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Best practice Information Architecture Open Publish, Sydney 2 nd  August 2007 Patrick Kennedy, Step Two Designs
A short agenda ‘Needs based’ information architecture Whatever 2.0 (All in roughly 30 minutes!)
An introduction to needs based IA
What is information architecture? A partial definition: “ The art and science of organizing and labelling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability” (aifia.org) Structuring content and system so people can find information It involves designing: Navigation Labelling Taxonomies, thesauri, indexes
Tools and techniques Site maps Wireframes Card sorting Usability testing for validation
But how do you get it right?
[notes] Designing anything based on  your own  preferences and biases is not the best approach Getting it right means understanding the  problem  at hand as well as knowing your  audience This goes beyond usability, it’s about delivering  useful  solutions We often don’t fully understand the problem…
For example, we’re given a job to implement a call centre intranet…
[notes] Call centres are fascinating places to practice IA We’ve done much of this kind of work
This is actually one of the main sources of information for staff…
[notes] The core information they need is what allows them to  handle the call Much of the knowledge is already  known But rapidly  changing  or crucially  important  information need to be on hand, such as: interest rates stock prices Product specifications A variety of methods are used for this stuff
… as are these documents, sitting on every desk
[notes] Insurance policies Terms and conditions of a loan Quite  detailed Not frequently  referred to But hold the answers to the really  challenging  calls
These documents were actually the big problem for staff
[notes] Especially  old  versions going back in time Not usually handled by  current system May pre-date  electronic  production So perhaps not easily put on the  intranet And who’s to say that would even be the best solution?
Email was the other big source of pain…
[notes] To  compensate  for inadequacies in other systems Email was used to  store  notes, memos, revisions, updated versions, tips and knowledge from others Email is  not well designed  to handle this content Locked away, not shared or consistently organised The thing is, to effectively handle calls, operators need to  bring to bear  all the information and knowledge If they can’t find it, they either  can’t help  or make up
The key is researching user needs.
[notes] In this case, the issues were not well understood by the organisations  management The stated problem was that the  intranet  needed to be redesigned Didn’t know Information was hard to find Staff weren’t happy Our research  uncovered  the underlying issues and allowed the problem to be better defined So what process was used?
Needs analysis
What is needs analysis? Researching what users really  need Stop, look and listen Talking  to your colleagues! A  holistic  approach Taking the broader  context  into account Thinking  outside the box Asking a  ‘bigger’ question AKA: design research, user research, ethnography
Typical IA methodology
Needs based IA methodology
[notes] So a typical project might look like this But what we’ve found is that doing some work before this produces better results So the needs analysis can inform the strategy and user research
Key principles
Is the identified problem the symptom or the cause?
[notes] For example, in the call centre scenario from earlier, the stated problem was the intranet needed to be redesigned But this was a symptom not the cause
Our methodologies often assume that organisations work like this…
…  whereas they are much more like this in reality
Needs analysis is ethnographic, focusing on activities and environments
[notes] It involves  people People will be using the solution you design, so they need to be included in defining the problem As well as assessing potential solutions
You can’t deliver effective solutions to people you haven’t personally met
[notes] Compiling a huge requirements specification is not enough If you haven’t  met  with and  talked  to people who are at the  heart  of the problem and whom  will use  the solution you deliver
There are no shortage of problems to be solved…
[notes] What often happens is people attempt to  “boil the ocean” This can be a major problem, as projects become so  big  and resource-intensive that nothing ever gets delivered A good example is the  redesign  of large websites It’s better to focus on  small but effective  solutions, the cumulative effect is a much improved situation for users of the system
…  but the real challenge is knowing where to start
[notes] The answer is you start with needs analysis
How to do needs analysis
In the trenches, you will learn many things…
What you will learn Goals  – what are they trying to achieve? Behaviours  – how do they go about it? Attitudes  – what do they think and how do they react? Tasks  – what is it they need to get done? Official and unofficial  processes Unmet needs  – potential goals for your solution Relationships  – how are they affected by others? Corporate culture  – what is the norm? Environment  – in what context will they use your solution?
