book

Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition

Name: Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition
ISBN: 9780321591999

by Christina Wodtke, Austin Govella

January 2009

Intermediate to advanced

312 pages

7h 22m

English

New Riders

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Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction: Why Blueprint a Web Site?
Who Is This Book For?Yes, It’s a Short BookWhy a Second Edition?How to Read This Book
1. First Principles
Principle #1: Design for Wayfinding1. Tell visitors where they are2. Tell visitors where the things are that they’re looking for3. How do they get to those things they seek?4. Where have they already looked?Principle #2: Set Expectations and Provide FeedbackLet folks know it hasn’t happened until it’s happenedRemind people where they are in the processPrinciple #3: Design ErgonomicallyHandsEyesEarsPrinciple #4: Be Consistent; Consider StandardsPrinciple #5: Provide Error Support—Prevent, Protect, and InformPrinciple #6: Rely on Recognition Rather than on RecallPrinciple #7: Provide for People of Varying Skill LevelsPrinciple #8: Provide Contextual Help and DocumentationThis Chapter Will Self-Destruct in Five Seconds
2. Balancing Acts—Users, Technology, and Business
Who Are Your Users?Be a rolling suitcaseOur Five Steps1. Discover who the target user is2. Talk to the target user3. Design the site for the target user4. Test a prototype of the site with the target user5. Test the final site with your target userWhy Does Your Business Need You to Make a Web Site?What Are Your Materials?1. Know your code2. Know your delivery mechanism3. Know your content
3. Sock Drawers and CD Racks—Everything Must Be Organized
May I Help You?Question #1: Am I in the Right Place?Every page is your homepageQuestion #2: Do They Have What I’m Looking For?1. Familiar organization systems2. Obvious labels3. Navigation that looks like navigation4. “You are here” and “You were there” signsQuestion #3: Do They Have Anything Better?Navigation and breadcrumbs“See also” optionsQuestion #4: What Do I Do Now?Organization for the Masses1. Observe others2. Study the enemy3. Visit your search logs4. Do a card sortDoing a Card Sort—An Exercise in OrganizationYou Really Can Be in Two Places at OnceFaceted ClassificationNaming a labelStuffing the StuffCategorization has consequencesCategorization provides contextCategorization is shaped by context
4. A Bricklayer’s View of Information Architecture
Getting MetaStorytelling for “findability”Hand-crafted metadata for your finding pleasureOne language for allControlled vocabularyEquivalence relationshipsHierarchical relationshipsAssociative relationshipsEverybody spels diferntBuilding a controlled vocabulary1. Gather content2. Gather terms from as many sources as possible3. Define preferred terms.4. Link synonyms and near synonyms5. Group preferred terms by subject6. Identify broader and narrower terms7. Perform associative linking.8. Document your choices and the rationale behind themSocial classificationTaggingTypes of tagsChallenges in tagging systemsThe cold-start problemThe obvious tag problemThe duplicate tag problemThe gamed tag problem
5. Search and Ye Shall Find
The Meat and Potatoes of SearchSearch Should Be Fast, Easy, and MagicSearch Must Be Fast1. Results must be retrieved quickly2. Results must load quickly3. Results must be scannableSearch Must Be EASY for People to UseArticulation problemsQuery SuggesterVertical SearchHuman DisambiguationBest betsHow do we come up with best bets?Introducing: The Zipf curveAnalyze the headSearch Must Be MAGICPersonalized searchOne More ThingMind-reading is Expected...
6. From A to C by Way of B
If I Only Had a Brain: Smarter Storytelling with Interaction DesignPersonas, or Playing Barbies for DesignersSam I amThe archetypal userHow to Create Personas1. Summarize findings. Distribute to stakeholders2. Hold a work session with stakeholders and the development team to brainstorm personas3. Prioritize and cull personas; develop primary and supporting personasPrimary personasSecondary user personasComplementary personas4. Make the personas into real people5. Apply the personasScenarios: The Joseph Campbell MethodUsing scenariosScenarios as design toolsScenarios as evaluation toolsScenarios as communication toolsWriting good scenariosA scenario in action, designing a new feature: The Festival PlannerScenarioSitepath DiagrammingHow to do sitepath diagrammingTask Analysis: Diagramming It All

7. From Box to Page
Linking the ChainFocus the Page on the User’s Primary TaskNavigation pagesConsumption pagesInteraction pagesDesign gumbo (mixing page types)Match Discrete Tasks to Discrete PagesGroup Like Tasks TogetherWizards: Many boxes, many pagesControl panels: Many boxes, one pageToolbars: When the page isn’t enoughWhen a box doesn’t need a pageDocument Site Structure with a Site MapSite map layoutSite map vocabularyMake the Next Step AccessibleManage Multiple Next StepsZone Your Page for InteractionBreaking down the modulesDocument Your Page with WireframesHow to make a wireframe in 30 secondsThe Page Is Important
8. The Tao of Navigation
Four Ways Users Seek InformationKnown-item searchExploratory seekingDon’t know what I need to knowRe-findingThree Types of NavigationStructural navigationAssociative navigationUtility navigationGlobal NavigationWhere does it live?Local NavigationWhere does it live?How much is too much?Working with the global navigation—models for navigation accessPogostickingCrabwalkingAssociative Navigation: What’s Next and Safety NetsWhat’s next?Safety netsDriving associative navigation with metadataUtility Navigation, the Red-headed Step-childDesigning Navigation—Three Questions to Ask YourselfHow is your content organized?What do your users want to do?What do you want your users to do?Pagination—Navigating Multiple PagesPaginating forms and processesWhat Does It All Mean?
9. Architecting Social Spaces
Principles for Social ArchitectureTrust and monitorRely on emergent discoveries, rather than on curatorshipDefault to publicArchitecture must be adaptiveSize mattersElements of Social ArchitectureIdentityElements of identityProfileAvatarPresenceReputationRelationshipsElements of relationshipsContactsGroupsNormsActivityElements of activitySharingConversationsCollaboratingCollective wisdomArchitecture for Humans
10. All Together Now
Project: Boxes & Arrows, an Online MagazineStep 1: What Does B&A Need?Step 2: What’s the Problem, Really?Step 3: Reframing the ProblemStep 4: Who Are the Affected Users?Step 5: What Do the Users Want to Do?Step 6: What Does Our Content Look Like?Step 7: How Does the Technology Work?Step 8: Designing the Keywords PageStep 9: Designing the Article Page
11. And in the End...
The PresentThe Future of Information Architecture

Overview

Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition introduces the core concepts of information architecture: organizing web site content so that it can be found, designing website interaction so that it's pleasant to use, and creating an interface that is easy to understand. This book helps designers, project managers, programmers, and other information architecture practitioners avoid costly mistakes by teaching the skills of information architecture swiftly and clearly.

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