In a Creative Mood Magazine & Craft Store

Information Architecture By: Lori Moody

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Background

Inacreativemood.com is an online magazine for DIY culture where crafters can learn how to make and sell their own creations. Customers can buy handmade home goods, fashion, and collectible gifts in the online store. These include photographed canvas pieces, handmade jewelry, and clothing. The site includes articles about the design processes, featured crafters, and where to find inspiration for your next DIY project. The problem is that the site would like to combine their published content with the products in their web store, while also integrating e-learning and tutorials in the structure of the site.

Mission Statement

In a Creative Mood exists to provide a platform for exploring the creative process, and to provide unique handmade goods that are affordable for everyone. We believe in supporting independent crafters with a fun and interactive website.

The Vision The vision for inacreativemood.com’s information strategic plan is to integrate multimedia with a great writing to support learning, discovery, and foster a sense of community among crafters. Most crafting sites focus on selling handmade goods or offering DIY tutorials. Inacreativemood.com will provide both services, and all products sold in the online store will feature a how-to tutorial on how to make the item. The written articles will focus on what it means to be creative and how to find inspiration for your next project. Principles

• Foster Creativity o We believe in fostering creativity among the masses. By providing a space

for learning about the creative process, and spotlighting other creators, we believe this will encourage innovation.

• Free Access o All information should be freely given. We believe in an open source for

users to access content and explore their passion. • Collaboration

o The blog and the e-commerce site should not be separated, but integrated in a way that makes it easy for buyers to see the final product, and the process behind creating the item. Combining the content and the marketing will ultimately increase revenue for independent sellers and retain prospective buyers.

• Innovation

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o We are committed to exploring emerging technologies, in order for us to improve the communities

• Teamwork o All employees at the company will be involved in data management, and

assisting users in using the platform.

Information Policy & Governance

o All products are owned by the artist. Blog posts and photographs are copyright protected and owned by the site.

o By posting any comments, writing or photographs to the site, you are giving inacreativemood.com rights over this to be used with affiliate websites.

o Credit Card information and user names shall be protected. o We reserve the rights to use email for internal marketing purposes

Strategic Goals

1. Implement IT solution, which includes a content management system for scheduled publication.

2. A metadata schema will be integrated in all aspects of the site’s development to accommodate SEO efforts for increase web traffic, and to create facet classifications for easy viewing of content.

3. Affiliate marketing strategy involving contextual linking in the content by marketing department.

4. The site must focus on e-learning initiatives, including implementing images, video and text tutorials in the learning process.

5. The business will focus on AI customer service support for checkout, and integrate Q&A questions about the creative process using a CRM system.

6. Continue to integrate social media in with the design of the site. Use social media applications for user reviews and feedback.

7. Cyber security will be implemented to protect the site from phishing and hacking of sensitive information, including personal credit card info, address, and e-mails.

8. Cloud linking initiatives to store large video and photo files to use for content. Architectural Strategies and Approaches We have researched similar crafting and DIY e-commerce sites and magazines. The Etsy business model serves as an example of a great e-commerce site; however, we want to focus on editorial content. This will include deep linking in the content to video tutorials and product pages. An affiliate marketing approach will also need to be integrated with the content of the site. Site managers can embed banner on the landing page and the side of the site. Site viewers who click on the ads and buy the products will award the site with a commission based pricing model.

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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths Weaknesses Ø Unique handmade items not offered in

stores Ø Video and photo tutorials for crafting Ø Offer photography and shipping

services for sellers Ø Provide a forum for users with unique

content about creativity Ø Offering tutorials and linking to other

sites could bring traffic from larger websites.

Ø Low site visitors in comparison to competition

Ø Branding could be better

Ø Time to photograph and ship items could take time away from outreach of new sellers.

Opportunities Threats Ø Offering tutorials and a shop to sell

items creates a sense of community Ø Return customers want to learn how to

make new items Ø Word of mouth from sellers’ friends

and family could grow business of site.

Ø Offering free tutorials could lose potential revenue instead of charging for the service.

Ø Low site visitors could have sellers abandon the site for high-traffic websites like Etsy.

Ø May lose talent to seller creating own business

Key Competitors From past research, we’ve discovered that most user who visit sites like Etsy.com are also aspiring artists, and the majority are female at 87%. On close examination, etsy.com, shanalogic.com, globein.com are the direct competitors. They offer products from independent artists. What will make the business stand out is focusing on providing tutorials. Crafters.org, doityourself.com, and diycrafts.tv are sites, which offer tutorials. However, if a user would like to buy the product, they have no way of doing it.

Solution

Most crafting sites do not offer photography and shipping services. A tiered level approach is recommended for sellers:

Ø Tiered level 1: $1 to list each item on the site, which covers hosting and credit card fees. Etsy in comparison, charges 20 cents per listing and takes 3.5% of the proceeds from each sale.

Ø Tiered level 2: $5 includes the photography package. The sellers pay a $5 listing fee for every item. The company will provide photography of the items to sell on the site, payment processing.

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Ø Tiered level 3: $10 Includes everything above, but also the company will store and ship the item for seller.

