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Information Architecture

Information Architecture. Key Considerations for Organizing Website Content. Learning Objectives. Define information architecture and explain how it is used to organize web content List the seven steps for organizing web content Understand how card sorting an help organize web content

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Information Architecture

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  1. Information Architecture Key Considerations for Organizing Website Content

  2. Learning Objectives • Define information architecture and explain how it is used to organize web content • List the seven steps for organizing web content • Understand how card sorting an help organize web content • Recall the process for using two card sorting tools, affinity diagrams and mind mapping

  3. What is Information Architecture (IA)? Practice of deciding how to organize, structure, and label content for a website, application, or other project to support usability and findability of the information it contains.

  4. Information Architectures Are All Around Us Online shopping websites are the most obvious, providing links to merchandise organized in a way that helps you find what you’re looking for quickly.

  5. Information Architectures Are All Around Us At the grocery store, it is the signs and layout of the aisles that help you find exactly what you are looking for.

  6. Information Architecture Consists of: • Understanding the goals of the website • Understanding who the intended audience is and how they will interact with the information on the website • Organizing the information so it makes sense • Creating a structure for the website to support the information

  7. IA = Foundation for Good User Experience • Allows us to understand where we are as users, and where the information we want is in relation to our position • Results in the creation of site maps, taxonomies, navigation, and metadata

  8. IA Outputs and Definitions • Navigation: structure that facilitates moving through or browsing content • Sitemap: a visual or textually organized model of a website's content that allows users to navigate through the site • Taxonomies/hierarchies: a classification scheme, typically in the form of a hierarchical classification, that shows the relationships of the entities within the hierarchy • Metadata: data that describe and give information about other data

  9. Organizing Information Is Not the Hard Part of the Process Building true consensus on the meaning and intent of information is the hard(er) part. • How do we develop our website’s structure? • Where do we start? • What are the steps involved? • What logical processes should we use?

  10. Seven Steps for Organizing Web Content

  11. Step 1: Understand Website Goals Define scope—purpose—target audience—content formats • What is the mission of purpose of the website? • What are the short- and long-term goals? • Who are the intended audiences? • Why will people come to your site? • Involve key players in the process

  12. Step 2: Perform a Content Inventory Create a detailed listing of all existing content you may already have acquired/created • Determine what content already exists • Identify gaps • Analyze content to identify concepts • Determine the broad subject areas covered, how deep the coverage is

  13. Step 3: Identify Concepts • What subjects are covered by the content? • What format is the content in? • How broad will the coverage be? • What types of content are there? • What are the metadata (if any) for the content?

  14. Step 4: Develop Draft Organization Scheme • Main navigation categories should be mutually exclusive • Terms should be useful • No value if term applies to everything • Start broad and shallow • No more than 6 to 10 top-level categories and 2 or 3 levels deep • Use online tools, such as card sorting, to help develop structure (more about that later …)

  15. Types of Organization Schemes • Alphabetical • Geographical • Format • Type of task • Audience • Subject/Topic

  16. Alphabetical • Works well when people know specific terms they are looking for • Can be used for practically any type of information

  17. Geographical • Organization by spatial or geographic location • Maps are a common way to organize by location

  18. Format • Organizes content around the format of the information (checklist, fact sheet, video, slide set, infographic, poster) • Format is a great way to show people the different types of information available once they’ve found the topic they are interested in

  19. Type of Task • Organize content into a collection of processes, functions, or tasks • More common of e-commerce websites

  20. Audience • Breaks a site into smaller, audience-specific mini-sites • Different information for each specific audience

  21. Subject/Topic • Groups similar things together based on what they’re about • Greatfor browsing, filtering information, or fine-tuning a set of records

  22. Step 5: Review With Users and SMEs • Does the structure make sense to the user? • Are the major concepts included? • Does the structure go too deep in any place? • Conduct usability studies

  23. Step 6. Gather Resources • Use the list of goals created in Step 1: Understand Website Goals to create a list of content to include • Develop criteria for selecting resources • Identify relevant resources • Are there any gaps? • Is there existing content that could fill those gaps? • Do you need to create new content?

  24. Step 7: Group and Label Content • Bring order and organization to your content • Use Content Inventory developed in Step 2 • Recruit multiple participants include SMEs • Use online tools, such as card sorting, or manual process • Group content using draft organization scheme • Refine, add, or delete categories as needed

  25. Tools to Help Organize Content

  26. Card Sorting

  27. What is Card Sorting? • One of the best ways to get valuable insights about how your web content should be organized in order to meet the expectations of your target group • Participants organize topics into categories that make sense to them • Can use actual cards, pieces of paper, or one of several online card-sorting software tools

  28. Types: Open and Closed • In an open card sort, participants are asked to organize cards into groups that make sense to them and then name each group • In a closed card sort, participants are asked to sort items into predefined categories

  29. Tools for Card Sorting • Index Cards—provide the user with a set of index cards containing the concepts you’ve identified and have them sort them into groups that make sense • Online Card Sorting—allows for easier access to the right participants, tools for analysis of results, and allows for adding survey questions to gather extra knowledge • Optimal Sort • UsabiliTEST • UsabilityTools • More information at: Usability.gov

  30. Affinity Diagrams

  31. What are Affinity Diagrams? • Typically used for organizing research, issues, and ideas • Eliciting team brainstorming and synthesizing of information to: • Determine major themes • Develop common understanding • Determine priority • It’s about group discussion and understanding

  32. Example of Affinity Diagram Process • Each participant comes up with their own list of concepts associated with the topic and writes them on cards or sticky notes • Tape all participants’ cards to a wall in no particular order • All participants can re-sort the cards in each group into distinct groups. Participants discuss why they are making the change—helps identify different ways of conceptualizing a term

  33. Example of Affinity Diagram Process (continued) • Name each group—reflecting the theme of the group • Everyone votes on which arrangement reflects the topic best • Rank the groups by tallying up the number of votes each group received • Discuss the results with the group to ensure consensus • Discuss any dissenting views

  34. Mind Mapping

  35. What is Mind Mapping? • Brainstorming technique for problem solving and decision making • Graphical way to represent ideas and concepts in a way the resembles more closely how your brain works • Can be used as a simplified content management system (CMS) to store and refine your taxonomy • Tree format with a single starting point in the middle that branches out, and divides again and again • Mind Mapping can be done offline or online

  36. Offline Mind Mapping • Gather supplies • Find a quiet, relaxing location • Play music • Place the central idea in the middle of the paper • Begin building branches • Create more branches, sub-branches • Review you mind map • Explain it to someone

  37. Free Online Tools for Mind Mapping • Coggle • MindMapple • Text2Mindmap • Mindmeister Example of a taxonomy created in Mindmeisterfor the mHealthEvidence database: https://www.mindmeister.com/264463850/mhealth-evidence-taxonomy

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