1. DESIGN ZEN:
ATTRACTIVE AND FUNCTIONAL WEBSITES
Graham Garner • E-Business Practicum BA/CA 388-01
Wartburg College • Fall 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 12
2. INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE (IA)
• Structural design of information
environments
• Combination of organization, labeling,
search, and navigation systems
• Making web sites usable
and findable
• Focused on design and architecture
on the Web; it’s an art and a science
Tuesday, October 16, 12
3. WHY IA MATTERS
• The cost of finding information is lost
productivity.
• The cost of not finding information is that
bad decisions come from bad information.
• It costs more to fix a
problem twice than it does once.
• The cost of maintenance is clear.
• Building a brand costs money and time.
Tuesday, October 16, 12
4. BUILDING BLOCKS OF IA:
USERS
Do you know who's using your web site?
Do you know how they're using it?
And perhaps most importantly, do you know what information
they want from your site?
Tuesday, October 16, 12
5. BUILDING BLOCKS OF IA:
CONTENT
Think about all the stuff that makes up a web site. Think about
Ownership, Format, Structure, Metadata, Volume and
Dynamism.
Tuesday, October 16, 12
6. BUILDING BLOCKS OF IA:
CONTEXT
What makes your business unique? Then, find ways to align the
information architecture with the goals, strategy and culture of
your business.
Tuesday, October 16, 12
7. ORGANIZATION SYSTEMS
Present the site's
information to us in
a variety of ways,
such as content
categories or
specific audiences
Tuesday, October 16, 12
8. NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
Help users move
through the content
Tuesday, October 16, 12
9. SEARCH SYSTEMS
Allow users to search
the content
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10. LABELING SYSTEMS
Describe categories, options,
and links in language that
(hopefully) is meaningful to
users
Tuesday, October 16, 12
11. QUESTIONS USERS ASK
1. Where am I?
2. I know what I'm looking for; how do I search for it?
3. How do I get around this site?
4. What's important and unique about this
organization?
5. What's available on this site?
6. What's happening there?
7. Do they want my opinion about their site?
8. How can I contact a human?
9. What's their physical and mailing address?
Tuesday, October 16, 12
12. ZEN OF WEB DESIGN
Clear your mind.
Relax and meditate.
Observe and learn from the masters.
Obtain clarity.
Become one with the web.
Tuesday, October 16, 12
13. With nearly 70 categories, Website entries make up the majority of Webby Awards Winners,
Nominees and Honorees. Some are beautiful to look at and interact with. Others are a testament to
usability and functionality. And a handful excel across the board. To be selected among the best is an
incredible achievement worthy of praise -- and perhaps a little bragging.
Tuesday, October 16, 12
