Introduction to Information Architecture & Design, SVA Workshop 072311 - Robert Stribley, Instructor

1. photo by davidteter on flickr Introduction to Information Architecture & DesignSchool of Visual Arts | Summer 2011Robert Stribley

2. Introduction

3. Introduction Aussie-Style Liquorice

4. Pattern Recognition: In cognitive psychology, the ability to identify familiar forms within a complex arrangement of sensory stimuli Butterfly on the New York City Highline

5. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.

6. Butterflies at the American Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory.

7. Intro Introduction Robert Stribley I’m an senior information architect at Razorfish I write music and arts reviews, I produce a promote a variety show I photograph various things I drink coffee Clients include: Bank of America, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Wachovia Boston Scientific, Nasonex Choice Hotels Computer Associates, EMC Ford Nextel Red Cross Travel Channel, Women’s Wear Daily

9. Intro Introduction Goals of this workshop Understand the basic concepts of user experience design Experience the general process and techniques used on a design project Review the basic deliverables an information architect develops within a project

10. Agenda

11. Agenda Agenda Morning Background Design Process Our Project User Research Competitive Review Personas Lunch

12. Agenda Agenda Afternoon Card Sorting Site Maps Page Types Grids Navigation Sketching Wireframes Q&A

13. Background

15. The structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content.

16. The art and science of structuring and classifying web sites and intranets to help people find and manage information.

17. An emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.Navigation Interaction Art/Science Discipline/ Community Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (1st Edition), p . 4, Rosenfeld and Morville

18. Background Background: Defining IA The Information Architecture Institute defines information architecture as “the art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability.”

19. Background Background: Defining IA "It's hard to say who really is an information architect. In some sense, we all are.” — Alex Wright, Author Glut

20. Background: Defining IA context IA users content

21. Background: Defining IA interface information architecture

22. Background: Defining IA skin skeleton

23. Design Process Background: Defining IA metaphor: architectural plans Flickr.com: Cornell University Library

24. Background: History A Brief History of IA 1975 Richard Saul Wurman coined the term “information architecture” to describe the field now more likely described as “information design” 1994 Formation of Argus Associates in Ann Arbor, WI, the first firm devoted to IA 1998 First edition of Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld’s Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, affectionately known as “The Polar Bear” book

27. Design Process

28. Design Process Design Process Discovery Design Definition Development

30. Business requirements

31. Competitive & comparative audits

32. User research

34. Content & meta data audits

35. Card sorts

36. Use cases

37. Mood boards

38. Sketching

39. Site maps

40. Creative brief

42. Task flows

43. Sketching

44. Wireframes

45. Stakeholder reviews

46. Prototypes

47. Usability testing

48. Visual design

51. Background Deliverables IA Deliverables discover design define requirements document sketches site map comparative/competitive review personas wireframes feature/functionality inventory user flows prototype experience brief use cases visual design

52. Our Project

53. Our Project What to do?

54. Our Project Events.comwants to revamp its website to become the go-to online resource for people wanting to attend or promote events across the United States. Our Project

55. Discover

56. User Research User Research in Copenhagen’s Elderly Homes

57. User Research “Through research, we aim to learn enough about the business goals, the users, and the information ecology to develop a solid strategy.” Louis Rosenfield & Peter Morville Discovery: User Research

58. User Research Methodology Focus Groups Surveys Interviews Goals Identify patterns and trends in user behavior, tasks, preferences, obstacles. Discovery: User Research

59. User Research Class Exercise: Survey Questions How do you learn about events in NYC? What type of events are you interested in? What’s more important to you: Price Type of Event Location Date How often do you attend the events? Do you ever need to promote an event? Do you ever invite people to an event? Discovery:User Research

60. Competitive Review image by brandonschauer

61. Discovery: Competitive Audit “This type of assessment helps set an industry ‘marker’ by looking at what the competition is up to, what features and functionalities are standard, and how others have solved the same problems you might be tasked with.” Dorelle Rabinowitz Discovery: Competitive Review

62. Competitive Review Discovery: Competitive Review Methodology Usability Criteria Heuristic Evaluation See Ten Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html Scorecard Goals Review and analyze competitor sites according to particular criteria Draw key findings, which can influence and guide IA through the design phase Also: Comparative Reviews

