Understanding
Information
Architecture
Workshop by: Abby Covert | @Abby the IA
Agenda
Q & A
Information
1
The world is increasingly full of messes made of information (and people)
Thinking about information as a material is fraught with difficulty.
Information can be created for a lack of physical material.
We can’t control the information that our users perceive.
“The double chocolate cookies are more popular than oatmeal raisin”
“The double chocolate chip cookies are less fresh.”
“There were definitely more double chocolate cookies at one point.”
All of this is information a user has created to make sense of this bakery case. They are doing this so quickly, they don’t even realise it isn’t “reality” or “truth”
When it comes to understanding information, the truth is not important, perception is.
Information is not the same as data and content
Data is facts, observations, and questions about something. | The individual pieces of context, knowledge, assumptions and questions each viewer considers during their judgement of the cookie arrangement. |
Content is whatever a user is interacting with, or as a maker, whatever you’re arranging or sequencing. | The cookies, the plate, the signage, the crumbs, the smells in the air, the other products in the case and items on the menu et al... |
Information is whatever a user interprets from the arrangement or sequence of things they encounter. | Each viewer’s:
|
There is no such thing as true information. Only spin.
The language we choose changes perception.
The location of things
changes perception.
The groups we make
change perception.
We make things within other things, and places that reside within other places.
Everything is
complex.
Work can get pretty messy when perception is involved.
Information architecture is the practice of making sense.
*HT Dan Klyn
Ontology
2
These are fish.
What is ontology?
Ontology is the act of choosing the language to be used or not used within a specific context.
Ontology in action:
Language is not just words.
Note: if you don’t pick a word for something, someone else probably will because sometimes we need words.
Words
We
Don’t
Say
Kurt Anderson
New York Magazine
Synonyms can be distracting.
Deciding how many things (nouns)
you have is the first step.
With nouns established, verbs are next. Watch out, synonyms are even more common here.
On Nouns & Verbs
“I liked your post”
“How many likes did we get?”
“...likes for likes”
Verbs
=
Actions & Processes
Nouns
=
Objects & Concepts
Warning:
Verbs often make Nouns
What is a controlled vocabulary?
A controlled vocabulary is the resulting documentation used to distribute the ontological decisions that have been made.
Term | Definition & Rules | Myths, Synonyms and History |
Information architecture | As an object: The way we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable as a whole As a practice: The act of deciding how the pieces of a whole should be arranged to best communicate to intended users.
| This term has been overly associated with website navigation design. This term is often synonymised with user experience (UX) design or information design. |
Definitions are made of more words!
... those words may also need to be defined.
Define Relationships.
Guac
Guacamole
Equivalence
Hierarchical
Guacamole
Dips
Dip
Chips
Associative
Chop
Mash
Squeeze
Serve
Sequence
Crackers
Exercise
Work with a partner to make a controlled vocabulary for a favorite hobby or sport.
Term | Definition | Synonyms |
Bicycle (noun) | A vehicle composed of two wheels held in a frame one behind the other, propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars attached to the front wheel. | Bike, Cycle |
Wheel (noun) | A circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground. | |
5 things you learned about ontology
Taxonomy
3
Him: “Michael Jackson goes under “M” right”
Me: :/
Organising things isn’t the hard part.
Agreeing is the hard part.
Content + Structure = Intent
Individual Exercise: How would you organise this produce in your own kitchen?
Partner Exercise: How would you organise this produce into categories for a grocery ordering website?
Group Exercise: Now test your categories on another team
The way you choose to organise your vegetables says something about what kind of store you are.
“It takes knowledge to know that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom not to put it in a fruit salad.”
– Miles Kington
Mental Models Matter Most
A mental model is an explanation for the way someone makes sense of something.
These models of perception shape our behaviour and how we relate to information that we encounter.
Denotation vs. Connotation
The strict definition is not necessarily what the user has in their mental model.
Forcing our model or the strict definition or classification of something on other people is not often an effective solution.
What category does this go in?
Five ways to organise anything
or L.A.T.C.H for short.
h/t Richard Saul Wurman
L.A.T.C.H + Facets
Facets are the individual pieces of knowledge we have about the thing we are organising.
What facets could we think of for a vinyl record?
What facets could we think of for a piece of produce?
vs.
There is no
right or wrong
way to architect your information.
There is no
academically correct way to architect your information.
There is no
theoretically correct way to architect your information.
There is no
politically correct way to architect your information.
All you can do is measure your results against your intent.
Exactitude vs. Ambiguity
Labels and classification schemes can be based on more exact or ambiguous judgements.
Ambiguity can be delightful
But explanation might be needed.
Common
Taxonomic
Patterns
Heterarchy vs. Hierarchy
Types of Hierarchy
Top Down vs. Bottom Up
Flow / Sequence
Hypertext
Transclusion
Most contexts require
a mix of these patterns uniquely arranged to serve an intent.
5 things you learned about taxonomy
Choreography
4
Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Dance Diagram
Without constraint users will move where and when they want.
“The ‘rules’ make dynamic systems out of labels and relationships.”
We need rules to constrain the dance users do across contexts and channels.
Placemaking is the art of turning a space into a place by arranging it so people know what they ought do.
Ought do; Not want to do.
Exercise
Compare instagram.com and instagram’s mobile app. Make a list of all the choreographic differences you find.
Look for:
5 things you learned about choreography
Q & A
(Go ahead, ask me a toughie)