Download - SVA Workshop 032512
Introduction to Information Architecture & Design School of Visual Arts | March 2012
Robert Stribley
Louis Vuitton Window display, Bloomingdales
Introduction
Aussie-Style Liquorice
Chocolate display, Xocolatti, SoHo, New York
Body Gel, Sabon, SoHo, New York
Peppers, Union Square Market, New York
Butterfly on the New York City Highline
Pattern Recognition:
In cognitive psychology, the ability
to identify familiar forms within a
complex arrangement of sensory
stimuli
Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.
Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.
Intro
Robert Stribley
• I’m a senior information architect
at Razorfish
• I write music and arts reviews
• I produce a promote a variety
show
• I photograph various things
• I drink coffee
Introduction
Clients include:
• Bank of America, Wachovia
• JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley,
Oppenheimer Funds, Smith Barney,
• Boston Scientific, Nasonex
• Choice Hotels
• Computer Associates, EMC
• Ford
• Nextel
• Red Cross
• Travel Channel, Women’s Wear Daily
Intro
About You
• What’s your name?
• What do you do for work?
• What do you do for fun?
• Coffee, tea or bottled water?
Introduction
Intro
Goals of this workshop
• Understand the basic concepts of user experience
design
• Experience the general process and techniques used
on a design project
• Review the basic deliverables an information architect
develops within a project
Introduction
Agenda
Agenda
Morning
• Background
• Design Process
• Our Project
• User Research
• Competitive Review
• Personas
• Lunch
Agenda
Agenda
Afternoon
•Card Sorting
•Site Maps
•Page Types
•Grids
•Navigation
•Sketching
•Wireframes
•Q&A
Agenda
Background
Background
in•for•ma•tion ar•chi•tec•ture n.
Background: Defining IA
• The combination of organization,
labeling, and navigation schemes within
an information system.
• The structural design of an information
space to facilitate task completion and
intuitive access to content.
• The art and science of structuring and
classifying web sites and intranets to help
people find and manage information.
• An emerging discipline and community of
practice focused on bringing principles of
design and architecture to the digital
landscape.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (1st Edition), p . 4, Rosenfeld and Morville
Navigation
Interaction
Art/Science
Discipline/
Community
Background
The Information Architecture Institute defines
information architecture as “the art and
science of organizing and labeling websites,
intranets, online communities and software to
support usability.”
Background: Defining IA
Background
"It's hard to say who really is an
information architect. In some
sense, we all are.”
— Alex Wright, Author Glut
Background: Defining IA
users content
context
IA
Background: Defining IA
interface
information architecture
Background: Defining IA
skin
skeleton
Background: Defining IA
Design Process
metaphor: architectural plans
Flickr.com: Cornell University Library
Background: Defining IA
Background: History
A Brief History of IA
1975
• Richard Saul Wurman coined the term
“information architecture” to describe the field
now more likely described as “information
design”
1994
• Formation of Argus Associates in Ann Arbor,
WI, the first firm devoted to IA
1998
• First edition of Peter Morville and Lou
Rosenfeld’s Information Architecture for the
World Wide Web, affectionately known as
“The Polar Bear” book
Partially adapted from: “A brief history of information architecture” by Peter Morville and Information
Architecture: Designing information environments for purpose, edited by Alan Gilchrist and Barry Mahon
A Brief History of IA
2000
• First IA Summit, Boston, MA – Defining
Information Architecture
2002
• Boxes & Arrows, online journal for information
architects goes live
• 3 new books on IA published, including Jesse
James Garrett’s The Elements of User
Experience
2011
• 12th Annual IA Summit held in Denver, CO
Background: History
Design Process
satire on project phases by Harold Kerzner
Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
Design Process
Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Stakeholder interviewers
• Business requirements
• Competitive & comparative audits
• User research
• Site inventory
Design Process
Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Personas
• Content & meta data audits
• Card sorts
• Use cases
• Mood boards
• Sketching
• Site maps
• Creative brief
• UX brief
Design Process
Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Site maps
• Task flows
•Sketching
• Wireframes
• Stakeholder reviews
• Prototypes
• Usability testing
• Visual design
•Functional specifications
Design Process
Design Process
Discovery Definition Design Development
• Site development
• User acceptance
testing (UAT)
• Quality
assurance (QA)
• Usability testing
Design Process
Background
IA Deliverables
site map
feature/functionality
inventory
comparative/competitive
review
requirements document
personas
sketches
use cases
user flows prototype
wireframes
discover design define
experience brief
Deliverables
Background
IA Deliverables
site map
feature/functionality
inventory
comparative/competitive
review
requirements document
personas
use cases
user flows prototype
wireframes
discover design define
experience brief
visual design
sketches
Deliverables
Our Project
What to do?