Also, according to Smartsights.com, and from our survey data, we’ve concluded that the site will also need to be compatible with mobile devices as evident in Figure 1. Figure 1 User Research

The method we’ve used for data analysis included surveying 100 potential clients using survey monkey, and card sorting method for label identification. The goal of conducting a survey was to obtain a general idea of what a crafter is looking for in a website. Our data confirmed a similar demographic of user as the Etsy site below.

Etsy Demographics

www.statista.com/ Field

Etsy sellers

Business owners

General U.S. population

Median age (years) 37 50 38

Gender (% female) 87 33 51

Education (% college grad or more) 59 39 30

Rural (%) 28 17 18

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Interview questions

1. What is your age? Ø Under 17 Ø 18 to 24

years Ø 25 to 34

years Ø 35 to 44

years Ø 45 to 54

years Ø 55 to 64

years Ø Age 65 or

older 2. What is your

education level? Ø Less than a

high school diploma

Ø High school degree or equivalent (e.g. GED)

Ø Some college, no degree

Ø Associate degree (e.g. AA, AS)

Ø Bachelor’s degree (e.g. BA, BS)

Ø Master’s degree

(e.g. MA, MS, MEd)

Ø Professional degree (e.g. MD, DDS, DVM)

Ø Doctorate (e.g. PhD, EdD)

3. What is your gender?

Ø Male Ø Female Ø Non-

binary/ third gender

Ø Prefer not to say

4. What sites do you look for inspiration?

Ø Crafting Sites

Ø YouTube Ø Pinterest Ø Social

Media 5. Do you sell your

crafts online? Ø Yes Ø No

6. If yes, on which sites do you sell your items?

www.etsy.com

7. What services are you looking for in an e-commerce site as a seller?

Tutorials and Video

8. How do you learn best?

Ø Written instruction

Ø Audio Instructions

Ø Video Instructions

Ø All of the above

9. How often do you shop online?

Ø Weekly Ø Monthly Ø Every 6

months Ø Once a year Ø Never

10. How often do you buy handmade goods online?

Ø Weekly Ø Monthly Ø Every 6

months Ø Once a year Ø Never

*Top rated answers are in red.

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Card Sorting

We used a card sorting method to find some ideas for the content of the site. A sample size of 10 individuals were given a set of labels. They were also given crafts that should go under the main labels. Blank cards were provided in case the user felt the need to add additional crafting items. Information Structure Order, Organization, Terms and Labels

It’s recommended that inacreativemood.com uses a topical organizational scheme, with action words. The site is a call to action. Having clear and exact labels are essential for users to find the information they are looking for. See Figure 2 for simple navigation scheme.

From the card sort, we’ve determined the main labels for the site:

v Features: This label includes articles about the creative process, interviews from artists and crafters

v Projects: How-to tutorials on how to create items such as jewelry, hats, etc. v Craft Videos: Video tutorials aggregated from sellers v Shop: This label is where items can be purchased v About Us: Mission statement and staff directory v Work With Us: Information on how to submit products to the site v Contact Us: Phone number, hours and email address v Newsletter: Sign up e-mails from the editorial staff and sales from marketing

department.

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Features Projects Shop Craft Videos

The organization will focus on content from the users. Since the site’s main focus is content-centric also its online store, each link will focus on a single topic or type of item (ex. Jewelry). Mental models need to be explored.

Mental Models

During the research process, most crafting sites were either focused on tutorials for creating an item or shopping for handmade goods. Not both. New model includes both a store and crafting tutorials. The graph below explores the relationship between the customer and crafters/ small business owners and the services provided. The crafter, writers and business creators will be in charge of creative content, and in some parts, customer service if the customer has question about a certain item or process in the tutorial. The customer is the consumer of the content and buyers of the webstore. Ontology/Taxonomy

• The ontology of the site is focused on contextual links. Each link will bring you to a single page focused on the particular topic selected.

• Each article, tutorial, etc will have a button to link to social media. • The following labels will be displayed on every page as well as the Contact Us, Shopping

Bag and Wish List icons and search function. • Action keywords for labels and icons will be used throughout the site for simplistic

navigation.

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Global and Local Navigation We also recommend a search function in case the user is looking for a particular article. Majority of sites offer information about the company. Labels towards the bottom of the page will provide information about how to join the site as a seller. Checkout should be displayed on the right-hand side so users can be persuaded to browse the shop and buy items. Figure 2

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Metadata The site will rely greatly on metadata for browsing and search engine optimization purposes. These include product names and classification of jewelry, clothing, etc for search functions.

• Product Metadata: • Pictures • Name of product • Name of supplier • Retail price (our price) • MSRP • Classifications: Jewelry &

Accessories, Clothing, Home Décor, Art & Photography, Toys & Collectibles

• Customer Metadata: • First name • Last name • Address • Phone Number • Credit card info • Delivery preferences

• Features Metadata: • Author

• Date of publication • Subject • Keywords

• Projects Metadata: • Author • Date of publication • Classification: Knitting &

Crochet, Sewing & Fabric, Beads & Jewelry, Ceramics, More Crafts (miscellaneous)

• Keywords (to describe article)

• Craft Videos Metadata: • Author • Date of publication • Classification: Knitting &

Crochet, Sewing & Fabric, Beads & Jewelry, Ceramics, More Crafts (miscellaneous)

• Keywords (to describe video) Search Function The search function is inspired by vegnews.com. The craft store and the magazine will be able to be searched separately from different databases. Each search is controlled by the metadata from the articles, videos, and shop.

