Information Architecture And the “Application Abyss”

Traditional Information Architecture Bottom-up process where you look at what you have – a content audit.

Bottom-up Is Not Enough

Add Top-Down Approach Find out what tasks the users needs to perform and what they need to perform them. Investigate the user’s Mental Model for these tasks. –The Mental Model is a dynamic mental representation that guides user's approach their tasks.

Representing the Mental Model Tasks are arranged in ever-broader groupings. Chart created by Adaptive Path, Inc. for their Information Architecture workshop.

Bringing Them Together Existing site content from audit is “slotted” underneath to show where current needs meet (or don’t meet) users’ needs. Content Slotting Proposal Submission Form Online Discussion Boards

Bringing Them Together (cont.) Chart created by Adaptive Path, Inc. for their Information Architecture workshop.

What is Missing? We don’t always have existing content. Use Cases are not always well known. Even when you have content and Use Cases, you are losing an opportunity to explore features that expand beyond where you already are going. (e.g., addressing a fast-approaching—and as yet unsold—inventory item for Sponsorwise property owners).e.g., addressing a fast-approaching—and as yet unsold—inventory item for Sponsorwise property owners This map works well for experts but not necessarily for the users you are designing for. Leads to “The Application Abyss”.

The Application Abyss

The Application Abyss (cont.)

Information Architecture in the Product Realization Process With the Competitive Review, Realization Brief, Interviews, etc., we have a starting point for Users, Looks, Navigation, Key Use Cases. This is usually the starting point for the Product Realization Process, discovering the Information Architecture is one (early) part of this process. We explore this gathering knowledge in the Mental Models Demo.

The Mental Model Demo Interactive demo forces us to very quickly create real scenarios and put the Information Architecture in the hands of the users in a form that they can understand. Use of rapid techniques is a key – we don’t get bogged down in how it will be implemented or how beautiful it is (although it has to be attractive). The “Mental Model Demo” is well-suited to clearly illustrate the organization of complex, enterprise-level applications to the prototypical user. (As a result the demo also serves as a useful tool for building consensus among the team as we iterate through to the optimum design.)

Example - HealthePoint High-level Challenge: Realize a new international health care portal to serve complete supply chain (suppliers, doctors, patients, etc.) Nothing existed. Needed to imagine all kinds of functionality. Many different types of users. Lots of content but also lots of applications. Three months from concept to high-fidelity Mental Model demo. Multiple iterations/presentations to client committee. “Demo’ing at its best”: we faked stuff that made the point but would have taken months or years to do without faking, such as remote EKG exam. Demo Script Demo Script

Example - APX High-level Challenge: Design and integrate both a real-time commodity trading application and a website presenting corporate information as well as trade-support marketing data. As we created the Information Architecture for this product, we came to understand the tension between the functional organization and the geographic organization. –Services available varied greatly depending on location and territory of prospect. In addition, Marketing wanted their support data to be tightly integrated into the trading application, but they did not want to be bound to the relatively long Engineering release cycles. Demo Script

Example - ecVision High-level Challenge: Design and develop a corporate website targeting customer groups. ecVision has products for Retailers, Suppliers, Finance Agents and Logistics Providers. –The sales message is different for each, but it was important to maintain consistent branding. Initial Site Outline Document SiteInitial Site Outline Document Site

Are We There Yet? Information Architecture Design is the beginning. Next is Scenario-based Interaction Design.