Our Project
Our Project
Events.com wants to revamp its website to
become the go-to online resource for people
wanting to attend or promote events across the
United States.
Our Project
Discover
User Research
User Research in Copenhagen’s Elderly Homes
User Research
“Through research, we aim to learn enough
about the business goals, the users, and the
information ecology to develop a solid
strategy.”
– Louis Rosenfield & Peter Morville
Discovery: User Research
User Research
Methodology
• Focus Groups
• Surveys
• Interviews
Goals
• Identify patterns and trends in user behavior,
tasks, preferences, obstacles.
Discovery: User Research
User Research
Class Exercise: Survey Questions • How do you learn about events in NYC?
• What type of events are you interested in?
• What’s more important to you:
– Price
– Type of Event
– Location
– Date
• How often do you attend the events?
• Do you ever need to promote an event?
• Do you ever invite people to an event?
Discovery: User Research
Competitive Review
image by brandon schauer
Discovery: Competitive Audit
“This type of assessment helps set an
industry ‘marker’ by looking at what the
competition is up to, what features and
functionalities are standard, and how others
have solved the same problems you might
be tasked with.”
– Dorelle Rabinowitz
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review
Methodology • Heuristic Evaluation
• Usability Criteria
• Scorecard
Goals • Review and analyze competitor sites according to
particular criteria
• Draw key findings, which can influence and guide IA
through the design phase
Also:
• Comparative Reviews
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review
Heuristic Evaluation
Ten Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen
• Visibility of system status
• Match between system and the real world
• User control and freedom
• Consistency and standards
• Error prevention
• Recognition rather than recall
• Flexibility and efficiency of use
• Aesthetic and minimalist design
• Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
• Help and documentation
Self Study:
For a more detailed explanation of these heuristics, see Nielsen’s explanation here: http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review
Examples of Usability Criteria Note: These examples are not intended to provide a comprehensive listing. Appropriate criteria may depend on the project to be completed.
Home Page
• Are home page elements appropriately weighted and distributed?
• Is information clustered in meaningful ways?
Navigation
• Is the navigation structure concise and consistent?
• Are paths to important information intuitive and unobstructed?
Content
• Is content current? Are there visible indications of content freshness?
• Is content properly adapted for the Web? Is tone of voice consistent throughout content? Is
content chunked appropriately?
• Are headings and titles scannable?
Design
• Are colors appropriate to the Web? Is white space used appropriately? Is text readable?
Search
• Are search results relevant and cleanly presented?
Functionality
• Are functionality and forms efficiently designed?
Messaging
• Are errors messages clear on the site? Is help readily available to users?
• Are there appropriate means for user feedback?
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review
Competitors
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review: Flavorpill
Flavorpill loves culture. We
embrace the high-brow, low-brow,
underground, mainstream, and
everything in between — as long
as it's good.
A city guide for those who like to
go out, Flavorpill publishes a daily
update of worthwhile cultural-
event listings, from art exhibits
and readings to concerts, plays,
and festivals.
“
” http://flavorpill.com/about
Flavorpill
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review: Flavorpill
Home Page
•Featured Event Strip
•Search
•Featured Event
•What’s Happening
•Recently Added
•Coming Up
•Featured Venue
•Giveaways
•New York Guide
Discovery: Competitive Review
Navigation
Primary
•Events
•Editor Picks
•Featured Venues
•Giveaways
Utility
•City Dropdown
•Log In/Log Out
•SignUp/ Profile
•Social (Facebook,
Twitter, Tumblr)
• iPhone App
•Search
Features & Functionality
•Search
•Calendar
•Filtering
•Google maps
•Comments
•Profile
Upcoming
Competitive Review: Going.com
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/help/faq/
Upcoming is a community
for discovering and
sharing events. It can help
you find stuff to do,
discover what your friends
are doing, or let you keep
private events online for
your own reference.
