More than meaning: Using IA to grow a budding service
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San Francisco Digital Services used information architecture to improve the cannabis business permit application process. Anita Cheng conducted stakeholder interviews, audited and organized existing forms by relevant cannabis activities, and tested the new solution. The restructured application process using targeted questions was easier to maintain, review, and complete. The first applications to use the new online process resulted in three permitted businesses. Information architecture helped make the permitting accessible for applicants.
More than meaning: Using IA to grow a budding service
- 1. San Francisco Digital Services More than meaning Using information architecture to grow a budding service Anita Cheng, Content Designer
- 2. San Francisco Digital Services More than meaning Using information architecture to grow a budding service Anita Cheng, Content Designer
- 3. What is content design? What does it have to do with IA?
- 4. Content design is answering a user need in the best way for the user to consume it. Sarah Richards, Content Design London http://contentdesign.london/content-design/what-is-content-design/
- 5. Photo by Rusty Blazenhoff
- 6. Now what?
- 8. What the Office of Cannabis needs to know → Form that business owners can fill out
- 10. Information architecture is the practice of deciding how to arrange the parts of something to be understandable. IA Institute, 2019 https://www.iainstitute.org/what-is-ia
- 13. Know what you’re working with Inventory
- 15. Inventorying also helps to work with stakeholders. If you don’t know it, you can’t structure it.
- 16. Pull out what’s relevant Audit
- 17. Pull out what’s relevant (not all of it is!) Audit
- 18. Sec. 1623. Cannabis Cultivation Facilities Of course you’d say yes!
- 19. Application requirement Prove you can handle cannabis responsibly. Eligibility requirement If we find you not doing this, you’re in trouble. Business reporting and renewals requirement We’ll ask you in a year about the status of this. ✅
- 20. Set expectations for your user Group
- 21. Form by business type + 8 more… 😩
- 22. IA = understanding (and maintenance)
- 23. Forms by cannabis activity Any possible combinations!
- 24. Forms by cannabis activity, in practice Storefront retailer Delivery only retailer Cultivator Manufacturer Distributor Test lab General operations ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Security ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Staffing ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Storefront retail ✓ Delivery ✓ ✓ Cultivation ✓ Manufacturing ✓ Distribution ✓ Test lab ✓
- 25. The outcome ● Easier to maintain ● Easier for Office of Cannabis to review ● Shorter forms
- 26. Speak your user’s language Pair write, as part of content design
- 27. “What answer could someone give, that would let you know they were ready to handle cannabis?” - Me, being a heroic advocate rebel toddler
- 28. A heroic advocate rebel toddler: ● Fights for their user ● Questions the way things are ● Asks annoying questions that drill all the way down
- 29. A what? (A) An odor mitigation plan;
- 30. What could we possibly ask for them to prove they will be responsible about outside cannabis smell?
- 31. “Ask if they’ll be using charcoal filters.” - Office of Cannabis
- 33. Pair writing is a fun adventure!
- 34. What is a more direct way of describing a “partition?” City code says it’s a “nonstructural wall.” We went with “temporary wall.” (Sorry, Beyoncé) (Don’t Google it at work, it’s awkward!)
- 35. Make sure your work works Test your solution
- 38. Applicants didn’t know what to put here “Wait, I have to hire a fulltime video technician too???”
- 40. The questions we ask affect how users will approach the process
- 41. Hiring task → Scheduling task
- 42. Helping people open a cannabis business in San Francisco Release the form!
- 43. How it’s going ● First business permit application in San Francisco to live entirely online ● 3 permitted new businesses (so far!) ● Office of Cannabis (mostly) stopped using policy jargon
- 46. Photo by Rusty Blazenhoff
- 49. Thank you! Anita Cheng Content designer San Francisco Digital Services digitalservices.sfgov.org Twitter: @anitaycheng LinkedIn: /in/anitaycheng Website: anitacheng.com
- 50. Arrows Call attention to something on your slide.
- 51. We like to say that if you’re making things for others, you’re practicing information architecture. IA Institute, 2019 https://www.iainstitute.org/what-is-ia
- 52. If you work in an office, chances are you've done some form of information architecture at some point and not even known it. IA Institute, 2013 https://www.iainstitute.org/sites/default/files/what_is_ia.pdf
- 54. Speech bubbles “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” - Maya “I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living.” - Harvey “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.” - Fred
- 55. Buttons and links Use blue if you link to something from within your slide text. Or use a button. Check it out Check it out Google Slides default link color is teal, so you have to manually switch it to blue or white after you create the link. I’m sorry!
- 56. Colors I can’t figure out how to get our colors into the “Theme colors” section. Ignore these Use these