase• Acquamid• Anesthesia• Anika CTA• Anti-viral• Artecoll• ArteFill• ArteSense• Axillary• Belotero• Betacaine• Bio-alchamid• Bioplastique• Botox• Botox Cosmetic• Botulinum Toxin• Botulinum Toxin Type A• Botulinum Toxin Type B• Bovine Collagen • Calcium hydroxylapitite• Captique• Carboxytherapy• Cellulite• Collagen• ETC…

More Problem Breast Implants

Breast Augmentation

Breast Enhancement

Breast Enlargement

Breast Surgery

Implants

Silicon Implants

Saline Implants

Gel Implants

Subpectoral Breast Surgery

Mammoplasty

Breast Replacement

Breast Revision

Breast Reconstruction

**Boob Job

**Pectoral Implants

Polar Bear Book Says:

• Categories should be mutually exclusive, unless they are polyhierarchical.

• Consider the balance breadth and depth, erring on the side of broad and shallow for new sites.

• Taxonomy = a slow layer, while navigation may be slightly faster

Which exact word should be used? Where does it go in relation to the others? What are the exceptions?

That’s all I have to do?

NEAT!

Taxonomy (in this case) needs to be:

• User Centered

• Scalable

• Comprehensive

• Cross Channel

• Aspirational

• Not exact in term construction (vs. Exact)

• Learnable

• SEO Preferential

• Polyhierarchical

Strategy & Activities

Activity 1: Existing Taxonomies

Glossary of TermsInjectables and Dermal Fillers• Amphadase• Acquamid• Anesthesia• Anika CTA• Anti-viral• Artecoll• ArteFill• ArteSense• Axillary• Belotero• Betacaine• Bio-alchamid• Bioplastique• Botox• Botox Cosmetic• Botulinum Toxin• Botulinum Toxin Type A• Botulinum Toxin Type B• Bovine Collagen • Calcium hydroxylapitite• Captique• Carboxytherapy• Cellulite• Collagen• ETC…

Activity 2: Lightweight KeywordResearch

**Note: Site Search log files would have been nice too but the client didn’t track it and now was not the time to start.

Activity 3: Existing User Research & Vernacular

Activity 4: Term Sorting / Affinity Diagramming

Activity 5: Competitor’s Approaches

SOURCES:www.plasticsurgery.org

www.realself.comwww.clevelandclinic.org

First Stab – Word Doc

Options:

• Rhinoplasty, Nose Job, Nose Surgery, Nasal Enhancement

• Chin Lift, Neck Lift, Jowl Lift, Saggy Neck Surgery

• Phalloplasty, Penile Implant, Penis Enlargement, Penile Surgery

Winners!

• Rhinoplasty

• Neck Lift

• Penis Enlargement

Activity 6: SEO & SME Validation, Client Approval

Activity 7: Synonyms & Polyhierarchy

Liposuction =

Lipoplasty, Body Contouring, Fat Reduction, Liposculpture, Fat Removal, Lipo, Ultrasonic Liposuction, Ultrasound Liposuction, Tumescent Liposuction, Power Assisted Liposuction

Eyelid Surgery =

Blepharoplasty, Droopy Eye, Droopy Eye Surgery, Eyelid Lift, Eye Lift

Final Product

Applications

• Sitemap

• Content Inventory / Build Guide

• Navigation

• Wireframes

• Node Tagging

• News Categories

• Search Filters

• URL Structures

• Glossary

• Content Creation Roadmap

• Non-web Properties

Governance Plan

• How it’s used

• Who uses it

• Why & When it might be updated

• How it’s updated

• Who updates it

• Version tracking & archival considerations

Ensures the Taxonomy remains useful as business needs, content, vendor input, or user expectations change or scale

Value to ASAPS

• User Centered, learnable navigation

• Uniform Language guide for internal content creators & vendors across all consumer channels

• Repositioning controlled vocabulary in alignment with brand – medically authoritative but approachable by average consumer

• Explicit support of business goals (ie: Men, Taxonomy)

