Information Architecture for SharePoint
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This document discusses information architecture for SharePoint. It begins by explaining why information architecture is important for SharePoint implementations and that SharePoint is a powerful tool when one has an information architecture plan. It then outlines the key components of developing an information architecture plan, including understanding the context and users, analyzing content, defining navigation and labeling structures, using metadata and content types, and configuring search. The document emphasizes that planning, understanding user needs, and applying information architecture principles are necessary to realize SharePoint's full capabilities.
Information Architecture for SharePoint
- 1. Information Architecture for SharePoint Johanna Dietrich & Andrew J Wright #ia4sp
- 2. Why are you here?
- 3. Because… You use SharePoint • … and you’ve had problems in the past You hear things like: • “I know it’s there but I can’t find it” • “The intranet doesn’t work” • “I don’t get it” – new employee
- 4. You want to make your SharePoint site better.
- 5. Information architecture n. The combination of organization, labeling, search, and navigation systems within web sites and intranets. * Excerpt from Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Peter Morville & Louis Rosenfeld
- 6. SharePoint is a powerful* tool ü Sites ü Communities ü Content ü Search * when you have a plan Plan ü Insights ü Composites
- 7. The Plan • Context and users • Content analysis • Labeling and navigation • Content attributes • Search • Evaluation
- 8. Context Information Architecture Users Content
- 9. Users • Develop a list of audiences/users • Identify the tasks and/or information needs of each group
- 10. User research methods http://nform.com/cards
- 11. Context Define your context by answering these questions: • What is the purpose of your site? • Be specific • What expectations exist for your site?
- 12. Broader Context • Resourcing (budget, hardware, software, people, expertise) • Timelines • Technology
- 13. Content • Content review • Inventory • Analysis • Content ownership • Content planning • Content migration
- 14. Content Review Content Content Inventory Analysis Can be Automated Must be Manual Details • a list of all • the current state of current the content content • whether content can be leveraged, deleted or archived • content gaps
- 16. A completed content analysis will allow you to: • evaluate the volume and quality of existing content • identify : • content owners • the structures in which the content resides • types of content • file types • content duplication, and • content gaps
- 17. Content Owners • Identify • Confirm • Engage them early
- 18. Migration Options for planning content migration Manual Hybrid Automated
- 19. Migration Considerations • Volume of content • By type • By location on current site • Site structure similarity • Types of resources available
- 20. Migration Considerations • State of content • Types of resources available (technical vs. business/content owners)
- 21. Organizing Content • There is no single “right” way • Understand the user’s perspective • Laying the groundwork for navigation
- 23. Navigation Types Structural Associative * Adapted from Fiorito and Dalton’s model, after James Kalbach
- 24. Global Navigation • Easy access to top level categories • Takes the form of SharePoint sites • Backbone of your IA
- 26. Local Navigation • Browse more specific categories • Sites, pages, document libraries*, lists*, discussions*, … • Only show what’s relevant
- 28. Associative Navigation • Teleport between topic areas • Push related content
- 30. “My Links” • We all play “favourites” • Provide personalized shortcuts
- 31. Labels • Headings, link text, and navigation • Speak the language of the end-users • Validate and Evaluate
- 32. <title>Metadata</title> • Data about data. • Taxonomy or Folksonomy? • Managed Metadata ( a.k.a. controlled vocabularies )
- 33. Ya, but what’s metadata good for?
- 34. It’s good for… • Defining meaningful Content Types • Effective document storage and document retrieval • Associative navigation
- 35. Search • Search is only as good as the information it has to work with (Garbage IN = Garbage OUT)
- 36. What is… Garbage* Not Garbage • Expired content • Meaningful, healthy content • Poorly named pages and sites • Clear, concise page titles • Overuse of “Create site” button • A sitemap that users understand • Absence of metadata • Consistent metadata application • Inconsistent metadata • Managed metadata terms (a.k.a. Tagging free-for-all) * Not necessarily “garbage,” just not very good for SharePoint search
- 37. Scopes = Structure + Content Types Refiners = Metadata Results = Content Metadata + Structure + Content = a great SP search experience
- 38. Context Investigated Context Users Researched Users Content Inventoried/Analyzed Content Evaluate Planned Migration Organized Content Created Navigation Defined Metadata Defined Content Types
- 39. Takeaways • Plan to plan. • Don’t assume anything • SharePoint doesn’t manage itself. • Follow the process.
- 40. SharePoint is a powerful* tool * when you have a plan Plan
- 41. Thank you. Andrew J Wright andrew.wright@nform.com | @andrewjwright Johanna Dietrich johanna.dietrich@nform.com