Presentation to

Society for Technical Communication &Gateway CHI

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

Kathy Marshak, Senior ConsultantIconMedialab, St. Louis636.530.7776 | www.iconmedialab.com

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

2Copyright 2002 IconMedialab

Agenda» IconMedialab background

– Some material from IconMedialab’s Information Architecture & User Interface Design course

» What is Information Architecture (IA)?– Relationship between IA and content– Key artifacts

» Tips to improve online content organization

» Conclusion

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

3Copyright 2002 IconMedialab

IconMedialab Background» Fully integrated global e-business professional services firm

– Training – Consulting– Full solution Web development

» Strategy, user experience concepts, development and launch» Content management solutions

» Offices in USA and Europe

» Founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1996– Bought St. Louis-based Insight Technology Group in June 2000

» Headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

4Copyright 2002 IconMedialab

Representative Clients WorldwideThe EconomistElectroluxEmpire BlueCrossBlueShieldEricssonEuropean UnionFerrariF MagazineFiat AutoFinancial TimesFujitsu ComputersGeneral MotorsHarley DavidsonHenkelIBMIndustry StandardJanssen-CilagKPMGLafarge La PosteLego MediaLetsBuyItLloyds BankL’OréalLowe Lintas

Mashantucket Pequot MuseumMatteus TradingMedcast NetworksMercedes-BenzThe MetropolitanMuseum of ArtMicrosoftMotorolaNew York Daily NewsNokiaOM-GruppenOnline Music CompanyOpelOraclePharmacia Pfizer PharmaceuticalsPremiere ParisProduct News NetworkReader’s Digest(gifts.com)Red Herring RocheSAAB SAS

ABBAdvanstarAirtelAlitaliaAmerican Cancer SocietyAOLAventisBanco ArgentariaBBCBokkildenBritish PetroleumCanalSatelliteCap GeminiCarnegie HallChubb Group ofInsurance CompaniesCitroënColumbia TriStarCompaqDepartment of DefenseDHLDigital Equipment Co.Diners ClubDiscount Auto PartseBank

SBC Scandinavia OnlineSiemens MedicalSilicon GraphicsSkandia InsuranceSonera ZedSony Computer Entertainment EuropeSony CorporationSony MusicSun MicrosystemsSuzukiStora EnsoSwedbankSwedish Postal ServiceTelecincoTelecom FinlandTetra PakThomas RegisterTNTUN - World AIDS DayVing TravelVolkswagenWall Street RaritiesWebMD

What Is Information Architecture?

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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What Is IA?» Information architecture (IA) is the organization of information and

navigation mechanisms that enable people to find the information and services they need to complete a task

» Key aspects– Users and their goals– Content– Navigation and interaction, including labels– Usability

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Why IA Matters» Inability to find information costs money!

– Wasted time meandering through intranets– Duplicated effort recreating something that exists but cannot be found– Frustrated potential customers abandon a shopping session

» Content organization is part of IA

» Structure is part of IA

» Navigation is part of IA

» Usability is enhanced or harmed by IA

» Brand is enhanced or harmed by IA

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Information Architecture Examples

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Information Architecture Examplesw

ww

.metm

useum.org

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Information Architect Role» Responsibilities

– Researches and analyzes user’s needs, sponsor’s goals, and content– Applies user-centered approach to structure website

» Skills– Excellent listening and observation skills– Analytical thinking – categorizing, indexing, defining metadata– Creative problem solving– Interaction design– “Plays well with others”

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Content Manager Role» Responsibilities

– Assesses content needs» What is available» What is needed

– Develops plan to create or obtain needed content– Establishes workflow and style guidelines – Oversees content development

» Skills– Excellent writing skills– Highly organized – Effective editorial process design– “Plays well with others”

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Content Development (Option A)

Country A

Location 1

Facility X

Facility Y

Facility Z

Location 2

Facility ..

Story3Story4

Story2

Story1

Story5

Story6

....

Country B

Location 5

Facility A

Facility B

Facility C

Location 6

Facility ..

Story9Story..

Story8

Story7

Story..

Story..

....

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Content Development (Option B)

Country ACountry BCountry CCountry D

Location 1Location 2Location 3Location 4Location ..

Facility 1Facility 2Facility 3Facility 4Facility ..

Country XCountry YCountry ZCountry ..

Facility 7Facility 8Facility 9Facility 10Facility ..

Location 7Location 8Location 9Location 10Location ..

Story 1Story 2Story 3Story 4Story ..

Story 7Story 8Story 9Story 10Story ..

