Information Architecture:An emerging 21st century

profession

By :Dr. A.K. Ramani

Prof. & Head SCSIT, DAVV, Indore(M.P.), India

ramaniak@yahoo.com1

AGENDA

• Information• Notion of Design• Business and IT evolution• Information Architecture• IA vs. Design• Need of IA• Website Architecture• Enterprise Architecture and its benefits• Architecture team• Types of IA• Introduction to TOGAF• Related subjects• Wrap Up

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Information • The world isn’t run by weapons anymore…It is run by small bits of data…0’s

and 1’s….• It’s not the one who has got the most bullets but one who controls the

information…• What we SEE…What we HEAR…What we THINK…..

IT”S ALL ABOUT INFORMATION.3

Information

• More and more work depends upon effective use of Information

• Novel ways of accessing information are seen in offices, home, society, etc.

• More specialized, complex, more perplexing …

• Thus, design and efficient communication are more challenging than ever, requiring great deal of time, practice and knowledge

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Notion of Design

• Separation of thinking and doing• Separation of manual and intellectual work• Separation of conceptual part of work from the labor process• Design-build process is more specialized• Can be clearly seen in building-architects and builders

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Key Challenge: Towards a New Discipline

“Storage, retrieval and transmission of information has been a challenge since the evolution of human being”.

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Systems are complex

The purpose is to teach the machine as we think.

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Different perceptions

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Technology has progressed. It can do practically whatever people want it to do.

So why doesn’t everyone using a computer system have a large smile on their face?

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Yesterday’s Scenario

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Today’s Scenario

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Business Evolution

Old System

• De-centralized• Federation • Retailer Push• Large inventories• Manual processes• Buying/Selling• Mass consumers

New System

• Group• Cohesion• Customer pull• Just in time• Automatic processes• Category management• Individual customers

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IT Evolution

Old System

• Mainframes• Novell• DOS• Own development• SNA, IPX, Paper• Unmanaged• Unresponsive• Cost

New System

• Unix• Windows NT• Windows ……• Application Packages• TCP/IP• Managed• Enabling change• Benefit

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Vertical Business Processes

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Value Chains

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Technology/Business cycle times

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Why innovative system?

• A rapidly changing technology and business landscape demands innovation and agility.

• Innovation and agility provides value to the system.

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“Never innovate out of fear, but never fear to innovate”.

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Innovation lifecycle

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How to evolve new innovative system from old system??

Big Question????

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Solution is…..

i.e. Architecture21

Architecture: A Thing of Harmony and Beauty

I. Architecture -- the discipline dealing with the principles of design and construction and ornamentation of fine buildings;

II. Structure, Architecture -- the manner of construction of something and the disposition of its parts; ``artists must study the structure of the human body"; "the architecture of a computer's system software'' )

III. Architecture – “It is a product of mind like a picture or a painting”.

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Architecture

+

Information

=

Information Architecture

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Mr. Wurman’s Definition

The individual who organizes patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear

A person who creates the structure or map of information which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge

The emerging 21st century professional occupation addressing the needs of the age - focused on clarity, human understanding and the science of the organization of information

Theses of Information Architecture

• People need information.• More importantly, people need the right

information at the right time.

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Missing information

Lost sales -

Expensive support -

Duplicated effort -

Lost trust -

Lost lives?

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Why Information Architecture

Information Architecture helps make sure that business needs and user needs are met,

leaving every one happy.

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Information Architecture

includes

Content

ContextUsers

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IA vs. Design

• Two sides of the same coin?

• Each part of the other?

• IA = one kind of design?

• Design = one kind of IA?

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Is IA omnipresent??

Yes, it is..

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An enigma history of information architecture

• Information architecture is as old as human communication.

• Where there’s information, there’s architecture.

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What Does An Information Architecture Contain?

• The information architecture contains information about a number of things of interest to the business. In its early stages of development, it contains information about: 

• the current or planned organization structure,   

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What Does An Information Architecture Contain?

