Information Architecture

Information Architecture (often abbreviated "IA") is the practice of structuring information (knowledge or data) for a purpose. These are often structured according to their context in user interactions or larger databases. (wick)

User Centered Design The practice of IA is heavily influenced by User Centered Design (AK UCD) principles, of designing the architecture around the needs and capabilities of the intended user audience. This is in contrast with more traditional/academic approaches of organizing information, where the focus is on some internal consistency or internal logic.

Opinion of IT professionals seems to be "To release the creative power of users in key roles to use new technologies to boost their personal productivity around collaboration, optimization, and being able to form views of the world, or their parts of it, to suit will require the active involvement of the traditional IT department and systems, otherwise dysfunctional chaos will be the result.

Technology

Step 1: Assessing Goals and Limitations

Clarify the goals and limitations (time, money, expertise) for this project.

Ask:

• Why are we doing this?
• What do we hope to accomplish?
• What has changed?

Skipping this step will lead to confusion and conflict later on.

Questions to ask include:

• Why do we want to move this material to the web?
• Increase user access (scalability)?
• Increase sustainability of the material?
• Improve marketing?
• Part of distance education initiative? Etc...
• What do we hope to accomplish by moving this material to the web?
• How does this project fit within our greater goals?
• Who will be in charge of the project and who will maintain the final website? (this may not be resolved until the next stage)
• What limitations (time, budget, expertise) constrain us?
• What expertise is available to us for this project?
• Are we serious about creating a quality online learning product?
• What has changed since the creation of the website?
• Has our targeted audience changed?
• Have the educational goals changed?
• Has the content become outdated?
• What did we do wrong in developing the website that we can correct now? (a detailed analysis will be conducted later)

This may all be done in a single meeting, if the goals and organizational structure are clear. However, in organizations that have not undertaken such a process before, the time is well spent to clarify these issues may be that the decision at this point is not to proceed, due to lack of funds, expertise, upper level buy-in, whatever. Being able to make that decision is part of the purpose of this step.

Step 2: Assembling a Team

Assembling the right team is the most critical task in the process.

At the minimum you will need the following expertise:

• instructional designer,
• web developer (HTML/JavaScript)
• information architect,
• web usability expert,
• graphic designer and subject matter experts (SME).

These experts can be grouped together by task to improve communication.

At the very least, your project team will need to include people with the following expertise:

• Instructional Design
• Web Development
• HTML & JavaScript
• Information Architecture
• Usability
• Accessibility
• Graphic Design for the Web
• Subject Matter

For more complex or ambitious projects, you may also need programmers, database managers, animators (Flash, Director), 3D modelers, streaming media experts, writers, editors, etc. However, one person may play several roles in the project. In our case, one person acted as information architect, web developer, and Flash animator, as well as second string instructional designer.

Step 3: Reviewing and Evaluating the site

In reviewing the existing site, examine how well the existing content, design and structure of the CD meet the goals and objectives for the project as established in Step 1. Determine what content can be transferred to the web "as is". Look for things that may have to be changed, expanded or removed entirely. Examination of websites with similar topics might also reveal important points for consideration.

Questions to ask:

• How are people going to navigate the site?
• Are there any logical groupings or hierarchies in the content?
• Is the site going to grow and change over time?
• What content should be available from every page?
• What can be done to clarify tasks and organization?
• Does the existing design use a static screen size or a graphical background?
• Is the design visually pleasing?
• Do we need to maintain brand identity from the old website to the new website?
• Does the site have clearly organized universal ("site") navigation tools available from all screens?
• What links should appear on every page?

Content

The content review should focus on the sufficiency (quality and quantity) and appropriateness of the existing content for publication on the web.

Sufficiency

Sufficiency describes quality and quantity of existing content as brought into the new website. Sufficiency issues arise when there is not enough content or the content is of less than the desired quality. This is an inherently subjective measurement: 3D animation that might astound a community member might not even make the first cut in a Hollywood production. If it satisfies your target audience, then it is good enough.

Questions to ask:

• Is the quality of this content (text, graphic, etc.) up to desired standards?
• Is there enough content here to accomplish our goals?

Appropriateness

On the web, user control is considered a paramount design principle. Animations, video and sounds are designed to be totally under user control. Users choose to play or not to play media elements and are able to control them at any point.

Questions to ask:

• How much bandwidth will this content use?
• Is there a way to communicate the same thing at a lower bandwidth?
• Do professional websites use this kind of content in this way?
• How would changing the media (e.g., from audio to text) affect the message?
• Does this content give the user control?
• How can we give the user greater control?

Step 4: Develop Information Architecture

Develop a list of content elements (pages), navigational elements (links). Group things together logically and develop an organizational structure from that.

1. A list of major content elements (most easily separated into web pages)
2. A list of major navigational elements (typically closely related to the pages)
3. A structure for organizing content and navigation

Content Elements

The list of content elements is simply a list of all the pages and page chunks to be included in the site.

Step 5a: Developing a Content Action List

Develop a detailed list of what existing content can be used as is, what existing content can be used with changes, what content will have to be recreated and what content is needed and does not exist.

• Existing content that isn't needed
• Existing content that can be used as is (sufficient and appropriate)
• Existing content that can be used with changes/additions Content that must be recreated or redeveloped (typically graphics, animations)
• Content that is needed but does not exist

This list will crystallize the status of the available content and will identify where the bulk of the content related work will be.

Step 5b: Develop/Edit Content Materials

• Develop and edit the content materials to be used in the site.
• Develop and maintain standards on editorial style, file naming, etc., and coordinate between content developers.On large projects, consistency and coordination can become a major issue.
• Standards for writing and editorial styles (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.), file naming conventions, images, etc., should be created.

Content producers should be coordinated by the webmaster and/or designer.

Step 6: Develop Site Design

Step 7: Implement Site

Implementing the site is the process of actually building the site using the information architecture, site design and content developed in steps 4 through 6. This can be an extremely complex process, requiring extensive management and coordination. Refer to one of the many excellent references on website development (refs) for details on potential processes.

Step 8: Conduct User Testing

Ideally, formative evaluations should be taking place during the implementation phase to test the content and design of the site. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case in a small, non-corporate project. User testing might include one-on-one testing, ...

Step 9: Deploy Site

Once the user testing is completed, the site is ready to be released to the world. Unfortunately, simply uploading a site to the web doesn't guarantee any traffic. The greatest mistake you can make in the entire development process is not to have a clear, practical and realistic strategy for marketing your site. Information architecture brings together how people think with how systems work. It's a strategy and a discipline.