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Content Manager & IA PerspectivesInfo Architect perspective

» How will a user access it?– Hierarchy – Cross-category links– Labels – Metadata

» Users’ mental model drives work

» Structure pages with content chunks, often from multiple pieces

Content Manager perspective

» How will we develop the piece?– Document type– Author or source– Subject matter– Status (published, editing)– Audience and tone – Format, size, languages, etc.

» Publishing model drives work– Develop whole pieces

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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The Bigger Picture…Key Artifacts

Wireframes

Site Map

User Research

PrototypeContent

Inventory

Requirements

Tips to Improve Online Content Organization

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1. Know Your Audience» Learn the basic facts

– Demographics – Primary tasks and context of use

» Understand the underlying motivations– Essential goals– Priorities

» Speak like they do– Vocabulary, tone, priorities, goals

» Create personas to make users real – Concrete description of an archetypal user– Create a-day-in-the-life scenarios

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Frequent Business Traveler Example» Mark Sanders, 38, Madison, WI

» Former lawyer

» Teaches conflict resolution to corporate & non-profits

» PC user with DSL connection

» Contributes to discussions on two mail lists

» Reads books & surfs the Web to find ideas for new courses

» Favorite airline: Northwest (good upgrade program; great people)

» Belongs to many frequent flyer & frequent hotel programs

» Tracks which states & state capitals he has visited

» What’s his pet peeve?

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Mark’s Goals» Maximize his time

– Feels satisfied when things go smoothly during travel so he can relax and enjoy his destination before & after working

» Be recognized & rewarded– Likes being recognized as a frequent traveler, one

who knows the ins & outs of airports, hotels, and how to cash-in on the perks

» Know he’s getting a good deal– Needs to be confident that he isn’t wasting money

on travel so he can be comfortable spending money on entertaining activities

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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2. Organize Content Based on Goals» Assess content from multiple perspectives

– Users, authors, editors, project sponsors

» Decide which perspective is guiding content organization

» Discover structure– Card sorting– Affinity diagrams– Categorization based on industry norms

» Diagram structure and explain it to others

» Discover emerging patterns of usage– Observe users and analyze site logs– View change as a competitive advantage

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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3. Chunk Up Content» Chunks help structure copy and pages

» What’s a chunk?– Smallest meaningful and useful component of a document – Definition of “useful” varies depending on perspective– A web page typically contains multiple related chunks

» Politics, design, and technology influence chunking

» Imperatives– Use meaningful headlines– Use active voice – Make text scannable– Use active white space

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4. Use Templates» Increase consistency

– Users: decrease effort, increases polish– Authors: speeds submission process

» Reduce temptation to re-invent the wheel

» Reduce development effort & cost– Sponsors: reduces cost and maintenance effort– Developers: reduces coding and testing effort– Designers: reduces effort – design unique pages

» Share best practices through template contents

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5. Evaluate Results» Get feedback from multiple perspectives and techniques

– Reviews by your peers or experts– Usability tests– Competitive analysis

» Remember that you are not a user– Your boss is not a user either

» Conduct frequent, focused feedback sessions – Iterative feedback is better than a big bang approach

Conclusions

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Summary» IA and content roles are closely related

– Scope of tasks differ– Find common ground by emphasizing similarities

» Discover new techniques for organizing information– New perspectives enliven information

» Follow best practices

» Know and please your audience

Using Information Architecture to Organize Content

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Useful Resources – Websites» www.iconmedialab.com - IconMedialab’s service offerings, awards, case

studies, and background.

» www.training.iconmedialab.com - IconMedialab’s current course offerings, and IA and OO SIG meeting notices.

» www.iconprocess.com - Best practices for Web development, emphasizing business strategy and user experience, based on IconMedialab experience.

» www.iawiki.net – Wiki-style discussion of IA topics.

» www.iaslash.org – excellent digest of news, articles, and other IA resources.

» www.grokdotcom.com – Useful tips for writing online marketing content, understanding consumers, and more. Good newsletter!

» www.boxesandarrows.com – Growing collection of IA articles, interviews with key players, and forums.

» www.argus-acia.com – Archived collection of IA articles.

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Useful Resources – Books» Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Louis Rosenfeld &

Peter Morville (2nd edition available)

» The Art and Science of Web Design by Jeffrey Veen

» The Inmates are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products DriveUs Crazy and How To Restore The Sanity by Alan Cooper

» Developing Online Content: The Principles of Writing and Editing for the Web by Irene Hammerich and Claire Harrison

» Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen

» Homepage Usability by Jakob Nielsen

» Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte, as well as his other works

Kathy Marshak, Senior ConsultantIconMedialabkatherine.marshak@IconMedialab.com | www.IconMedialab.com700 Goddard AvenueChesterfield, MO 63005636.530.7776

Thank you