• the goals of the organization,  • the business functions that must be carried

on to achieve the goals, and  • the major categories of things (subjects) the

organization needs information about in order to perform the functions.

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The most interesting architectures spring from problems of diversity:

o Diversity of informationo Diversity of audienceo Diversity of modes of accesso Diversity of use

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Internet and IA

• The Internet has changed how we live with information.

• It has made ubiquitous the once rare entity: the shared information environment

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The Architecture Team

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Information Architects do:• Research & understand

user requirements• Find the patterns

inherent in data, making the complex clear

• An information architect manages IA process with appropriate tools.

• Apply Experience

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Information Architect : Skills and experience needed

• Strong customer focus• Product knowledge• Knowledge of information design principles• Three to five years of technical writing • agement and delivery

• Good interpersonal skills• Knowledge of user needs and usability assessment

techniques• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment• Ability to perform needs analysis

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Approaches of IA

• Top Down • Bottom Up

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“Top-down” IA

• It involves developing a broad

understanding of the business strategies and user needs, before defining the high level structure ,

• Finally the detailed relationships among

contents.40

“Bottom-up” IA

• It involves understanding the detailed relationships among contents,

• Create walkthroughs (or storyboards) to show how the system could support specific user requirements and

• Then consider the higher level structure that will be required to support these requirements.

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Top-Down OR Bottom-Up

Not mutually exclusive—every project includes both.

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What does an architectureprocess give us?

1. Sufficient reality in architectural design

2. Common services

3. Quality of service

4. Vendor co-operation

5. Centralisation of services vs. flexibility in choice of services

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“Vorstellung”:Imagining

Picturing

Conceptualizing

Visualizing

The Challenge!!!!!!!

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Visualization

• Visualization of product and its architecture.

• Visualization of organization required to build it.

• Visualization of the tools and techniques to achieve end objective.

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• Developing system architecture is a tough way.• Don’t do it unless there is a need.• It is expensive.• It is a very difficult thing.• In fact, it is the most difficult of all.

46- Szabolcs Michael De Gyurky

TOGAF will help

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TOGAF provides an EASY and EFFICIENT approach towards

defining an INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

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Architecture Framework

• TOGAF is an architecture framework - The Open Group Architecture Framework.

• It enables you to design, evaluate, and build

the right architecture for your organization.

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Real life definition of TOGAFWhat TOGAF is What TOGAF is not

Generic Perspective about how to customize the framework.

Process driven Perspective, Artefact driven

“One size fits all organizations”. Specific to company size or to an industry

Flexible Ontology Driven

Set of conceptual tools Tool

Providing generic deliverables Prescribing a specific set of deliverables.50

TOGAF:Developing an architecture

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TOGAF: Information Architecture Process

TOGAF consists of three main parts:• The TOGAF Architecture Development Method

(ADM),• The Enterprise Continuum

o The TOGAF Foundation Architecture The TOGAF Standards Information Base (SIB), The TOGAF Technical Reference Model (TRM)

o The Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model

• The TOGAF Resource Base52

TOGAF Framework concepts

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Ownership

The TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM)

Figure : Architecture Development Cycle 54

Figure : Architecture Development Cycle - Expansion55

The architecture development process needs to be linked into the organization

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Why Architecture in Enterprise?

• Be it a standalone site or an enterprise, the users need information, and they need it fast

• It has to be secured and reliable• A typical enterprise has at least a few ERP systems and

hundreds of other supporting systems• Information is duplicated, stale and retrieval is slow• Every extra minute spent on information gathering results

in operational overhead

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• Information is mostly tied with Technology it resides on• Every enterprise has some master data which is core to its

business• Sanctity and reliability of master data may determine success

or failure for an organization• Master Data Management (MDM) is key

Why Architecture in Enterprise?.........

