Information Architecture Week 4

Information Architecture CALENDAR

Information Architecture QUIZ Please put your books away and get ready for this week’s quiz.

Information Architecture EXAMPLE An example of a simple client pitch Power Point document Inspiration Furniture  We will also take a look at some of last year’s client pitch documents.

Information Architecture EXAMPLE Two client pitch examples pitch to Scripps’ Fine Living Channel pitch to Mandalay Bay – Online Gaming Division

Information Architecture LESSON Usability Checklist What is it? An Introduction to Power Point How to use Slide Masters to design your document layout control the both the title screen and the slide screen layouts set the backgrounds set the font How to use simple shapes to design your layout How to insert pictures from Photoshop or Illustrator How to insert quick and easy diagrams

Information Architecture LESSON Power Point Tips Set up a folder structure and use it Use only one font Be brief (no more than 6 bullets/points per slide) A good rule of thumb is to cut paragraphs down to sentences, sentences into phrases, and phrases into keywords. Another is don’t use more than eight words per line or eight lines per slide. Use key words to help audience focus on your message. Use appropriate fonts: big (min. 18pts) and clear (sans-serif). If possible, test your slides: run the slide show and see if you can read your slides from the last row of the room where you will be presenting. Use appropriate colors: not too bright, high contrast, consistent. Remember that what looks good on your monitor does not necessarily look good on the big screen. Limit the number of slides. A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute. No animation. Avoid hard-to-read color combinations such as red/green, brown/green, blue/black, blue/purple. Aim for high contrast between background and text. No reading while presenting. Face the audience, not the screen.

Information Architecture IN-CLASS EXERCISE Forrester “Quick Take” test 1.Are navigation elements easily recognizable at a glance? 2.Does the site use language that’s easily understood by target users? 3.Is text legible? 4.Do menu categories effectively set user expectations? 5.Are the interface elements consistent? 6.Does the site provide location cues? Grading scale:

Information Architecture IN-CLASS EXERCISE The Full Forrester WSR test Conduct the full test on your own site in class. Analyze the results. What areas did the site fail? How can we improve those areas? What areas did the site do well? How can we enhance those areas? Prioritize which areas are most important to address during the redesign. Make a priority list (this may introduce new goals/objectives for the redesign)

Information Architecture Due :: Week4 ASSIGNMENT If you did not complete the Forrester WSR test last week, please do so before our next class. Please do not post the word document (.doc) on your class web site. Instead post the scores only (the quick test AND the full test) on your class web page. Save the actually test document somewhere safe so that you can use it as a reference while writing your client pitch document.

Information Architecture READING ASSIGNMENT Power Point Tips Read Microsoft’s tips on Power Point Presentations entitled “10 do’s and don’ts” business_software/presenting_with_powerpoint_10_dos_and_ donts.mspxhttp:// business_software/presenting_with_powerpoint_10_dos_and_ donts.mspx Read the first part of Chapter 4 from Usability for the Web on task analysis: Read Pages Skim the rest of the chapter

Information Architecture ASSIGNMENT Due :: Week5 Client Pitch Document Create a client pitch presentation document in Power Point. Design the look and feel and create all of the content to be included in the pitch. This is a hypothetical document that you would bring to a hypothetical client meeting to win the business of redesigning their web site. Be prepared to present it during an in-class critique. Use Power Point’s notes functionality to prepare what you are going to say during the presentation. The presentation should be less than 10 minutes (5-7 minutes is ideal). USE YOUR DESIGN SKILLS!! Choose a good typeface Design the layout of your presentation Include the following: Primary Goals/Objectives of the redesign A summary of what is currently wrong with their present site include results/scores from the full Forrester Test include site interaction examples of their target users coming to the site A list of new features that will play a major role in the redesign Optional: Include any new technology that will play a major role in the redesign Format: Microsoft Power Point Document Post the Power point document on your class web page before the start of class