Let’s be honest, information is to be found everywhere – as it always has. So, it should come as no surprise that information architecture has also been around since the dawn of time. This is often forgotten in our enthusiasm for electronic media. I hope to make you think more about what makes a good information architect and what pitfalls we should avoid.
This was my closing keynote at World Information Architecture Day (WIAD) in Ghent, Belgium.
Construction Documents Checklist before Construction
WIAD Ghent 2016
1. Chickens and Eggs
(a broader view of information architecture)
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
WIAD 2016
February 20, 2016
Ghent, Belgium
2. My premise for today’s talk:
If you don’t know where you’ve been,
it’s difficult to see where you’re going.
3. I hope to dispell some myths:
IA was first invented in the ‘70s
IA relates strictly to digital information
Reading IA books will make you an IA
I also want to share my thoughts on three key issues:
context
psychology
changing content properties
My goals, your take-aways
4. So, when did it start?
Using the term
Doing the work
34. Information architecture Model ver. 0.01
(synthesis of ~900 terms, 8 April 2000)
Information
Information
Architect
Information
User
IA Goals
•Meet user-needs
•Mediation
•Usability
•Added value
•Navigate
•Search
•Browse
•Evaluate
•Design
•Implement
•Structure
•Tag/index
•Analysis
•Model
•Classify
•Evaluate
•Create
•Own
•Edit
•Manage
Standards
DisciplinesPolicies
Technology
37. How do we do information architecture?
• Gather things in convenient categories
• Call things something recognizable
• Put things where they can be found
38. Wurman’s LATCH model (1994)
L – Location
Ghent is a city in Belgium
A – Alphabet
Ghent starts with the letter “G”
T – Time
Ghent dates back to the stone age
C – Category
Ghent is a “marine west coast climate”
H – Hierarchy
Ghent is the largest city in Eastern Flanders
83. An ergonomic seat designed for one person
Optical lenses invented by Benjamin Franklin
Alcoholic mixture invented by Dr. Iain Marshall
Incandescent device invented by Thomas Edison
Fabric made on a loom invented by JM Jacquard
Rouge Royale (marble)
Baskerville Light (typography)
Domesticated mammal
(This is often how our clients look at their content)
Content objects
90. Let’s dry our hair...
Which three things do we need?
93. Message: the IA behind the
Internet of Things
has always been here.
It just hasn’t always been on the
internet! Now, it’s up to us to form the
electronic “arrows”
94. If we don’t get the context right,
the user experience suffers
100. Buy camera and case at same time
Expectation that some high-end cases would be sold
Case bought separately – two choices
Expectation that mostly low-end cases would be sold
Case bought separately – three choices
Expectation that mostly mid-range cases would be sold
Inspired by Dr. Susan Weinschenk
Three different scenarios
104. A - a sphere and a circle
B - a sphere and a cube
Which seem more alike?
105. A – cassette tape
B – mirror
C – music CD
D – LP record
Which of these items seems least relevant?
106. A – cassette tape
B – mirror
C – music CD
D – tin-can lid
Which of these items seems least relevant?
107. A – cassette tape
B – mirror
C – old car hubcap
D – tin-can lid
Which of these items seems least relevant?
108. A - a cube and a square
B - a cube and a sphere
But here’s my original question…did you change
from A to B? If so, you probably started to see the
generic properties.
A - a sphere and a circle
B - a sphere and a cube
Which seem more alike?
109. Percent changes in perception
https://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Feb-08/FebMar08_IA_Reiss.html
110. What are the generic properties?
• Shiny
• Sharp
• Rolls
• Contains stuff
• Makes noise
111. Message: to find new contextual
relationships, you must look at
the generic properties of the content
112. I hope to dispell some myths:
IA was first invented in the ‘70s
IA relates strictly to digital information
Reading IA books will make you an IA
I also want to share my thoughts on three key issues:
Creating meaningful context
Understanding psychology
Identifying generic content properties
My goals, your take-aways
113. Bonus material
(a basic process for introducing IA/UX
as an integral part of how an
organisation does business when the
stakeholders just want to continue
doing business as usual)
114. Reiss’s Integration Model (3:24 AM)
Figure out the business problem
(Read the business plan)
Understand the opportunities
(Identify ways to create value through IA/UX)
Channel your energy
(Don’t get sidetracked by naysayers)
Kiss some ass
(A sad part of doing business)
Institutionalize the process
(Find your champions. Spread the word)
Take care of the business goals
(Show the stakeholders the money!)
115. But above all else, there are three
skills every great IA demonstrates:
Passion, curiosity, and empathy
With these, you can rule the world!