Information Architecture
One of the most fundamental tasks you will do as an interaction designer is to organise information and functionality into hierarchies. Making large datasets accessible and enjoyable to use for different kinds of users requires abilities too abstract and separate form from content, plus a good understanding of evaluation.
IA is closely related to wayfinding, navigation, interface and information design. However, try to focus on information structure.
Task description
Choose a digital service or product and analyse it based its information architecture qualities. Your analysis should be based on contemporary theory of evaluation and information architecture.
Please choose a product/service that have enough complexity. At least 100 items to organize in more than one way.
Examples you could choose to study:
• EPG/Media center
• Software for image handling
• Mobile phones
• Websites for shopping
• Learning tools
• etc.
Process & deliverables
A written report (max four pages) and a 10 minute verbal presentation. You work individually with the task as self-study.
Methods
We expect you to choose some of these methods:
• Card sorting (with users)
• Competitor analysis
• Qualitative user observations/interviews
• Flow charts / diagramming
• Heuristic evaluation
• Cognitive Walkthrough
• Etc.
Learning goals
• To apply insights about particular users or user-groups to guide and constrain information structures
• To be able to see information from multiple perspectives
• Basic evaluation and user-discovery methodology
• Improve your understanding of information architecture and your academic writing skills
Evaluation criteria
• Abilities to find, describe, judge and argue for weaknesses and strengths in existing solutions
• Sensitivity towards abstracting information structures
References
Garret, Jesse James. 2002. The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web. New Riders Press
Moreville, Peter. 2005. Ambient Findability. O'Reilly Media
Rosenfeld, Louis and Morville, Peter. 2002. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites. O'Reilly Media
Tufte, Edward R. 1983. The visual Display of Quantitative Information.
Wurman, Richard Saul. 1996. Information Architects.
Wurman, Richard Saul. 2001. Information Anxiety 2.
Shedroff, Nathan. 2001. Experience Design 1. New Riders.
Tor Nørretranders, User Illusion, ch. 6, "The Bandwidth of Consciousness"
Preece, Rogers and sharp. 2002. Interaction design – beyond HCI. John Wileys & Sons. Inc. Chapter 10-13.
Links
Information architecture definition
Shirky, Clay. 2005. Ontology is Overrated: Categories, Links, and Tags
Techniques for card sorting
How to define your user group
History of classification schemes
Jacob Nielsen on IA fixes
Heuristic evaluation
O'Reilly, Tim. 2005. What is Web 2.0?
Anderson, Chris. 2006. The Long Tail
Nielsen Norman Group
Web usability
Ben Fry thesis on Information Design
Webmonkey on IA
AIGA Interview with Peter Morville: Findability is ambient
Boxes and Arrows: Articles, reference and inspiration
Case studies
Analysis example
User Experience Network
UsabilityNet
The Information Architecture Institute
IA is closely related to wayfinding, navigation, interface and information design. However, try to focus on information structure.
Task description
Choose a digital service or product and analyse it based its information architecture qualities. Your analysis should be based on contemporary theory of evaluation and information architecture.
Please choose a product/service that have enough complexity. At least 100 items to organize in more than one way.
Examples you could choose to study:
• EPG/Media center
• Software for image handling
• Mobile phones
• Websites for shopping
• Learning tools
• etc.
Process & deliverables
A written report (max four pages) and a 10 minute verbal presentation. You work individually with the task as self-study.
Methods
We expect you to choose some of these methods:
• Card sorting (with users)
• Competitor analysis
• Qualitative user observations/interviews
• Flow charts / diagramming
• Heuristic evaluation
• Cognitive Walkthrough
• Etc.
Learning goals
• To apply insights about particular users or user-groups to guide and constrain information structures
• To be able to see information from multiple perspectives
• Basic evaluation and user-discovery methodology
• Improve your understanding of information architecture and your academic writing skills
Evaluation criteria
• Abilities to find, describe, judge and argue for weaknesses and strengths in existing solutions
• Sensitivity towards abstracting information structures
References
Garret, Jesse James. 2002. The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web. New Riders Press
Moreville, Peter. 2005. Ambient Findability. O'Reilly Media
Rosenfeld, Louis and Morville, Peter. 2002. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites. O'Reilly Media
Tufte, Edward R. 1983. The visual Display of Quantitative Information.
Wurman, Richard Saul. 1996. Information Architects.
Wurman, Richard Saul. 2001. Information Anxiety 2.
Shedroff, Nathan. 2001. Experience Design 1. New Riders.
Tor Nørretranders, User Illusion, ch. 6, "The Bandwidth of Consciousness"
Preece, Rogers and sharp. 2002. Interaction design – beyond HCI. John Wileys & Sons. Inc. Chapter 10-13.
Links
Information architecture definition
Shirky, Clay. 2005. Ontology is Overrated: Categories, Links, and Tags
Techniques for card sorting
How to define your user group
History of classification schemes
Jacob Nielsen on IA fixes
Heuristic evaluation
O'Reilly, Tim. 2005. What is Web 2.0?
Anderson, Chris. 2006. The Long Tail
Nielsen Norman Group
Web usability
Ben Fry thesis on Information Design
Webmonkey on IA
AIGA Interview with Peter Morville: Findability is ambient
Boxes and Arrows: Articles, reference and inspiration
Case studies
Analysis example
User Experience Network
UsabilityNet
The Information Architecture Institute
posted by Daniel Senn at 12:19 AM
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