“
”
Discovery: Competitive Review
Home Page •Browse Events
•Event Carousel
•Events Listing
•My Events
•Calendar
•Pandora/iTunes/Last.fm integration
•Link to Beta version
Competitive Review: Going.com Discovery: Competitive Review
Navigation
Primary
•My Events
•Friends
•More
•Add an Event
Secondary
•Help
•My Account
•Search
•Sign in/Sign
out
Features & Functionality •Search
•Calendar
•Profiles
•Comments
•Event posting and promoting
•RSVP online/Buy tickets
•Event filtering/sorting
•Yahoo! Maps
NYCgo.com
NYC & Company is New York
City’s official marketing, tourism
and partnership organization.
Our mission is to maximize travel
and tourism opportunities
throughout the five boroughs,
build economic prosperity and
spread the dynamic image of New
York City around the world.
“
” http://nycgo.com/?event=view.footerArticle&id=49568
Competitive Review: NYCgo.com Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review: NYCgo.com Discovery: Competitive Review
Functionality
• Search
• Google maps
• Calendar
• Find an event
• Filtering
• MyNYC
Navigation
Primary
•Top Attractions
•What to Do
•Where to Stay
•Plan Your Trip
•Deals
•Broadway
•NYC for the Holidays
•Free
•NYC Shop
Secondary
•Travel Trade
•Meeting Planners
•Membership
•Press
Utility
•Search
•Language Selector
•Temperature
•Twitter, Facebook, Email
Home Page
•Search
•This Week carousel
•NYC Highlights
•Events calendar
•Top 5 Events
•Plan Your Trip
•Deals & Offers
Competitive Review
Key Findings • Search placed prominently on each site
• Clear need for and emphasis upon filtering events
• Calendars provide obvious benefit, but aren’t always
prominent
• Profiles and community features are also common, but
handled with varying degrees of detail, success
• Free events are often highlighted
• Event detail pages vary, may have maps, RSVP, sharing,
rating, commenting functionality
• Displaying other venues and restaurants adds utility
• Maps prove helpful, especially to out-of-towners
• The ability to add or promote an event is not always
present or prominent
Discovery: Competitive Review
Competitive Review
What else have we learned?
• Who are the audiences of these sites?
• What are the strengths of these sites?
• What are their weaknesses?
• How might another event site differentiate itself from these sites?
Discovery: Competitive Review
Define
Personas
Created at Personas: http://personas.media.mit.edu
Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies)
exhibit, recently on display at the MIT Museum by the
Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab . It
uses sophisticated natural language processing and
the Internet to create a data portrait of one's
aggregated online identity. In short, Personas shows
you how the Internet sees you.
Personas
“Personas summarize user research findings
and bring that research to life in such a way
that everyone can make decisions based on
these personas, not based on themselves.”
– Steve Mulder
Definition: Personas
Personas
Characteristics of Effective Personas
• Varied and distinct
• Detailed
• Not weighed down with minutiae
• Tied into business-specific goals
• Backed by data
Definition: Personas
Personas
Methodology
• Cluster Analysis
Goals
• Create a narrative based on real data to
illustrate user behavior, motivations, goals
Definition: Personas
Small Budget
Big Budget
Planner Promoter
Definition: Personas
Definition: Personas
Sabrina Jenny Donny Jerry
Sabrina, 27 The party planner
Location:
Gramercy Park
Attitude:
Organized, outgoing
Financial Perspective:
Generous, bit of spendthrift
Online Habits:
Avid user of social networking sites, Twitter, Facebook, etc
Events:
Wine tastings, gallery openings
Quote:
“I love getting bunches of friends together to attend all these NYC events. There’s so much great stuff to do in this city!”
Small Budget
Big Budget
Planner Promoter
Personas Definition: Personas
Jerry, 44 The out-of-towner
Location:
Cincinnati, OH
Attitude:
Casual, yet adventurous
Financial Perspective:
Moderate spender
Online Habits:
Utilitarian use of the Web to research trips, read about the arts and pay bills
Events:
Museums, visiting landmarks, tours
Quote:
“I’m visiting the Big Apple with my wife and we want to check out some art-related events.”
Small Budget
Big Budget
Planner Promoter
Definition: Personas
Personas
Donny, 38
The local comedian
Location:
East Village
Attitude:
Laidback, loosely organized
Financial Perspective:
Frugal, paycheck to paycheck
Online Habits:
Spends time networking, promoting his
act online, haunts comedy sites
Events:
Comedy slams, variety shows
Quote:
“I land a few comedy gigs around the
city and I want to promote them better.” Small Budget
Big Budget
Planned Promoter
Definition: Personas
Jenny, 33
The professional promoter
Location:
Williamsburg
Attitude:
Busy, disciplined, professional
Financial Perspective:
Healthy budget for promotions and
advertising
Online Habits:
Heavy use of social networking sites both professionally and personally, shops online
Events:
Small gigs, big concerts, DJ sets
Quote:
“I manage a few bands and DJs and I have to ensure they’re listed in the right, targeted places.”