… but not everything will be directly relevant
[notes] Not everything will be relevant to a project Don’t worry ! All goes towards a better  understanding  of the people involved The  context  in which they use a system can be vitally important, if not translated into a design
Some needs analysis tips and tricks
Technique Employ  ethnographic  methods Use one-on-one  interviews  as a basis Plain old  observation  can be very enlightening Personas  can be useful in illustrating your users Make use of  narrative  to elicit real-life scenarios Capture  quotes  and sound-bites Use a  ‘blended’  approach Get richer: ride-along, interrupt observation
Things to avoid ‘Design by committee’ – don’t ask what they want They aren’t designers, but you are Don’t focus on technology or the ‘product’ Focus on actual end-users, not intermediaries Keep it positive – avoid ‘whinge sessions’
Related techniques Card sorting Usability testing Log analysis, statistics Time and motion studies Role playing
What about…? Questionnaires Surveys Focus groups Market research Time and motion studies Cultural probes They’re all  related  and do tend to  overlap Use whatever  combination  works best for you
How much research? As with usability testing, ethnographic research tends to obey the law of diminishing returns We’re not after  all  the issues, just the  key  issues A good rule of thumb is 15 people per audience segment We typically do 5 days of interviews, some contextual inquiry, plus data analysis
How much research? We’re not trying to get  statistically significant  data We want to learn about people; how they do their job, how they get things done, how they use the product in question Use successive  layers  of research for big projects Go into more detail with each  round  of research But, more research equals more  analysis !
Cross pollinate skills between disciplines
Cross pollination of skills “Two heads are better than one” Learn from each other,  collaborate Multidisciplinary  teams work better Expertise might be found where you least expect it (similar to the ‘long tail’ effect) Mentoring  or a partnership may be effective
Whatever 2.0
The bells and whistles of Web 2.0
A very short blurb on Web 2.0 Web 2.0 is the latest round of innovation on the internet This is fundamentally changing the nature of how the web works From publishing content to the ‘read-write web’ Ajax provides a framework for interaction Web services and API form the basis for ‘small pieces loosely joined’, mash-ups A lot of activity, a lot of money being invested
There seem to be two types of 2.0; there’s the ‘social web’ phenomenon…
The ‘social web’ Blogs Wikis Photo sharing Social bookmarking Folksonomies
… and the Rich Internet Application (RIA)
The ‘Rich Internet Applications’ Flash and Ajax powered Real-time (asynchronous) interaction Replacing the page model of the web Can hide some rough edges from users And of course, you can combine social web and RIA
Exemplars Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/shingen_au/ Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/ Google Maps (and the rest of Google) www.google.com/local 37 signals www.37signals.com
What about this new breed of business tools?
A very short blurb on Enterprise 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 is about bringing the spirit of Web 2.0 to the corporate space The same technologies can be used to create radically new ways of working and collaborating Staff will be finally given the opportunity to directly contribute, rather than being just passive consumers Lots of exciting technologies: wikis, blogs, folksonomies (tag clouds), mash-ups, portals ‘ Software as a service’ is also a key element
Exemplars 3,000 internal blogs at IBM www.nevon.net/nevon/2005/06/now_3600_intern.html Dogear at IBM acmqueue.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=344&page=1 Peers at AvenueA|Razorfish blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2004/11/avenue_arazorfi.html Corporate wiki and blogging software
The danger with Whatever 2.0 Much  experimentation  is going on Some real  benefits  are being delivered The  social web  typically follows fads Most RIA focus on  superficial  interface changes Many  gimmicks  being added “because we can” Are we returning to the  bad old days ? Agile  methodologies multiply the problem Constant state of  beta  may make us more reactive It’s difficult to tell if  true needs  are being met
As featured in  Bit Literacy  by Mark Hurst
Gootodo.com A  simple yet effective  to-do list application Crafted around well researched  user needs Only those features that are  useful  have been built Very clean and simple use of web 2.0
Caltex HR Service Centre
Caltex HR Service Centre From  Cairo  Walker’s case study this morning Goal: how to provide current payroll officers with the tools to  answer  a broad range of HR queries? Extensive  needs analysis  was undertaken HRSC staff, other HR team members, general staff How  did they go about doing their jobs? What did they do?  What information  did they use to do it?  Where  was it meant to be? Where did they  really  get it from?
