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Repeatable Magic?Aligning Business Goals and User Needs with Information Architecture

is magic scalable?

is magic repeatable?

Information Architecture is about how to choose the right way to present information and how to help people navigate through it.

It’s a way of thinkingin which the aim is not to make something look good but to make it be good.

The Elements of User ExperienceA basic duality: The Web was originally conceived as a hypertextual information space;but the development of increasingly sophisticated front- and back-end technologies hasfostered its use as a remote software interface. This dual nature has led to much confusion,as user experience practitioners have attempted to adapt their terminology to cases beyondthe scope of its original application. The goal of this document is to define some of theseterms within their appropriate contexts, and to clarify the underlying relationships amongthese various elements.

Jesse James Garrettjjg@jjg.net

Visual Design: graphic treatment of interfaceelements (the "look" in "look-and-feel")

Information Architecture: structural designof the information space to facilitateintuitive access to content

Interaction Design: development ofapplication flows to facilitate user tasks,defining how the user interacts withsite functionality

Navigation Design: design of interfaceelements to facilitate the user's movementthrough the information architectureInformation Design: in the Tuftean sense:designing the presentation of informationto facilitate understanding

Functional Specifications: "feature set":detailed descriptions of functionality the sitemust include in order to meet user needs

User Needs: externally derived goalsfor the site; identified through user research,ethno/techno/psychographics, etc.Site Objectives: business, creative, or otherinternally derived goals for the site

Content Requirements: definition ofcontent elements required in the sitein order to meet user needs

Interface Design: as in traditional HCI:design of interface elements to facilitateuser interaction with functionalityInformation Design: in the Tuftean sense:designing the presentation of informationto facilitate understanding

Web as software interface Web as hypertext system

Visual Design: visual treatment of text,graphic page elements and navigationalcomponents

Concrete

Abstracttim

eConception

Completion

FunctionalSpecifications

ContentRequirements

InteractionDesign

InformationArchitecture

Visual Design

Information DesignInterface Design Navigation Design

Site ObjectivesUser Needs

User Needs: externally derived goalsfor the site; identified through user research,ethno/techno/psychographics, etc.Site Objectives: business, creative, or otherinternally derived goals for the site

This picture is incomplete: The model outlined here does not account for secondary considerations (such as those arising during technical or content development)that may influence decisions during user experience development. Also, this model does not describe a development process, nor does it define roles within auser experience development team. Rather, it seeks to define the key considerations that go into the development of user experience on the Web today.

task-oriented information-oriented

30 March 2000

© 2000 Jesse James Garrett http://www.jjg.net/ia/

© 2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Dual Industry Definitions Of “Information Architecture” Reflect Micro And Macro Focus

January 2010 “Topic Overview: Information Architecture”

© 2010, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Dual Industry Definitions Of “Information Architecture” Reflect Micro And Macro Focus (Cont.)

January 2010 “Topic Overview: Information Architecture”

1989

1998

2000 2002

20001992

2005

1997

2000/2003

“...you used to be much muchier”

interpretation synthesis

choreographytaxonomy

ontology

ontologyὄντος - of being λογία - logia: science, study, theory

what we mean when we say what we say

13

15

taxonomyάξις - taxis: order, arrangementνόµος - nomos: law or science

the systemof relationships between entities, labels and categories

17

choreographyχορεία - circular danceγραφή – writing

the instructions and rules for how things should move

20

choreographytaxonomy

ontology

how dowe knowwhen IAis good?

Tysen Perszyk, Photograph entitled Yummy Lemon Time (2009)

performance

of the beach

of the town

ease of use

power of functionality

owner

user

public

private

inactiveindividual

youngsmall

largeold

groupactive

choreographytaxonomy

ontology

what we mean when we say what we say

the system

ofrelationships

between entities

labels and categories

the instructions

and rules for how

things move

business goals

user needs

make thingsbe good

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Thanks!