information architecture bottom up mark baker analecta communications inc
TRANSCRIPT
Information Architecture Bottom Up
Mark BakerAnalecta Communications Inc.
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The book Every Page is Page
One: Topic-based Writing for Technical Communication and the Web
XML Press http://xmlpress.net/p
ublications/eppo
Every Page is Page One
Dewey Decimal: All of human knowledge in one hierarchy
TOC as Curriculum
TOC as classification
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TOC as list
TOC as simple list
TOC as Classification
TOC as hierarchy based on nature
Natural Hierarchy
TOC as hierarchy based on user’s interests
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Arbitrary Hierarchy
Year Transmission
Price Mileage
Body-style Exterior color
Private seller vs Dealer
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Faceted Classification
Faceted classification: each class independent of the others
THE PROBLEM OF SCALE
TOCs get larger
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Self-contained?
And larger…And the context more remote…
And largerUntil we have FrankenbooksIs it a curriculum? A list? A classification scheme? Or a monster?
No more channelsAll content flows to the Web
TOP-DOWN TO BOTTOM-UP
20th Century Encyclopedia: alphabetical
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Exercise: Classify this
21st Century Encyclopedia: ???
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DYNAMIC SEMANTIC CLUSTERING
The Web is not a just a huge pile of content
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Search results
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Search Results
How you think your content appears on the Web
How your content actually appears on the Web.
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Twitter #hashtags
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Forums
Dynamic Semantic Clustering: Q&A Sites
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Exercise: Classify this
Static semantic clustering through linking
A topic in a bottom-up architecture is a hub of its local subject space
Incomprehensible from the top down
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Exercise: Classify this
Perfectly lucid from the bottom up
Readers encounter pages bottom-up even when designed top-down
Principles of bottom-up information architecture
Make every topic work as page one Make every topic a hub of its local
subject space Provide robust search Respect the broader information grid
in which your content is embedded
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Self-contained?
Black Forest Ham and Gruyère Frittata
Self-contained
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Not all-encompassing
Reluctant Gourmet
Specific and limited purpose
Establish context
Self-contained?
Black Forest Ham and Gruyère Frittata
Assume the reader is qualified
BIG PICTURE
Pathfinder Pathfinder Pathfinder
WorkflowWorkflow Workflow Workflow
Task Task Task Task Task Task
Stay on one level
The walled garden
The bazaar
Every Page is Page One
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The book Every Page is Page
One: Topic-based Writing for Technical Communication and the Web
XML Press http://xmlpress.net/p
ublications/eppo
Every Page is Page One
Questions?
Contact information Mark Baker Analecta Communications Inc. +1 226 647 1602 [email protected] Twitter: @mbakeranalecta http://analecta.com http://everypageispageone.com