• Roadmap for content creation due to holes pointed out by aspirational taxonomy

• Improved Findability – SEO, navigation, site search, tagging

• Created a valuable, living, manageable taxonomy that will be used

ASAPS Taxonomy Project Lifecycle

Understand the Problem

Understand Purpose of Taxonomy

Strategy

Assess Existing Taxonomies

Keyword Research

User Research & Vernacular

Competitor's Approaches

Term Sorting

SEO Validation

Client Approval

Synonym Generation

Polyhierarchical Mapping

Application

Governance

Understand the Problem

Understand Purpose of Taxonomy

Strategy

Assess Existing Taxonomies

Keyword Research

User Research & Vernacular

Competitor's Approaches

Term Sorting

SEO Validation

Client Approval

Synonym Generation

Polyhierarchical Mapping

Application

Governance

Main Point: Doing It Once =

TAXONOMYIS

AWESOME!

Some Quick Context

why does taxonomy

even matter?

the better we match the way people THINK

the faster / easier / better [more lucrative] the UX

Everyone else is doing it: when peer pressure can be a good thing

Search Term Analysis

Internal External

The More You Know

Card Sorting, User Testing, Interviews, Contextual Inquiry

understand how YOUR USERS say it

Other Taxonomy Movers & Shakers

• How will the nurse/doctor say it?

• How do they say it in the brochure?

• How do they say it in real places (signage, etc)?

Will users get lost when they CROSSOVER?

Brand-speak vs. Common Man

aka the fight between brand messaging and plain language and how user experience

wins

Tension is Good

• WRITERS want to say it differently.

– differentiate the message from competitors– have an emotional impact– branding

• USERS want to see the most obvious word so they can get where they want to go QUICKLY.

• Everyone wants the user to seamlessly and effortlessly get to the part where they hand over a big stack of cash.

Know when to brandify ™ &When to say it straight

Current Project

Healthcare System Website

Holy Dropdown Menu, Batman!

Find a Doctor. Go ahead.Ablations External Disease Internal Medicine Podiatry Chemical Dependency Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) Neuropsychology Adult & Pediatric Foot & Ankle Reconstruction

Acoustic Neuroma Facial Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia) Interventional Cardiology Premenstrual Syndrome Management Child & Adoles. Psychiatry Therapeutic Endoscopy Neuroradiology Internal Medicine/Pediatric Medicine

Acupuncture Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Interventional Endoscopy Preventive Cardiology Chronic Pain Injections Therapist, Family Neurosurgery Orthopedic and Sports Therapy

ADHD Family Medicine Interventional Nephrology Preventive Medicine Chronic Total Occlusion Intervention Therapist, Marriage Neurosurgery, Brain Tumors Orthopedic Oncology

Adolescent Dentistry Family Medicine & Obstetrics Interventional Oncology Primary Care Clinical Lipidology Thermachoice Neurosurgery, Neck and Spine Orthopedic Surgery

Adolescent Medicine Family Nurse Practitioner Interventional Pain ManagementPrimary/Metastatic Tumors of the Brain & Spine Clinical Neurophysiology (EMG/EEG) Thoracic Surgery Neurosurgery, Neuro-vascular Orthopedics, General

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fetal Echocardiography Interventional Pain Medicine/Pain Management Psychiatic Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Clinical Psychology Thyroid & Parathyroid Neurotology Ped. Genetics & Neurodevelopmental

Adult Neuropsychology Foot & Ankle Interventional Radiology Psychiatry Cochlear Implant Evaluation/Fitting/Aural Rehab Tics Newborn Hospitalist Pediatric Allergy/Immunology

Adult Scoliosis Functional Medicine Invasive Cardiology Psychiatry, Addiction Cochlear Implants Total Joint Replacement Newborn Services Pediatric Anesthesiology

Adult Strabismus Gastroenterology Joint Replacement - Elbow/Wrist/Hand Psychiatry, Adult Colon & Rectal Surgery Tourette's Sysndrome Non-Invasive Cardiology Pediatric Audiology Therapies

Adult Transthoracic Echocardiography Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery Kidney Transplantation Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Complex Spine Surgery Transesophageal Echocardiogram [TEE] Non-Operative Spine Pediatric Bone Tumor

Allergy/ImmunologyGeneral Hand and Wrist Arthritis Reconstruction Knee Psychology Comprehensive Dentistry Trauma Novasure Pediatric Cardiology