Caltex: starting position >58,000 documents stored in >6,200 folders Duplicate copies, inconsistency, incorrect decisions and advice Staff don’t know where to find information… even the experts  don’t know where to look Intranet, central content management, Dreamweaver
Caltex: the cunning plan Everyone contributes, a  ‘wiki’  approach is defined Appoint  knowledge custodians  for all HRSC supported business processes (knowledge clusters are owned) Knowledge custodians  work with  the business owner to ensure clusters are 100% correct
Courtesy: thisisbroken.com
LinkedIn Answers A way for the community of LinkedIn users to  ask  questions and receive answers and feedback Great  concept  as it fosters user collaboration However, it’s  misused , principally because they were no business rules put in place at the outset for the community to ‘limit’ or ‘govern’ the types of questions asked The result? As opposed to the feature becoming a fascinating knowledge base and platform that benefits from the inherent internet ‘long tail’ - it has descended into a  free-for-all  for wannabes hawking their services and offerings at the expense of the original idea
 
YouTube Wildly popular But heavily criticised for user experience  In particular navigation and browsing
Needs analysis is a universal tool, to be used for any type of project, including Web 2.0
The fundamental principles still apply Find out what  your users need  and deliver it The  same techniques  apply equally well to Web 2.0 Often hear: If I add Web 2.0 will it make my site better? If I add Web 2.0 does it make my site bad? The right solution is technology  agnostic “Web 2.0 don’t kill sites, people kill sites”
The wrap-up
Rather than a fairly hit and miss approach…
In summary… Often, people try to create a solution  on their own ‘ Cookie cutter’  solutions won’t work (all the time) Heuristics and conventions work for  usability But not for the  useful  side of things Don’t just take a website that worked for someone else and build your site the same
… good needs analysis allows you to hit the mark
In summary… A more  informed  decision is a better decision One size does  not  fit all There is no  one  solution  for an information-rich site Needs analysis is vital for  effective  design Find out what will work for  ‘you and yours’ Talk to people and come to terms with the whole  problem space Needs based IA  applies  equally well to new tech
Yes I know it’s past 5:00pm :-)
IA and UCD at  Open Publish 2007 Understanding the user experience Russ Weakley – 11:15 tomorrow (Track A) Information Architecture Ash Donaldson – 12:00 tomorrow (Track A)
Web 2.0 at  Open Publish 2007 Enterprise 2.0 in practice Cairo Walker – 11:15 this morning (Track A) Knowledge Management and Web 2.0 Matthew Moore – 10:15 tomorrow (Track A) Web 2.0 the next generation platform Bahram Boutorabi – 10:15 tomorrow (Track B) Marketing and Web 2.0 Cheryl Lead – 15:00 tomorrow (Track A)
Further reading (1 of 3) Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville ISBN: 0596000359 The Field Study Handbook Kate Gomoll, Ellen Story Church & Eric Bond (Available from www.uie.com) Observing The User Experience Mike Kuniavsky ISBN: 1558609237
Further reading (2 of 3) The User Is Always Right Steve Mulder & Ziv Yaar ISBN: 0321434536 Don’t Make Me Think Steve Krug ISBN: 0789723107 Information Anxiety 2 Richard Saul Wurman, David Sume, Loring Leifer ISBN: 0789724103
Further reading (3 of 3) Boxes and Arrows www.boxesandarrows.com User Interface Engineering (UIE) www.uie.com Information architecture wiki www.iawiki.net Step Two Designs www.steptwo.com.au/papers/
Questions? Your feedback is most welcome Patrick Kennedy [email_address] Blog:  www.gurtle.com/ppov/ Website:  www.steptwo.com.au
So why are they so unpopular?

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Best Practice Information Architecture

  • 1. Best practice Information Architecture Open Publish, Sydney 2 nd August 2007 Patrick Kennedy, Step Two Designs
  • 2. A short agenda ‘Needs based’ information architecture Whatever 2.0 (All in roughly 30 minutes!)