63. Competitive Review Discovery: Competitive Review Competitors

64. Competitive Review: Flavorpill Discovery: Competitive Review Flavorpill “ Flavorpill loves culture. We embrace the high-brow, low-brow, underground, mainstream, and everything in between — as long as it's good. A city guide for those who like to go out, Flavorpill publishes a daily update of worthwhile cultural-event listings, from art exhibits and readings to concerts, plays, and festivals. ” http://flavorpill.com/about

66. Today

67. Editor Picks

68. Giveaways

69. Venues

70. Daily Dose

72. Sign In/Sign Out

73. SignUp/ Profile

74. Follow Us (RSS, Facebook, Twitter)

76. Calendar

77. Filtering

78. Google maps

79. Comments

82. Calendar

83. Profiles

84. Who likes it?

85. Comments

86. Event posting and promoting

87. RSVP online/Buy tickets

88. Event filtering

90. Places to Go

93. Inbox

94. Post an Event

95. Search

96. Settings

99. This Week carousel

100. NYC Highlights

101. Events calendar

102. Recent News

103. Plan Your Trip

104. Deals & Offers

105. Filter by borough

107. What to Do

108. Where to Stay

109. Plan Your Trip

110. Deals

111. Broadway

112. NYC Restaurant Week

114. Meeting Planners

115. Membership

117. Language Selector

118. Temperature

120. Google maps

121. Calendar

122. Find an event

123. Filtering

125. Clear need for and emphasis upon filtering events

126. Calendars provide obvious benefit

127. Profiles and community features are also common, but handled with varying degrees of detail, success

128. Free events often highlighted

129. Event detail pages vary, may have maps, RSVP, sharing, rating, commenting functionality

130. Maps would prove helpful, especially to out-of-towners

132. What are the strengths of these sites?

133. What are their weaknesses?

134. How might another event site differentiate itself from these sites?Discovery: Competitive Review

135. Define

136. Personas Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, recently on display at the MIT Museum by the Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab . It uses sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to create a data portrait of one's aggregated online identity. In short, Personas shows you how the Internet sees you. Created at Personas: http://personas.media.mit.edu

137. Personas “Personas summarize user research findings and bring that research to life in such a way that everyone can make decisions based on these personas, not based on themselves.” Steve Mulder Definition: Personas

138. Personas Characteristics of Effective Personas Varied and distinct Detailed Not weighed down with minutiae Tied into business-specific goals Backed by data Definition: Personas

139. Personas Methodology Cluster Analysis Goals Create a narrative based on real data to illustrate user behavior, motivations, goals Definition: Personas

140. Definition: Personas Big Budget Promoter Planner Small Budget

141. Definition: Personas Sabrina Jenny Donny Jerry

142. Personas Definition: Personas Sabrina, 27 The party planner Location: Gramercy Park Attitude: Organized, outgoing Financial Perspective: Generous, bit of spendthrift Online Habits: Avid user of social networking sites, Twitter, Facebook, etc Events: Wine tastings, gallery openings Quote: “I love getting bunches of friends together to attend all these NYC events. There’s so much great stuff to do in this city!” Big Budget Planner Promoter Small Budget

143. Definition: Personas Jerry, 44 The out-of-towner Location: Cincinnati, OH Attitude: Casual, yet adventurous Financial Perspective: Moderate spender Online Habits: Utilitarian use of the Web to research trips, read about the arts and pay bills Events: Museums, visiting landmarks, tours Quote: “I’m visiting the Big Apple with my wife and we want to check out some art-related events.” Big Budget Planner Promoter Small Budget

144. Personas Definition: Personas Donny, 38 The local comedian Location: East Village Attitude: Laidback, loosely organized Financial Perspective: Frugal, paycheck to paycheck Online Habits: Spends time networking, promoting his act online, haunts comedy sites Events: Comedy slams, variety shows Quote: “I land a few comedy gigs around the city and I want to promote them better.” Big Budget Promoter Planned Small Budget

