 |
|
Information Architecture (IA) encompasses the process
and knowledge of shaping the structure of digital information
environments with the principles of anthropology, architecture,
and structural cognition. The ultimate goal of IA is
to support the user/ consumer of information by providing
an environment where information is easy to locate and use.
Word-Builder is concerned about the following factors
in any information design project it undertakes:
- The cost of finding information vs. the cost of not finding
information
- The cost of using information
- The cost of building and managing information systems
- The value of collective expertise vs. individual expertise
- The value of using and creating networks
- The value of consistent brand
- The value of collaborative innovation
The approach
When asked to begin an IA project, Word-Builder goes
about creating a 'conceptual framework' of subject matter
either for applications or for organizations as a whole
and blueprints it in a manner that makes sense, not only
to clients, but to every single person who has to use it—which
creates a dynamic challenge—how to abastract from
the client's perspective, or the perspectives of a few users,
plans that represent many users.
Participant observation
Using techniques from training in anthropology, Word-Builder
establishes a participant observer position within
organizations to learn the processes, IA schemes and thinking
currently utilized that are documented and undocumented.
From the role of participant observer, IA schemes can
develop free of "organizational think," generally
those processes and naming conventions used internally that
rarely matter to information seekers without the same
sense of how organizations operate and think. A good IA
plan accounts for these differences from insider and outsider
points of view. Participant observed planning often leads
to some terrific intranet building that is leveraged and
made synonymous for external presentation.
Focus groups
Focus groups, facilitated objectively and without bias,
can help create user profiles that can be personified through
the life of an IA project. Personifying imaginary users
based on the reactions and claims of real groups of people
gives valuable representations of how information is sought
out and used. Representative thought processes can be
determined by doing information-sorts as part of focus group
activities. Because IA (as a process) is exactly about
sorting and classifying, it works well to have a number
of people sort through information and arrange it according
to how they see the relationships between the main content
types and subjects. This gives valuable insight into the
ways that potential users react to what is being created.
Content Inventories
Creating a content inventory is on one level a simple process
of listing of all of the content on an existing (or proposed)
web site/application, but on another level, it can be a
complex description of the key elements of all information
within an organization. If you are completing a full content
inventory, Word-Builder recommends using well-established
element sets. Word-Builder uses the Dublin
Core Metadata Element Set to create inventories and
sorts and stores content based on: Title, Creator, Subject,
Description, Publisher, Contributor, Date, Type, Format,
Identifier, Source, Language, Relation, Coverage, Rights.
You can store any information you like against an entry,
normally a single page or database record describing an
item of content. It's a good idea to have widespread agreement
about the data element set to use for describing your content.
That set can become the standard for metatagging content
across your organization.
Taxonomies
The most difficult task in designing digital information
environments is to define and use a taxonomy that forms
the basis for the conceptual descriptions of information.
If your organizaton's subject matter is fortunate to have
an already existing taxonomy used in other settings such
as libraries and professional associations then the task
becomes an evaluative one to determine the appropriateness
of the terminologies from your users' perspectives. Generally,
static library cataloging systems are not dynamic enough
for digital information environments where users are conditioned
for searching for information according to keywords and
full-text results delivery (Google). Web based taxonomies
have to be much more 'vernacular' in nature and provide
a means of encompasing keywords users search for when
they visit your content. Building a taxonomy either from
established systems or from the ground up should involve
the creation of synonymous keywording that maps to
the terminologies within the thesaurus. These keywords can
be identified from focus groups as users are studied and
personified. Word-Builder also recommends establishing a
means to store your visitors' search querries so
the terms they look for can be dynamically added to your
thesaurus. This allows the thesaurus to evolve with how
your users are interacting with your information. |
|
|
