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Information Architecture and Navigation. Introduction to a spatial metaphor . Many user interfaces are essentially tools for finding, collecting, consuming, and producing information We can think of these untamed hordes of data as information spaces
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Introduction to a spatial metaphor • Many user interfaces are essentially tools for finding, collecting, consuming, and producing information • We can think of these untamed hordes of data as information spaces • Information architecture is the art/science of designing information spaces
Expanding the spatial metaphor • When architecting physical spaces, things are by default visible; you have to work to hide something • When architecting information spaces, things are by default invisible …but the only way to know what that link leads to is to click it. You can see through a doorway…
Wayfinding in information spaces • Just like a first-year trying to find a stairwell in the CIT, a computer user needs to learn how to navigate an interface • How a user will do so depends on how much information they already have • They may know exactly what they are looking for • They may know a keyword associated with what they are looking for • Or they may not know what they are looking for until they find it • A successful user experience is in part based on how well an interface supports wayfinding, i.e. browsing and searching
You are an information architect • Seeing patterns is what the human brain is optimized for • Sometimes, it seems to be a little too optimized • Apophenia: the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in meaningless or random data • Logical fallacies such as mixing up correlation and causation • If you have ever written an essay or made a deck of slides, you have architected information!
Organization schemes • How do we organize information into categories? How order information within a category?
Exact organization schemes • These schemes divide information into well-defined, mutually exclusive sections which typically have a standard order • Standard ordering systems include: alphabetical, chronological, geographical, etc.
Ambiguous organization schemes • These schemes categorize information by common associations • They are not inherent or natural • They are, however, very useful • Canonical examples includeordering by topics, tasks, audience, etc.
Going from organization to architecture • Now we have an idea of how we might categorize and order information. • How can we build a system which enables users to access this information?
Implicit architectures • These architectures consist of the relationships inferred by the user • They are often unintentional • They are often caused by juxtaposition
Explicit architectures • These architectures are made apparent to the user • Common example: navigation bar • Note that “explicit” does not necessarily mean “clear” Unless preceded by “homework”, this word never belongs in a navigation bar
Random access architectures Examples: CDs, magazines, dictionaries
Non-random access architectures Linear (traditional narrative) Nonlinear (hypertext) House of Leaves
A note on organization and architecture • Clearly, these two concepts are closely related • Both are very important • However, if you are building a system which includes massive amounts of information, even the most comprehensive organization scheme will fail if the system is not architected in such a way that users’ needs are supported • Prioritize common use cases • How many times have you searched for a book by title? By author? By subject? By ISBN?
From Point A to Point B • Navigation is how users locate themselves and move around within the context of a system • It can be free-form or goal-oriented • It can be accomplished through browsing or queried search • How easily a user can navigate will be determined largely by how well you organized and architected your information space
Modes of information seeking • Sometimes, users just want to check out a system • They may be forming an initial impression or testing its limits • Or they may be killing time by consuming content indiscriminately • But often, users have a goal or set of goals in mind • These situations can be described as follows
Known-Item information seeking • In this case, the user • Knows what they want • Knows what words to use to describe it • May have a fairly good understanding of where to start • Examples: • A Brown student wants to know when reading period begins • Someone is looking for the website of a local Chinese restaurant • A traveler needs to know how to say “train station” in Japanese
Exploratory information seeking • In this case, the user • May have some idea of what they want to know • Does not know precisely what words to use to describe it • May not know where to start • Examples: • A user who wants to plan a site-seeing trip to France, but who has never been there before and isn’t familiar with the area • A first-year CS student who is looking for an internship or research opportunity for the summer, but who doesn’t know what jobs they are qualified for
Re-finding • In this case, the user wishes to find information they have previously accessed • This behavior can be supported with active features (which require user input) or passive features (which track information access automatically)
For further investigation: • Information Architecture Institute: Library • The Information Architecture of Everyday Things • Four Modes of Seeking Information and How to Design for Them • Search User Interfaces by Marti A. Hearst