145. Personas Definition: Personas Jenny, 33 The professional promoter Location: Williamsburg Attitude: Busy, disciplined, professional Financial Perspective: Healthy budget for promotions and advertising Online Habits: Heavy use of social networking sites both professionally and personally, shops online Events: Small gigs, big concerts, DJ sets Quote: “I manage a few bands and DJs and I have to ensure they’re listed in the right, targeted places.” Big Budget Planned Promoter Small Budget

147. What features can you imagine each persona might like on such a site?

149. Agenda Afternoon Card Sorting Site Maps Page Types Grids Navigation Sketching Wireframes Q&A Agenda

150. Card Sorting

151. Card Sorting Definition: Card Sorting “There are often better ways to organize data than the traditional ones that first occur to us. Each organization of the same set of data expresses different attributes and messages. It is also important to experiment, reflect, and choose which organization best communicates our messages.” Nathan Shedroff, Experience Strategist

152. Methodology Grouping and labeling with index cards, post it notes Two types: Open – participants sort cards with no pre-established categories – useful for new architectures Closed – participants sort cards into predetermined, provided groups – useful for fitting content into existing architectures Online card sorts WebSort, OptimalSort, Socratic Goals Organize content more efficiently Find names for groups of content based on users’ perspectives Self Study: "Card sorting: a definitive guide" by Donna Spencer and Todd Warfel, Boxes and Arrows, 2004/04/07 Definition: Card Sorting

153. Class Exercise: Card Sorting As individuals: Take 5 minutes to think of all the events a person could attend Write each event you come up with on a Post-It note Definition: Card Sorting

154. Class Exercise: Card Sorting Now, as a group: Take a few minutes to organize your events into categories (group & label them) Then we’ll share some categories Definition: Card Sorting

155. Card Sorting: Next Steps With the results of a card sort we then can: Build consensus Refine terminology Create a site map Help define navigation Definition: Card Sorting

156. Design

157. Site Maps

158. Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps “A site map is a high level diagram showing the hierarchy of a system. Site maps reflect the information structure, but are not necessarily indicative of the navigation structure.” - Step Two Designs

159. Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps Site map for Men‘s section of designer clothing site

160. Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps Site map by KaziShanto, Louise Blouin Media

161. Conceptual Design Design: Site Maps Biocarta Site map, Fromson Consulting

162. Page Types

163. Conceptual Design Design: Page Types Home Page Category Page Details Page

164. Grids

165. Grids Design: Grids “The true benefit of using a grid is that as you learn how to use a grid, you start to think systemically about the solutions you design. You start to try and see how various details can echo one another, how different regions of the canvas can be reused or used for similar things, how like elements can be grouped together.” KhoiVinh, former design Director, NYTimes.com

166. Grids Design: Grids

167. Grids Design: Grids

168. Grids Design: Grids

169. Grids Design: Grids 12 column grid

170. Grids Design: Grids 3 columns of 4 units

171. Grids Design: Grids 4 columns of 3 units

172. Grids Design: Grids 6 columns of 2 units

173. Grids Design: Grids Variations of the 12 column grid

174. Grids Design: Grids Self Study: Want to know more? Learn more about design by grids: 960 Grid System 960.gs Design by Grid www.designbygrid.com Hashgrid www.hashgrid.com

175. Navigation

177. Local – left nav/right nav

179. Dropdown

180. TabsSelf Study: Want to know more? Adapted from Atsushi Hasegagwa’s The 7 Navigation Types of Web Sites

181. Sketching

182. Design: Sketching

183. Design: Sketching

184. Design: Sketching Sketching Through the Ages 1485-1487 Ornithopter by Leonardo da Vinci 2005 Schematic representation of the major components of a helicopter by Richard Wheeler

185. Sketching Design: Sketching “There are techniques and processes whereby we can put experience front and center in design. My belief is that the basis for doing so lies in extending the traditional practice of sketching. ” - Bill Buxton Bill Buxton Sketching User Experiences

186. Sketching Design: Sketching

187. Sketching Design: Sketching

188. Sketching Design: Sketching Any guesses as to what this is a sketch of?

189. Twitter.com “twttr sketch” Sketching Design: Sketching Twitter [This sketch] has very special significance – it's hanging in the office somewhere with one other page. Whenever I'm thinking about something, I really like to take out the yellow notepad and get it down. – Jack Dorsey, Twitter