  • 3. An introduction to needs based IA
  • 4. What is information architecture? A partial definition: “ The art and science of organizing and labelling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability” (aifia.org) Structuring content and system so people can find information It involves designing: Navigation Labelling Taxonomies, thesauri, indexes
  • 5. Tools and techniques Site maps Wireframes Card sorting Usability testing for validation
  • 6. But how do you get it right?
  • 7. [notes] Designing anything based on your own preferences and biases is not the best approach Getting it right means understanding the problem at hand as well as knowing your audience This goes beyond usability, it’s about delivering useful solutions We often don’t fully understand the problem…
  • 8. For example, we’re given a job to implement a call centre intranet…
  • 9. [notes] Call centres are fascinating places to practice IA We’ve done much of this kind of work
  • 10. This is actually one of the main sources of information for staff…
  • 11. [notes] The core information they need is what allows them to handle the call Much of the knowledge is already known But rapidly changing or crucially important information need to be on hand, such as: interest rates stock prices Product specifications A variety of methods are used for this stuff
  • 12. … as are these documents, sitting on every desk
  • 13. [notes] Insurance policies Terms and conditions of a loan Quite detailed Not frequently referred to But hold the answers to the really challenging calls
  • 14. These documents were actually the big problem for staff
  • 15. [notes] Especially old versions going back in time Not usually handled by current system May pre-date electronic production So perhaps not easily put on the intranet And who’s to say that would even be the best solution?
  • 16. Email was the other big source of pain…
  • 17. [notes] To compensate for inadequacies in other systems Email was used to store notes, memos, revisions, updated versions, tips and knowledge from others Email is not well designed to handle this content Locked away, not shared or consistently organised The thing is, to effectively handle calls, operators need to bring to bear all the information and knowledge If they can’t find it, they either can’t help or make up
  • 18. The key is researching user needs.
  • 19. [notes] In this case, the issues were not well understood by the organisations management The stated problem was that the intranet needed to be redesigned Didn’t know Information was hard to find Staff weren’t happy Our research uncovered the underlying issues and allowed the problem to be better defined So what process was used?
  • 21. What is needs analysis? Researching what users really need Stop, look and listen Talking to your colleagues! A holistic approach Taking the broader context into account Thinking outside the box Asking a ‘bigger’ question AKA: design research, user research, ethnography
  • 23. Needs based IA methodology
  • 24. [notes] So a typical project might look like this But what we’ve found is that doing some work before this produces better results So the needs analysis can inform the strategy and user research
  • 26. Is the identified problem the symptom or the cause?
  • 27. [notes] For example, in the call centre scenario from earlier, the stated problem was the intranet needed to be redesigned But this was a symptom not the cause
  • 28. Our methodologies often assume that organisations work like this…
  • 29. … whereas they are much more like this in reality
  • 30. Needs analysis is ethnographic, focusing on activities and environments
  • 31. [notes] It involves people People will be using the solution you design, so they need to be included in defining the problem As well as assessing potential solutions
  • 32. You can’t deliver effective solutions to people you haven’t personally met
  • 33. [notes] Compiling a huge requirements specification is not enough If you haven’t met with and talked to people who are at the heart of the problem and whom will use the solution you deliver
  • 34. There are no shortage of problems to be solved…
  • 35. [notes] What often happens is people attempt to “boil the ocean” This can be a major problem, as projects become so big and resource-intensive that nothing ever gets delivered A good example is the redesign of large websites It’s better to focus on small but effective solutions, the cumulative effect is a much improved situation for users of the system
  • 36. … but the real challenge is knowing where to start
  • 37. [notes] The answer is you start with needs analysis
  • 38. How to do needs analysis
  • 39. In the trenches, you will learn many things…
  • 40. What you will learn Goals – what are they trying to achieve? Behaviours – how do they go about it? Attitudes – what do they think and how do they react? Tasks – what is it they need to get done? Official and unofficial processes Unmet needs – potential goals for your solution Relationships – how are they affected by others? Corporate culture – what is the norm? Environment – in what context will they use your solution?
