Hamed Ahmed Al ZadjaliSenior Web Development Specialist

E-Services Division - eOman Portal

Information Architecture (IA)

Day 1: Information Architecture Building a general Understanding

Agenda› The History of IA

› IA Definition? And Purpose!

› Relation between IA and UX

› The Role of Information Architect

› IA Components:– Organization Schemes and Structures

– Labeling Systems

– Navigation Systems

– Search Systems

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History of IA

› 1990s

› Websites were small and manageable.

› Time to grow = Big Mess

› The following issues started raising:

Usability and Findability disasters

Content Management Nightmare

Costly Redesign

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What has changed!?

The CONTEXT around us has changed!

› Search engines and SEO

– Shifting attention from the Home Page.

– Social Objects and Sharing.

– Cross Channels

– Multiple Entry Points.

Web 2.04

Information Characteristics

Valuable

Useful

Desirable

Accessible

Credible

Findable

Usable

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Information Architecture Definition

The art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an

emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.

The art and science of organizing and labelling websites to support usability and findability

Organizing | Structuring | Labeling | Usability | Findability

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IA Purpose

Help users understand:

› Where they are

› What they’ve found

› What’s around

› What to expect

To do this, you need to understand how the pieces fit together to create the larger picture, how items relate to each other.

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IA Ultimate Goal

› Map the user experience

› Model the website dynamics

› Analyze the impact on:

– Business Processes

– Incentives

– Organization Chart

It’s no longer okay to build a website and then talk about mobile, social, and search engine optimization. These systems are all intertwingled

PETER MORVILLE, SEMANTIC STUDIOS

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INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

› Concerns structure

› Content Organization

› Findability

› Usability

› Comprise a small part of the user’s overall experience.

USER EXPERIENCE

› Concerns Emotions

› Facilitate engagement

› Make things more profound

› Adds context and story to a user’s natural behavior

› Gives them something to take away from their experience.

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IA and UX

The Information Architect

Information Architects are bridge builders

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Users and Content

Strategy and Tactics

Units and Disciplines

Platforms and Channels

Research and Practice

IA main Components

› Organization Schemes and Structures

› Labeling Systems

› Navigation Systems

› Search Systems

You must understand

› Context

› Content

› Users

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What you need to know?

Bad IA Examples

› http://www.hboemtb.com/

› http://architecture.mit.edu/

› http://www.nelsononline.com/

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Organization Schemes and Structure

The Goal:

1. Understand the different organization schemes.

2. Understand the different organization structures.

3. How to choose the best scheme and structure.

4. Ensure structure sustainability

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Organization Schemes and Structure

Organization Schemes is how you are going to categorize your content and the various ways you'll create relationships between each piece.

Schemes Options:

1. Exact Organization Schemes

2. Subjective Organization Schemes

3. Hybrids

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Organization Schemes and StructureExact Organization Schemes

Exact organization schemes objectively divide information into mutually exclusive sections

› Alphabetical schemes

› Chronological schemes

› Geographical schemes

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Organization Schemes and StructureSubjective Organization Schemes

Subjective organization schemes categorize information in a way that may be specific to or defined by the organization or field

› Topic schemes

› Task schemes

› Audience schemes

› Metaphor schemes

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Organization Schemes and StructureHybrid Schemes

This is often proposed as a solution when project teams cannot agree on a single scheme to categorize the content.

› Might cause confusion and affect usability

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Organization Schemes and Structure

Organizational structure is how you define the relationships between pieces of content.

› Unlike Schemes, it’s advisable to use a hybrid structure!

Structure Options:

1. Hierarchical Structures

2. Sequential Structures

3. Matrix Structures

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Organization Schemes and StructureHierarchical Structures

Uses top down approach or parent/child relationships between pieces of information.

› Very common and users can relate to it.

› Users start with broader categories of information and then drill down to more detailed information.

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Organization Schemes and StructureSequential Structures

Sequential structures assume that there is some optimal ordering of content that is associated with greater effectiveness or success.

› Require users to go step-by-step, following a specific path through content.