Global Presence

Financial Centers at geographically dispersed locations (50+ countries)

Country/Local laws and regulations

30,000+ employees Complex business processes

Customer Financial Transactions

Banking Transactions

Corporate Processes

International Transactions

A Financial Enterprise:

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A Financial Enterprise …

• Master Data• Customer Data• Vendor/Supplier Data• Banking Data

• Dozens of ERP systems• Hundreds of Master data systems (duplication of

information – result of build as you go)• Thousands of applications and information systems (integration

is a nightmare!)

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• Driven by changing business (Bank holding company) • Overall Enterprise Architecture is being worked on by CTO

organization• An architecture roadmap and reference architecture (RA) is being

developed (TOGAF is being evaluated)• Individual technology teams are developing their own roadmaps

(Remember it is a BIG organization)• Roadmaps are then used to prepare Information strategies

(Disbursement, Financial strategy, Sub-ledger strategy etc.)• Consolidation of Master Data - development of “Source of Truth” data

storages• SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) based integration architecture• A long-term strategy

A Financial Enterprise – Solution:

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• A mid-size company• 5000+ employees• Multiple locations within US• Children companies (in supporting businesses)

• Medium complexity business processes (it is all relative )• International shipments, laws, regulations• Integration with Rail-roads, Inter-modal (Trucking,

other carriers)• Online tracking - Ship & shipment locations• Backend financial processes

• Disburse Master Data (duplication) – result of build as you go

An Ocean Transportation Company:

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• Re-architecting of what is important for the enterprise (From legacy to multi-tier architecture)

• Data-warehouse and Data-mart based architecture for information

• Master data management – ETL based integration• Business Intelligence solution for easy retrieval• Services based integration at the business processes level• A work in progress

An Ocean Transportation Company – Solution:

• One of the top Insurance companies• Multiple locations• Millions of clients

• Complex business processes• Privacy and Security is the key• Separation of data and access to it drives the

architecture• Health industry regulations based processes

• Master Data• Clients, Doctors, Hospitals• Out of Network Doctors/Hospitals, • Health regulations• But… still duplication of information (as a result of…?)

• Complex business Rules and their application on data

A Health Insurance Organization:

• Revamping of Business and Technology organizations (as a result of some business setbacks)

• Work in progress on a Reference Architecture (RA) and an Enterprise Architecture

• Master Data Management• Consolidation of master data, • Security based access• Mapping of Business processes to application services

• Integration of Health industry standards and regulations into new Business processes rather than as an add-on

A Health Insurance Organization – Solution:

Key Points To Remember:

• In an Enterprise, architecture is driven by business (users, processes, adaptation to changes etc.)

• Information Architecture is not a stand-alone entity, it is a part of Enterprise Architecture

• Even in case of individual web-sites, it is driven by business architecture and user experience

• Architecting is a continuous process (more of a circular process)

• Technology and business innovations are taking place periodically – resulting in new strategies for Information Architecture

Information architecture’s impact on business

1. Customers consistently request:• Better retrievability • Solution-oriented information• A seamless information experience

across products

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Information architecture’s impact on the business

2. Good information architecture can fulfill those requests and:

• Reduce total cost of ownership• Reduce customer support calls• Reduce number of non-defect

customer support issues (NDOPs)• Increase customer satisfaction

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Information architecture’s impact on the business

3. All information developers can work toward these goals in their information deliverables and contribute to the overall information architecture.

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Conclusions

• IA is a rapidly emerging field concerned with the art and science of applying many approaches to the design of IS

• Several disciplines have to merge to architect the right systems

• Inf. Architect to develop Information structures usable at multiple levels of interaction among humans, machine and environment

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Conclusions

• Information architecture is first an act, then a practice, then a discipline.

• Sharing the practice grows the discipline, and makes it stronger.

• A 21st Century Profession; Information Architect

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Worth reading

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Related Subjects

• Usability / User experience/Interaction

design

• Information design

• Graphic design

• Information technology / System Design

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Questions

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Wrap Up

Contact information:

Dr. A.K Ramani

Head SCSIT,DAVV(Indore)

email: head.scs@dauniv.ac.in

Thank you and Good Luck….

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