Anesthesiology General Medicine Lacrimal Surgery PsychopharmacologyComputed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTA) Travel Vaccines Nuclear Cardiology Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

Aneurysms General Orthopaedics Laparoscopic Hysterectomies Pulmonary Disease Congenital Defects and Birth Injuries Trigeminal Neuralgia Nuclear Medicine Pediatric Craniofacial

Ankle Arthroscopy General Surgery Laparoscopic Surgery Pulmonary Medicine Congenital Heart Disease Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Adult Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Ankle Implantation General Vascular Surgery Laser Treatment for Nail Disease Pulmonology Congential Deformities Upper Extremity Fracture Surgery Obstetrics and Gynecology Pediatric Dentistry

Arrhythmias Geriatric Medicine Low Testosterone Syndrome Radiation Oncology Congential Hand Differences Urogynecology Occupational and Preventive Medicine Pediatric Dermatology

Arthroscopic Knee and Shoulder Ligament Reconstruction Geriatric Psychiatry Lymphedema Therapy Radiology Congestive Heart Failure Urology Occupational Medicine Pediatric Development & Behavioral

Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine GYN Surgery Maternal Fetal Medicine Radiology, Diagnostic Cornea Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Occupational Therapy Pediatric Electrophysiology

Arthroscopy-Shoulder/Elbow/Wrist Gynecologic Oncology Medical Ethics Rearfoot and Forefoot Surgery Coronary artery disease Uveitis Oculo Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Artificial Disc Replacement, Lumbar and Cervical Gynecology Medical Informatics Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery Cosmetic Dermatology Varicose Veins Oculoplastics Pediatric Endocrinology

Asperger's Syndrome Hand & Microvascular Surgery Medical Oncology Reconstructive Joint Surgery Cosmetic Eyelid & Facial Surgery Vascular Interventional Radiology Oncology Pediatric ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat)

Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Hand and Upper Extremity Menopausal Management Reconstructive Microsurgery Cosmetic Surgery Vascular malformations Oncology Rehabilitation Pediatric Foot Care

Audiology Hand Surgery Microvascular Surgery Reconstruction Reflux Surgery Craniofacial Vascular Neurology Oncology, Medical Pediatric Gastroenterology

Autism Hand Therapy Migraine and Neuromuscular Diseases Refractive Critical Care Medicine Vascular Surgery Oncology, Radiation Pediatric Hand Surgery

Balloon Valvuloplasty Head & Neck Cancer and Reconstruction Minimally Invasive Abdominal Surgery Renal Transplant Cytopathology Vestibular Medicine Oncology/Hematology Pediatric Headache

Bariatric Anesthesiology Head & Neck Surgery Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Replantation and Microsurgery Da Vinci Robotic Surgery Vestibular Rehabilitation Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Pediatric Hematology

Bariatric Medicine Head and Neck Cancer Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Surgery Reproductive Endocrinology Dental Implants Vitreo-Retinal Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Bariatric Surgery Headaches Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Retina Dentistry, General Voice Therapy Ophthalmology Pediatric Hemostasis/Thrombosis

Behavioral Medicine Health Psychology Minimally Invasive Surgery Retina Vitreous Disease & Surgery Dermatologic Surgery Women and Heart Disease Optometry Pediatric Hospitalist Services

Biomechanics Hearing Aids Mirena and Implanon Rheumatology Dermatology Womens Neurology Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Pediatric Infectious Disease

Bone Dysplasia Hearing Loss Mohs Micrographic Surgery Risk Factor Modification Dermatopathology Wound Care Orbital Surgery Pediatric Intensivists

Bone Tumor & Soft Tissue Oncology Hearing Services Mohs Surgery Robotic Surgery Diabetic Charcot Foot ReconstructionWrist, Elbow and Shoulder Reconstruction Orthodontics Pediatric Nephrology

Botox for Pain & Spasticity Management Heart Transplant Movement Disorders Salivary Gland Care Diabetic Foot Electrophysiology Orthopaedic - Upper Extremity Pediatric Neurology

Brachial Plexus Reconstruction Hematology Multiple Sclerosis Scoliosis Diabetic Limb Salvage Emergency Medicine Orthopaedic Neck & Spine Pediatric Neuropsychology