191. Timely

192. Inexpensive

193. Disposable

194. Plentiful

195. Clear vocabulary

196. Distinct gesture

197. Minimal detail

198. Appropriate degree of refinement

199. Suggest & explore rather than confirm

200. AmbiguityBill Buxton Sketching User Experiences

201. Sketching Design: Sketching Methodology Draw Limit your time Don’t worry about mistakes or style Goals Benefit from the participation of your colleagues Quickly generate ideas and refine through iterations

202. Design: Sketching Class Exercise: Sketching In teams, sketch your ideas. 1) Create & Promote an Event Design: Sketching

204. Is it a single page? Multiples steps? Design: Sketching

205. Design: Sketching Don’t forget to keep your personas in mind Sabrina Jenny Donny Jerry

206. Design: Sketching Class Exercise: Sketching In teams, sketch your ideas. 1) Create & Promote an Event 2) A Homepage Design: Sketching

207. Info Design: Sketching Tools Sketching Tools: The following apps are all for the iPad Adobe Ideas (free) Bamboo Paper (free) Muji Notebook (3.99) Penultimate ($1.99) SketchBook Pro ($4.99)

208. Wireframes photo & sculpture by polly verity

209. Design: Wireframes Wireframes What are wireframes? “Web site wireframes are blue prints that define a Web page’s content and functionality. They do not convey design – e.g. colors, graphics, or fonts.” - fatpurple

210. Design: Sketching Wireframes Design: Wireframes - Examples wireframe by Mike Rohde

211. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples wireframe by matthieumingasson

212. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples wireframe by spaceboxru

213. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples wireframe by matthieumingasson

214. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples

215. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples

216. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples

217. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes - Examples

218. Wireframing/Prototype Tools: Adobe InDesign Axure Omnigraffle (Mac) Microsoft Visio Mockingbird (online, free) Also: iPlotz iMockups (iPad) Omnigraffle (iPad) Info Design: Wireframing Tools

219. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes Class Exercise: Final Wireframe In your teams, create your final deliverable. Assign one of the following to a team member: Create & Promote an Event Event Detail 3) Homepage As an individual now, you’ll create a final “wireframe,” which incorporates your team mates’ designs and feedback.

220. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes Develop Wireframe & Prototyping Tools Axure Dreamweaver InDesign Visio

222. A List Apart

224. Interaction Designers Association (IxDA)

226. The Information Architecture Institute

227. The IA Summit

228. Pratt – Course in Information Design

229. Nielsen Norman Group

230. Rosenfeld Media

232. Slideshare address: http://www.slideshare.net/stribs Additional credit: Thanks to Anh Dang Info Additional Info

233. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes Addendum: Design Principles & Concepts Wireframe & Prototyping Tools Axure Dreamweaver InDesign Visio

234. Dieter Rams: 10 principles of good design Good design is… Good design is innovative.Good design makes a product useful.Good design is aesthetic.Good design makes a product understandable.Good design is unobtrusive.Good design is honest.Good design is long-lasting.Good design is thorough down to the last detail.Good design is environmentally friendly.Good design is as little design as possible. © Dieter Rams, amended March 2003 and October 2009

235. Design Concepts Design Concepts Donald Norman, Co-Founder, Nielsen Norman Group

236. Design Concepts Key Concepts Affordance Mapping Constraints Visibility Feedback Design Concepts

237. 128 Design Concepts Affordance “Perceived properties that determine how a thing is used [and] provide strong cues to the operations of things.” - Donald Norman

238. Design Concepts Design Concepts Mapping Relationship between two things http://flickr.com/photos/annavsculture/441610821/

239. Design Concepts Design Concepts Constraints Limitations that constrain possible interactions http://flickr.com/photos/hippie/2561854165/

240. Design Concepts Design Concepts Visibility “Just the right things have to be visible: to indicate what parts operate and how, to indicate how the user is to interact with the device.” - Donald Norman http://flickr.com/photos/huladancer22/530743543/

241. 132 Design Concepts Design Concepts Feedback “Sending back to the user information about what action has actually been done, what result has been accomplished.” - Donald Norman

242. Design: Sketching Design: Wireframes – Templates versus Pages