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Security and Privacy

Information Management

Information Security

Confidentiality Integrity Availability

Create Information is created by writers and media producers, and customers i.e. Name, address, wish lists. Information encrypted.

All information is protected via encryption and stored using password only accessed by authorized user.

Information is available to users at all times.

Store Information is stored in cloud database and personal phones.

Backup of data is processed regularly to different servers. Projected by firewalls. Information available on phone and third-party platform.

Information is available at all times.

Utilize Using password log-in, users can have instant access to information.

PII is protected while checking out with encryption of data. Access to PII only accessible to user.

When using the website, credit card information is stored.

Share Third-party vendors have access to search results without PII.

PII is not shared to third-party vendors in search and shopping data.

Access to PII not available to third-party vendors.

Dispose Personal shopping cart data is disposed of after one year.

Only meta data about items purchased and click through rates are shared. PII is left out.

Access to information older than one year is not available to protect timely data and space.

Web Governance Scope The policy is for all staff, contractors and temporary workers of In a Creative Mood magazine and online store for the creation of digital and physical forms of data. This includes the retention schedule of documents for the privacy and security of employees and customers

• Roles and Responsibilities

o All employees: The role of information government falls on all staff in the company.

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o CEO: Responsible for the approval of this document and management of management

o Management: In charge of enforcing the governance of this policy, and developing the policy and framework for the information governance.

o ICT Staff: In charge of maintaining the technology of the business and protect all information from security breaches.

• Ownership of Information o All products are owned by the artist. Blog posts and photographs are

copyright protected and owned by the site. o By posting any comments, writing or photographs to the site, you are

giving inacreativemood.com rights over this to be used with affiliate websites.

• Privacy and Security o Credit Card information and user names shall be protected. o We reserve the rights to use email for internal marketing purposes

• Information Policy and Procedures

Information Policies & Procedures

The listed policies are for In a Creative Mood’s employees and users. It is intended to provide guidelines for web developers, content creators, and other employees maintaining the site. Management and the CEO committee determines the direction and priorities of the app, and all employees are for the compliance of the web governance plan.

• Information Security Policy o Employees are in compliance with maintaining the anonymity of users. o Encryption procedures to protect users’ data. o Personal information should not be shared on social media to protect the identities

of employees and users. o Use of appropriate language and relevant information are allowed to be shared on

social media platforms. • Retention and Disposal of Information Policy

o Only relevant information should be stored in the servers for a year. This includes browsing history of users.

o Search information should be disposed regularly in order to rid the database of irrelevant information.

o Images should be backed up to the cloud for storage. Duplicate images should be discarded when applicable.

• Records Management Policy o Records should be kept on a secure server, and backed up in the cloud server. o Physical documents in the workplace should be discarded immediately. o Personal emails should not be used on company property. Work e-mails are to be

used in the office at all times. • Data Privacy Policy

o All personal information for users should be encrypted. o The company has the right to use browsing information and characteristic data for

personal use.

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• Information Sharing Policy o Information should never be shared with anyone outside of the company. o All personal credit card numbers and names shall be encrypted for protection of

users. • Remote Working Policy

o Passwords are prohibited from being shared with any persons inside or outside of the organization.

o Password resets will be carried out by the ICT staff.

Access to Information All personal identifying information is encrypted for the protection of employees and users of the site. Characteristic and browsing data will be used by the company for marketing purposes. Third Party Vendors Information will not be sold or shared to third party vendors without the explicit consent of the user. Measuring Progress The web content manager will oversee the implementation of the strategic plan. Progress towards achieving the strategic goal will be tracked, evaluated and recorded using search data and updates from Google Analytics for IA metrics. Business goals must be measured by the ROI and revenue generated. The site is a media producer; thus, the success of the site must be measured based on users’ engagement with the content. Is the content engaging and easy to understand? How often has an been shared on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, etc. Information Architecture and Business Metric Goals Table

Business Metrics IA Metrics Content Goals Revenue Generated Unique site visits Affiliate links generate

consistent revenue stream Product Quality Social Media Shares Content is engaging, creative

and attractive to the audience Customer Reviews Web Clicks Content is clear and

organized for users to understand the steps in the projects.

Return on Investment (ROI) Ratings from social media Content is consistently shared across social networks

Moving Forward The plan presents a strategic information management strategy to implement the design of the site, In a Creative Mood. In moving forward, there is a consistent need for the

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managers to perform business outreach. The site must have new content and products for purchase to remain profitable.

As the site grows, the company will strive to increase and maintain a large storage of files for high-res photographs and video in a cloud database. Storage of the files rely on the proper use of metadata schemas from writers and editors. In order to ass metrics, the information architecture must be reviewed every two years, and website metrics should be measured on a monthly basis to check if the site’s IA is sound.