Brain Mapping Hepatobiliary Surgery Muscular Dystrophy Shoulder Diabetic Wound Care EMG/NCV Testing Osteopathic Manipulation Pediatric Neurosurgery

Brain Tumors Hepatology Musculoskeletal Shoulder and elbow surgery Diagnostic Radiology Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Otolaryngic Allergy Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Breast Surgery Hepatopancreaticobiliary Myocardial Biopsy Skin Cancer Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Endodontics Otolaryngology Pediatric Ophthalmology

Cardiac Angiography High Risk Obstetrics Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Skull BaseTumors Ear Medical & Surgical Care Endometrial Ablations Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery Pediatric Orthodontics

Cardiac Pathology Hip Neonatology Sleep Apnea and Snoring Ear Medical Care Endoscopic Ultrasound Otology-Neurotology Pediatric Orthopedics

Cardiac Resynchronization Hip and Knee Surgery Nephrology Sleep Disorders Ear, Nose, Throat Endovascular Medicine Pacemaker, Defibrillation Implantation, & Management Pediatric Orthopedics & Spine

Cardiology Hip Arthroscopy Nerve Injuries and Fractures Sleep Medicine Echocardiographic Telemedicine Epilepsy Pain Management Pediatric Otolaryngology/ENT

Cardiothoracic Surgery Hopitalist Services-Carmel Hospital Neuroanesthesia Speech-Language Pathology Echocardiography ESSURE Tubal Ligations Palliative Care Pediatric Palliative Care

Cardiovascular CT & MRI Hopitalist Services-St.Vincent Heart Center Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Elbow Surgery Esthetician Palliative Medicine Pediatric Pathology

Cardiovascular Disease Hospice Neurohospitalist Spinal Diagnostics and Theraputics Electrodiagnostics Stroke Pancreas Transplant Pediatric Physical Med. and Rehab

Cardiovascular Imaging Hospitalist Neurointerventional Radiology Spinal Disorders Electroencephalogram [EEG] Surgery, Eye Parkinsons Disease Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Cardioversion Hospitalist Services-Indianapolis Hospital Neurological Rehabilitation Spine Surgery Electromyogram Surgery, Foot and Ankle Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Pediatric Physical Therapies

Cardothoracic Anesthesiology Hysterectomy Neurology Spine Trauma Pediatric Spine Surgical Critical Care Pathology Pediatric Plastic Surgery

Cartilage Restoration Infectious Disease Neuromuscular Disorders Spine Trauma Surgery Pediatric Sports Injuries Surgical Endoscopy Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Pediatric Psychiatry

Catheter ablation Infertility Neuro-Ophthalmology Spine Tumor Surgery Pediatric Surgery Surgical Oncology Percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) Pediatric Psychology

Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Injured Nerve Problems Neuropathy Sports Injuries - Elbow/Wrist/Hand Pediatric Urology Stress Echocardiography Periodontics Pediatric Pulmonology

Cerebrovascular Disorders Certified Nurse-Midwife St.Vincent Faculty Practice Sports Medicine Pediatrics Pedicatric Hemophilia Peripheral Vascular Disease Pediatric Radiation Oncology

Physical Therapy Pediatric Sleep Disorders Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology Therapies Sports Performance/Sports Medicine Pediatrics, Critical Care Medicine Plagiocephaly Physiatrist Pediatric Radiology

Pediatric Radiology, Diagnostic Plastic Surgery Physiatry Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Pediatric Residency

Initial Approach for Service Areas

• reduced number of options in service area dropdown

• eliminate redundancies

• group some areas together

• ‘like’ groupings rather than alphabetical, hybrid approach

• all services page > catch all

Where It’s At

Next Up

• GUESS best specialty labels (more general groupings of very specific titles)

• Map specialties to service areas (harder than you’d think)

• User Testing

Taxonomy Takeaways

• Taxonomy helps consistently and meaningfully organize words

• Be strategic & thoughtful about how you approach your taxonomy creation

• Jump in and try it, it’s not scary, it can be fun, and adds tangible value to a project

• Search analytics and user research can help you understand how users talk about things

• Branding & culture has a place in deciding how to say what you say

• Remember all the cross channel places your users might see the taxonomy