Personas
Small Budget
Big Budget
Planned Promoter
Definition: Personas
Class Exercise: Personas
Definition: Personas
In regards to Events.com,
• What tasks might each persona attempt to complete on Events.com?
• What features can you imagine each persona might like on such a site?
• What obstacles or pain points might they encounter?
Sabrina Jenny Donny Jerry
Lunch Break
Agenda
Afternoon
•Card Sorting
•Site Maps
•Page Types
•Grids
•Navigation
•Sketching
•Wireframes
•Q&A
Agenda
Card Sorting
Card Sorting
“There are often better ways to organize
data than the traditional ones that first
occur to us. Each organization of the
same set of data expresses different
attributes and messages. It is also
important to experiment, reflect, and
choose which organization best
communicates our messages.”
– Nathan Shedroff, Experience Strategist
Definition: Card Sorting
Methodology
• Grouping and labeling with index cards, post it notes
• Two types: – Open – participants sort cards with no pre-established categories –
useful for new architectures
– Closed – participants sort cards into predetermined, provided groups – useful for fitting content into existing architectures
• Online card sorts – WebSort, OptimalSort, Socratic
Goals
• Organize content more efficiently
• Find names for groups of content based on users’ perspectives
Self Study:
"Card sorting: a definitive guide" by Donna Spencer and Todd Warfel, Boxes and Arrows, 2004/04/07
Definition: Card Sorting
Class Exercise: Card Sorting
As individuals:
•Take 5 minutes to think of all the events a
person could attend
•Write each event you come up with on a Post-
It note
Definition: Card Sorting
Class Exercise: Card Sorting
Now, as a group:
•Take a few minutes to organize your events
into categories (group & label them)
•Then we’ll share some categories
Definition: Card Sorting
Card Sorting: Next Steps
With the results of a card sort we then can:
•Build consensus
•Refine terminology
•Create a site map
•Help define navigation
Definition: Card Sorting
Design
Site Maps
Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps
“A site map is a high level
diagram showing the hierarchy
of a system. Site maps reflect
the information structure, but
are not necessarily indicative of
the navigation structure.”
- Step Two Designs
Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps
Site map for Men‘s section of designer clothing site
Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps
Site map by Kazi Shanto, Louise Blouin Media
Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps
Biocarta Site map, Fromson Consulting
Page Types
The Mercator Atlas of Europe From The British Library
Conceptual Design
Home Page Category Page Details Page
Design: Page Types
Navigation
Navigation Bridge, USS Enterprise by Serendigity, Flickr
Grids
Types of Navigation
• Site Structure – major nav
• Hierarchical – product families
• Function – sitemap privacy
• Direct – banner ad/shortcut
• Reference – related links
• Dynamic – search results
• Breadcrumb – location
• Step Navigation – sequence
through forms/results
• Faceted Navigation – filters
results
Design: Navigation
Areas of Navigation
• Global – universal header/footer
• Local – left nav/right nav
• Local content – text links, buttons
Styles of Navigation
• Rollover
• Dropdown
• Tabs
Self Study: Want to know more?
Adapted from Atsushi Hasegagwa’s The 7 Navigation Types of Web Sites
Grids
Mega Dropdowns
Design: Navigation
Grids
Power Footers
Design: Navigation
Sketching
Ornithopter by Leonardo da Vinci, 1485-1487
Design: Sketching
Design: Sketching
Sketching Design: Sketching
Sketching Design: Sketching
Sketching
Any guesses as to what this is a sketch of?
Design: Sketching
“twttr sketch” Twitter.com
Sketching
[This sketch] has very special significance – it's hanging in the office somewhere with one other page.
Whenever I'm thinking about something, I really like to take out the yellow notepad and get it down.
– Jack Dorsey, Twitter
Design: Sketching
Sketching
“There are techniques
and processes whereby
we can put experience
front and center in design.
