Information Architecture & Design Week 5 Schedule -Planning IA Structures -Other Readings -Research Topic Presentations Nadalia your Presentations -Class Work: User Analysis -Group Project Plan Review -Group Work: Planning the Project Site Send to the list from your project account -URL of your working designs -URL of your working specifications

Thesauri, Vocabularies & Metadata The Structure of Your Content (Part of the Plan) Models the Information for the User (Content Modeling) What Do You Do With Your Project Data (Content)? -Context Descriptive Prescriptive -Quality Accuracy Recency -Characteristics Media / MIME Uses Represent the Relationships Between Systems

Controlled Vocabularies Establish Consistencies For the Content For the Developers On the Site – Apparent to the Users Just Synonyms? Lists of Equivalents (Index) Aliases (Authority File) Also an Implied or Overt Hierarchy “Synonym Ring” p 178 Based on User’s Understanding Improved Upon by IA Iterative Process to Discover Alternate Words and Concepts Not Just for Search

Building Your “Authority File” The list of preferred terms or acceptable values. P 180 The Mission Statement for your Content -Acronyms, Abbreviations -Multiple terms (“term rotation”?) -Cases (Upper, Lower and Mixed) -Button and Graphics too Use a Central File to Keep Current Responsible Role during the IA Method

Classification Schemes Taxonomy (more than one) -Front End Users (Personalized)Personalized Interface (Browse)Browse -Back End Information Architecture Content Management System (Search) -Technical Approaches LIS & CS Top-Down & Bottom-Up Content & Task ALL

Semantic Relationships Equivalence (Alternate Names) -Derived (Rules) -Vocabulary (Uses) Hierarchical (Relationships) -Strong (Inherited) City - Austin -Instance (Classes) Texas - Austin Associative (Checklist for Approval) -Based on Understanding of Content -Based on Understanding of Users

Thesauri Hierarchical Relationship Equivalence Relationship Associative Relationship -Preferred Term -Varian Term (synonyms) -Broader Term (preferred’s parent) -Narrower Term (preferred’s child) -Related (“see also”, synonyms) -Use (rules for where and when) -Scope (restricts meaning)

Thesaurus Types Classic -Links -Keywords Subject Index LoC Index -Browsable Appearance Ordering (Multiple orders) -Relational See also Hierarchy Document versus Site

Faceted Classification Multiple Dimensions Now More Applicable to Digital Information -Personality, Matter, Energy, Space, Time -Topic, Product, Document Type, Audience, Geography, Price Commerce Examples What other kinds of views?

Taxonomy of Decisions & Actions Now – not just the taxonomies of content, but how people work Purpose of the Search Method to Find Information Content of the Information Being Searched GVU Survey Question -Recent instance of important information found Critical Incident Technique -Complete Instances -Known Consequences (Results) Morrison 2001

Taxonomy pt. 2 Taxonomies of Web Activities -Why people searched the Web -How search the Web -What information searched Analysis of Responses from Survey into Experiment Purpose Taxonomy Method Taxonomy Content Taxonomy

Human Information Behavior Information Seeking (Strategies) Information Searching (Strategies) Information Use -Physical Actions -Mental Actions Focus on the User Wilson 2001

New Models of Info Behavior pt. 2

New Models of Info Behavior pt. 3 Problem Solving System Actions Integration of Actions

Rapid Ethnography Like Rapid Prototyping & Usability Inspection Field Work Ethnography -People (Practice) -Environments (Native) -Activities (Context) Cultural Observation and Analysis Elicit User Requirements More Focused (Decisions) Millen 2000

Rapid Ethnography pt. 2 Short Studies Comparisons to Other Studies Zoom in On Key Activities Multiple Datasets (Critical Incidents) -Observations -Recording -Activity Walkthroughs -Interviews (Structured) Selection of Instances that Yield Incidents -Key Times -Key Users

Rapid Ethnography pt. 3 Automated Data Analysis Team Data Analysis Scenario Analysis (storyboards) Pictorial Storytelling (metaphors) Lightweight Deliverables -Drawings (Sketches) -Notes (not Reports) -Incomplete -Prototypes Cognitive Mapping (assumptive) Substitute for Full or Complete Studies

How Do We Really Use the Web? Reading vs. Scanning -Quality of Elements -Quantity of Elements -Purpose of Pages Satisficing -Guessing with Speed -Low Penalties (Back) -Testing Boundaries Muddling and Forging Ahead -Stick with what works -Not concerned with understanding Krug 2000

Semiotics of the Web Site Structure and Cognitive Design -Typography Medium use -Browsers Message content -Paper -Web Appeal -Attention (interest) -Relevance (needs and motives) -Confidence (expectation & achievement) Accessibility -Culture -Physical Smart, et al. 2000

Learning and Interests (Users) Learning is Remembering What You’re Interested In Cultivating Interest Relevance Interests vs. Obligations Examples for Understanding -Metaphors -Content Presentation “Architecture is Making Connections”

Designing for Users Permutations Connections Facts vs. Ideas Discovery vs. JITI

Class Work: User Analysis Who are your target users? All of the possible users? Rapid Ethnography

Group Project Plan Review Comments on Your Plans -Current -Future

Group Work: Planning the Project Site Who are your target users? All of the possible users? Rapid Ethnography