› Very effective in e-commerce and training websites.

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Organization Schemes and StructureMatrix Structures

A Matrix Structure allows users to determine their own path since content is linked in numerous ways

› Takes full advantage of Hypertext and HTML.

› Give more options to the users to choose how they navigate.

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Organization Schemes and Structure

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Organization Schemes and StructureCreating Sustainable Structures

Site Architecture has a long term impact

› Allow room for growth (Sections and Content)

› Avoid structures that are too shallow or too deep.

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ExerciseEvaluate Your Website

1. Visit your organization’s website.

2. Identify the used scheme(s).

3. Identify the used structure.

4. Write-down your impression.

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Labeling Systems

The Goal:

› Define Labels!

› The importance of using labels

› Common types of labels

› Guidelines for developing labels

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Labeling Systems

Labeling is a form of information representation; it allows larger chunks of information to be conveyed without spelling out all the information.

Why is it important?

› Saves Space!

› Forms a dialog between the user and the web-site

› Show your organization and navigation systems.

http://netsecurity.about.com/

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Labeling SystemsCommon types of labels

Contextual links

• More representational.

• Rely on the context from the surrounding text.

Headings

• Describe information that precedes them.

• Must be consistent

Index Items

• Keyword, descriptive metadata, tags, categories, thesaurus.

• Precise search

Navigation System

• Demands consistency

• No Standards

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Labeling SystemsGuidelines

Should always focus on: Users | Content | Context

› Narrow the scope whenever possible

› Develop consistent labeling systems, not labels!

– Style

– Presentation

– Comprehensiveness

– Audience

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ExerciseIdentify Labels

› Visit www.southwest.com

› Choose 5 labels and fill in the following table:

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Label Destination Heading Label Destination <Title> Label

Special Offers Special Offers and Travel Deals Cheap Flights, Air Deals, & Travel Offers | Southwest Airlines

Bags Fly Free Bags Fly Free® Bags Fly Free – First and Second checked bags are free

Navigation Systems

How users browse or move through information

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Intuitive

Consistent

Reversible

Distinct

Logical

Simple

Responsive

Navigation SystemsStructure Options

Global navigation

• Primary navigation

• Appear on every page

Local navigation

• Section Sub-Menu

• Links in the Content

Utility links

• Appear in the header or footer of every page

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Navigation SystemsDevelopment Process

Website Purpose

Identify Audience

Website Content

Website Structure

Website Outline

Visual Blueprint

Navigation System

User Research

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ExerciseIdentify Navigation Systems

› Visit http://www.lexus-int.com/

› Identify the:

– Global Navigation

– Local Navigation

– Utility Links

› Your impression!

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Search Systems

Defines How users look for information

› When NOT to make your site searchable?

› When to make your site searchable?

There’s no standard search mechanism

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Search SystemsHow users search

› Users search patterns:

– Some want only the most accurate, highest quality information

– Others don't care much about the reliability of the source

– Some will wait for the results

– Others need the information yesterday

– Some are just plain happy to get any information at all

Users' needs and expectations vary widely and you need to serve their needs

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Search SystemsDesigning the Search Interface

› General Variations:

– The level of searching expertise users have

– The kind of information the user wants

– The type of information being searched

– How much information is being searched

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Search SystemsDesigning the Search Interface

› General Guidelines:

– Support Different Modes of Searching

– Searching and Browsing systems should be integrated

– Searching Should Conform to the Site's Look and Feel

– Search Options Should Be Clear

– Choose a Search Engine That Fits Users' Needs

– Display Search Results Sensibly

– More About Relevance (Scoring)

– Always Provide the User with Feedback

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End of Day 1

Recap:

› The purpose and definition of IA

› The role of Information Architect

› The relation between IA and UX

› The interdependence between CONTENT | CONTEXT | USERS

› IA Main Components

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Day 2 Agenda: Information Architecture Techniques and Practice

› Best Practices for Information Architecture Design

› Methods and Techniques for Information Architecture Design

› Start a full IA project

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THANK YOU

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