  • 41. … but not everything will be directly relevant
  • 42. [notes] Not everything will be relevant to a project Don’t worry ! All goes towards a better understanding of the people involved The context in which they use a system can be vitally important, if not translated into a design
  • 43. Some needs analysis tips and tricks
  • 44. Technique Employ ethnographic methods Use one-on-one interviews as a basis Plain old observation can be very enlightening Personas can be useful in illustrating your users Make use of narrative to elicit real-life scenarios Capture quotes and sound-bites Use a ‘blended’ approach Get richer: ride-along, interrupt observation
  • 45. Things to avoid ‘Design by committee’ – don’t ask what they want They aren’t designers, but you are Don’t focus on technology or the ‘product’ Focus on actual end-users, not intermediaries Keep it positive – avoid ‘whinge sessions’
  • 46. Related techniques Card sorting Usability testing Log analysis, statistics Time and motion studies Role playing
  • 47. What about…? Questionnaires Surveys Focus groups Market research Time and motion studies Cultural probes They’re all related and do tend to overlap Use whatever combination works best for you
  • 48. How much research? As with usability testing, ethnographic research tends to obey the law of diminishing returns We’re not after all the issues, just the key issues A good rule of thumb is 15 people per audience segment We typically do 5 days of interviews, some contextual inquiry, plus data analysis
  • 49. How much research? We’re not trying to get statistically significant data We want to learn about people; how they do their job, how they get things done, how they use the product in question Use successive layers of research for big projects Go into more detail with each round of research But, more research equals more analysis !
  • 50. Cross pollinate skills between disciplines
  • 51. Cross pollination of skills “Two heads are better than one” Learn from each other, collaborate Multidisciplinary teams work better Expertise might be found where you least expect it (similar to the ‘long tail’ effect) Mentoring or a partnership may be effective
  • 53. The bells and whistles of Web 2.0
  • 54. A very short blurb on Web 2.0 Web 2.0 is the latest round of innovation on the internet This is fundamentally changing the nature of how the web works From publishing content to the ‘read-write web’ Ajax provides a framework for interaction Web services and API form the basis for ‘small pieces loosely joined’, mash-ups A lot of activity, a lot of money being invested
  • 55. There seem to be two types of 2.0; there’s the ‘social web’ phenomenon…
  • 56. The ‘social web’ Blogs Wikis Photo sharing Social bookmarking Folksonomies
  • 57. … and the Rich Internet Application (RIA)
  • 58. The ‘Rich Internet Applications’ Flash and Ajax powered Real-time (asynchronous) interaction Replacing the page model of the web Can hide some rough edges from users And of course, you can combine social web and RIA
  • 59. Exemplars Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/shingen_au/ Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/ Google Maps (and the rest of Google) www.google.com/local 37 signals www.37signals.com
  • 60. What about this new breed of business tools?
  • 61. A very short blurb on Enterprise 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 is about bringing the spirit of Web 2.0 to the corporate space The same technologies can be used to create radically new ways of working and collaborating Staff will be finally given the opportunity to directly contribute, rather than being just passive consumers Lots of exciting technologies: wikis, blogs, folksonomies (tag clouds), mash-ups, portals ‘ Software as a service’ is also a key element
  • 62. Exemplars 3,000 internal blogs at IBM www.nevon.net/nevon/2005/06/now_3600_intern.html Dogear at IBM acmqueue.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=344&page=1 Peers at AvenueA|Razorfish blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2004/11/avenue_arazorfi.html Corporate wiki and blogging software
  • 63. The danger with Whatever 2.0 Much experimentation is going on Some real benefits are being delivered The social web typically follows fads Most RIA focus on superficial interface changes Many gimmicks being added “because we can” Are we returning to the bad old days ? Agile methodologies multiply the problem Constant state of beta may make us more reactive It’s difficult to tell if true needs are being met
  • 64. As featured in Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst
  • 65. Gootodo.com A simple yet effective to-do list application Crafted around well researched user needs Only those features that are useful have been built Very clean and simple use of web 2.0
  • 67. Caltex HR Service Centre From Cairo Walker’s case study this morning Goal: how to provide current payroll officers with the tools to answer a broad range of HR queries? Extensive needs analysis was undertaken HRSC staff, other HR team members, general staff How did they go about doing their jobs? What did they do? What information did they use to do it? Where was it meant to be? Where did they really get it from?