My belief is that the basis
for doing so lies in
extending the traditional
practice of sketching. ”
- Bill Buxton
Design: Sketching
Bill Buxton Sketching User
Experiences
Bill Buxton Sketching User
Experiences
Sketching
Attributes of a Sketch
•Quick
•Timely
•Inexpensive
•Disposable
•Plentiful
•Clear vocabulary
•Distinct gesture
•Minimal detail
•Appropriate degree of refinement
•Suggest & explore rather than confirm
•Ambiguity
Design: Sketching
Sketching
Methodology
• Draw
• Limit your time
• Don’t worry about mistakes or style
Goals
• Benefit from the participation of your colleagues
• Quickly generate ideas and refine through iterations
Design: Sketching
Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Sketching
In teams, sketch your ideas.
1) Create & Promote an Event
Design: Sketching
Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Sketching
In teams, sketch your ideas.
1) Create & Promote an Event
A. Take 5 or so minutes first to discuss what
features belong here
• Is it a single page? Multiples steps?
B. Time for silent sketching
C. Time for sharing your sketches
Design: Sketching
Design: Sketching
Sabrina Jenny Donny Jerry
Don’t forget to keep your personas in mind
Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Sketching
In teams, sketch your ideas.
1) Create & Promote an Event
2) A Homepage
Design: Sketching
Sketching Tools:
The following apps are all for the iPad
• Adobe Ideas (free)
• Bamboo Paper (free)
• Muji Notebook ($4.99)
• Penultimate ($1.99)
• SketchBook Pro ($4.99)
Info Design: Sketching Tools
Grids
Grids
“The true benefit of using a grid is that
as you learn how to use a grid, you
start to think systemically about the
solutions you design. You start to try
and see how various details can echo
one another, how different regions of
the canvas can be reused or used for
similar things, how like elements can be
grouped together.” – Khoi Vinh, former design Director, NYTimes.com
Design: Grids
Grids Design: Grids
Grids Design: Grids
Grids Design: Grids
Grids
Self Study: Want to know more?
Learn more about design by grids:
960 Grid System
960.gs
Design by Grid
www.designbygrid.com
Hashgrid
www.hashgrid.com
Design: Grids
Wireframes
photo & sculpture by polly verity
Wireframes
What are wireframes?
“Web site wireframes are blue prints
that define a Web page’s content and
functionality. They do not convey
design – e.g. colors, graphics, or
fonts.”
- fatpurple
Design: Wireframes
Design: Sketching
Wireframes
Design: Wireframes - Examples
wireframe by Mike Rohde
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
wireframe by matthieu mingasson
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
wireframe by matthieu mingasson
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
screencap from The Right way to Wireframe
by Semantic Will
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
iPad news app wire by F. Yamada
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples
Design: Sketching The Right Way to Wireframe – Video by Russ Unger
Wireframing/Prototype Tools:
• Adobe InDesign
• Axure
• Omnigraffle (Mac)
• Microsoft Visio
• Mockingbird (online, free)
Also:
• Adobe Proto (coming for iPad)
• Balsamiq
• iPlotz
• iMockups (iPad)
• Omnigraffle (iPad)
Info Design: Wireframing Tools
Self Study: Want to know more?
Smashing Magazine: 35 Excellent Wireframing Resources
Design: Sketching
Class Exercise: Final Wireframe
In your teams, create your final deliverable.
Assign one of the following to a team member:
1) Create & Promote an Event
2) Event Detail
3) Homepage
As an individual now, you’ll create a final “wireframe,” which incorporates your team mates’ designs and feedback.
Design: Wireframes
Design: Sketching
Wireframe & Prototyping Tools
Axure
Dreamweaver
InDesign
Visio
Design: Wireframes
Develop
Books:
• Information Architecture for the World Wide
Web – Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville
• Information Architecture: Blueprints for the
Web – Christina Wodtke, Austin Govella
• The Elements of User Experience – Jesse
James Garrett
• Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the
User Experience – James Kalbach, Aaron
Gustafson
• Design of Everyday Things – Donald Norman
Local Events:
• Dot Dot Dot, SVA Lecture Series
• IA Meetup
Web Sites:
• Alertbox
• A List Apart
• Boxes & Arrows
• wireframes.tumblr.com
Info Additional Resources
Organizations:
• Human Computer Interactions (HCI)
• Interaction Designers Association (IxDA)
• Usability Professionals Association (UPA)
Further Studies:
• School of Visual Arts
• Continuing Ed classes
• MFA in Interaction Design
• Adaptive Path
• The Information Architecture Institute
• The IA Summit
• Pratt – Course in Information Design
• Nielsen Norman Group
• Rosenfeld Media
• User Interface Engineering