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CEU IA Concepts
The document discusses the evolution of information architecture (IA), a field established by Richard Saul Wurman in 1976, addressing the increasing complexity and volume of information in society. It outlines the roles, needs, and functions of information architects, emphasizing their importance in bridging gaps between design, business, and technology during project development. Additionally, it highlights the impending shift of IA principles beyond web development into various industries that prioritize user experience and interaction.
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CEU IA Concepts
- 1. CE University InformationArchitecture Concepts Adam Polansky Principal Information Architect
- 2. "I thought theexplosion of data needed an architecture, needed a series of systems, needed systemic design, a series of performance criteria to measure it." — Richard Saul Wurman Architect & Graphic Designer Information Architecture – Beginnings The term Information Architect was coined by Richard Saul Wurman in 1976 out of his reaction to a society that daily creates massive amounts of information, but with little care or order. Photo from: www.understandingusa.com/wurman.html
- 3. Information Architecture –Beginnings 1998 “ The Polar Bear Book” By Lou Rosenfeld & Peter Morville – the definitive handbook Suddenly bunches of people who’d been doing the same sort of work had a name for it.
- 4. Graphic Design Information& Library Science Computer Science Marketing Usability Engineering Journalism Anthropology Ethnography Information Architects –Come from? Cognitive Psychology
- 5. Information Architects –Who are they? They were the people who naturally occupied the middle spaces - between business needs, design & development. They did whatever was necessary, they used whatever they could to capture , distill and communicate ideas between all the interested parties on a project.
- 6. Information Architects –What’s the need? In the beginning… Sites and budgets where smaller Timelines and the spaces between milestones where shorter Everybody chipped-in IA needs were answered by the common sense efforts of everyone on the project. Stakes were relatively low
- 7. Information Architects –What’s the need? As time went on… Sites and budgets became larger Timelines and the spaces between milestones became longer Everybody had to specialize more Stakes became higher The needs were always there. The question was who could address them. IA needs had to be answered explicitly by someone. DVD Cover Art: Ocean’s Eleven 2001 Warner Bros.
- 8. Information Architects –Where do they fit?
- 9. Painterliness vs. DraftsmanshipDetail from Water Lilies Claude Monet 1906 Information Architects – What do they do?
- 10. Detail from The Entombment Raphael 1507 Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Information Architects – What do they do?
- 11. Detail from The Entombment Raphael 1507 Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Information Architects – What do they do?
- 12. Detail from The Entombment Raphael 1507 Painterliness vs. Draftsmanship Information Architects – What do they do? Architecture Design
- 13. Information Architects –What do they do? Most recognizable deliverable: the wireframe
- 14. Information Architects –What do they do? Most recognizable deliverable: the wireframe
- 15. Information Architects –What do they do? What lead up to the wireframe? - 2 minute brainstorm Who is the user? What does the user need? What does the user expect? What does the user’s path look like? How many pages or views are in that path? How many alternative paths and what do they look like? Will existing systems support this design? Is there content to populate these pages? Are there standards or common practices to consider? Are there existing precedents? What do our competitors do?
- 16. Every development processincludes three basic areas of activity. The job of the IA is to find ways to close the gaps between them. Information Architects – What do they do? Idea Plan Build IA IA
- 17. The Application NewDevelopment System Constraints Mature or Existing Product New Technology The People Skill Sets Domain Expertise Institutional Knowledge Location of Resources Size of Team The Big 3 Time Cost Quality Information Architects – What do they do? Forces at work To name a few…
- 18. Information Architects –What do they do? Forces at work Idea Plan Build IA IA Conversation White board Thumbnail Sketch Process Flow Site Map Lo-Fi Wireframe Hi-Fi Wireframe Interactive Wireframe Annotated Wireframe Annotated Mock-ups Narrative Document Interaction-Level Spec FORCES? FORCES?
- 19. IF: Theteam is small They’ve all worked together on the product before They’re all located in the same room Time is short (but reasonable) The features exist elsewhere in same site Documentation exists from previous projects THEN: White-board session to see where high level changes occur Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality Annotated Screen shots from existing product to show where changes occur Information Architects– What do they do? Forces at work
- 20. BUT… IF: The team is small Some of them worked together on the product before Some of them are located in Bangalore and they are new to the team Time is short (but reasonable) The features are new to the site No documentation exists from previous projects THEN: Process Flows to see where high level changes occur Tactical Wireframes to model the functionality Detailed functional spec to include screen shots and interaction details Information Architects – What do they do? Forces at work
- 21. Information Architecture –Where’s it going? Even though the role grew out of the development of web sites, it has begun to move off the screen and into the tangible world. Any enterprise that values the way humans interact with their products or move through their spaces can benefit from the principles of Information Architecture. Electronics Defense Contracting Transportation Consumer Packaging Industrial Design Public Spaces Disaster Planning Cover Art from: Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future (Paperback) by Joseph J. Corn and Brian Horrigan
- 22. Information Architecture –What’s the payoff? Simple models to ask and answer questions about an application earlier rather than later Seeing the big picture and switching gears to the granular Expert user advocacy at the ground level Balancing business and user value with technical constraints Saves cost & time and ensures quality down stream
- 23. Information Architecture ResourcesInformation Architecture for the Word-Wide Web Peter Morville & Louis Rosenfeld Information Architecture, Blueprints for the Web Christina Wodtke Don’t Make Me Think Steve Krug The Elements of User Experience Jesse James Garrett Designing Web Usability Jakob Nielsen Books
- 24. Information Architecture Resourceswww.iainstitute.org www.boxesandarrows.com Jakob Nielsen’s Web Site – www.useit.com Web Sites
- 25.