  • 68. Caltex: starting position >58,000 documents stored in >6,200 folders Duplicate copies, inconsistency, incorrect decisions and advice Staff don’t know where to find information… even the experts don’t know where to look Intranet, central content management, Dreamweaver
  • 69. Caltex: the cunning plan Everyone contributes, a ‘wiki’ approach is defined Appoint knowledge custodians for all HRSC supported business processes (knowledge clusters are owned) Knowledge custodians work with the business owner to ensure clusters are 100% correct
  • 71. LinkedIn Answers A way for the community of LinkedIn users to ask questions and receive answers and feedback Great concept as it fosters user collaboration However, it’s misused , principally because they were no business rules put in place at the outset for the community to ‘limit’ or ‘govern’ the types of questions asked The result? As opposed to the feature becoming a fascinating knowledge base and platform that benefits from the inherent internet ‘long tail’ - it has descended into a free-for-all for wannabes hawking their services and offerings at the expense of the original idea
  • 72.  
  • 73. YouTube Wildly popular But heavily criticised for user experience In particular navigation and browsing
  • 74. Needs analysis is a universal tool, to be used for any type of project, including Web 2.0
  • 75. The fundamental principles still apply Find out what your users need and deliver it The same techniques apply equally well to Web 2.0 Often hear: If I add Web 2.0 will it make my site better? If I add Web 2.0 does it make my site bad? The right solution is technology agnostic “Web 2.0 don’t kill sites, people kill sites”
  • 77. Rather than a fairly hit and miss approach…
  • 78. In summary… Often, people try to create a solution on their own ‘ Cookie cutter’ solutions won’t work (all the time) Heuristics and conventions work for usability But not for the useful side of things Don’t just take a website that worked for someone else and build your site the same
  • 79. … good needs analysis allows you to hit the mark
  • 80. In summary… A more informed decision is a better decision One size does not fit all There is no one solution for an information-rich site Needs analysis is vital for effective design Find out what will work for ‘you and yours’ Talk to people and come to terms with the whole problem space Needs based IA applies equally well to new tech
  • 81. Yes I know it’s past 5:00pm :-)
  • 82. IA and UCD at Open Publish 2007 Understanding the user experience Russ Weakley – 11:15 tomorrow (Track A) Information Architecture Ash Donaldson – 12:00 tomorrow (Track A)
  • 83. Web 2.0 at Open Publish 2007 Enterprise 2.0 in practice Cairo Walker – 11:15 this morning (Track A) Knowledge Management and Web 2.0 Matthew Moore – 10:15 tomorrow (Track A) Web 2.0 the next generation platform Bahram Boutorabi – 10:15 tomorrow (Track B) Marketing and Web 2.0 Cheryl Lead – 15:00 tomorrow (Track A)
  • 84. Further reading (1 of 3) Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville ISBN: 0596000359 The Field Study Handbook Kate Gomoll, Ellen Story Church & Eric Bond (Available from www.uie.com) Observing The User Experience Mike Kuniavsky ISBN: 1558609237
  • 85. Further reading (2 of 3) The User Is Always Right Steve Mulder & Ziv Yaar ISBN: 0321434536 Don’t Make Me Think Steve Krug ISBN: 0789723107 Information Anxiety 2 Richard Saul Wurman, David Sume, Loring Leifer ISBN: 0789724103
  • 86. Further reading (3 of 3) Boxes and Arrows www.boxesandarrows.com User Interface Engineering (UIE) www.uie.com Information architecture wiki www.iawiki.net Step Two Designs www.steptwo.com.au/papers/
  • 87. Questions? Your feedback is most welcome Patrick Kennedy [email_address] Blog: www.gurtle.com/ppov/ Website: www.steptwo.com.au
  • 88. So why are they so unpopular?