everything has data and a structure after all

Different fonts, different mediums, same format

Who in their right mind would create such a structure? Obviously people who did lots of research on their users. Why does this structure work? Because once we have seen it, we know that we will see it again and again and again. Power users of Amazon.com probably know exactly how many turns of their mouse’s scroll wheel it takes to the to the information they want. This book product page may be long and complex, but it is consistent in structure and format. We know what to expect. A good website provides users with a consistent experience.

END markers,activate URLs, use keyboard shortcuts, get formatting set-up, make it smooth

Reality a combination works best. Still audit to choose for grouping

Topics or types?

designing with structured data designing with structured data

what do we mean by structured data?

consistent structure standard, predictable, interoperable, exchangeable, query-able

granular structure? powerful, rich semantics

title ingredients method

chef title method quantity preparation ingred.

and designing? both the structure and the usage

analysis and design for good structures (Karen) developing and creating feeds for interaction (Margaret) APIs and microformats (John) putting it all together and breaking away from the web (Thomas)

designing ‘good’ structures

1. briefing “we need an IA to model this”

to achieve what? what is the context? what are the aims & objectives? who is the audience? who are the stakeholders? what constraints are there? what would success look like? who is going to sign this off?

iPlayer example

ex 1. your brief Start to think about how your site (or any site) might benefit from more consistently structured data Jot down some answers to the questions on the briefing template (you won’t have time to complete this now!)

2. identifying common structures

content inventories & audits ‘old-skool excel’

pros & cons exhaustive, provides a record, can be intimidating, gets boring,

from strategy ‘the past is not important’

pros & cons obvious for new sites, good for changing direction, when time is short, will miss stuff

surfing with notepad ‘for the brave’

pros & cons quick, easy, gut reactions of importance, can be disorientating, not exhaustive, may miss things,

affinity diagrams ‘the killing trees method’

pros & cons engages, builds consensus, many perspectives, can miss detail, needs space, visual record, arguments?

ex 2. quick affinity diagram

get into groups of 4-5 check you have a set of web pages from Oxfam’s website spread them out on the table start moving them into groups of similar types of pages if you don’t like where someone else puts something then move it keep going till you reach consensus label your groups

3. getting detailed

just getting on with it gathering requirements, modelling, reviewing with others

getting everyone involved collaborative design

ex 3. collaborative modelling

Get back into your groups Pick a role & read the role description Look at the set of web-pages for Perfect Poultry Thinking about your role, start dividing the page up into elements Review as a group Can a consensus/compromise be reached?

5. getting sign-off interface, designs & applications not the model

Karen Loasby Information Architecture Team Leader Future Media & Technology, BBC karen.loasby@bbc.co.uk

and photos by... Jill, hive, wireheadinc, Alex Kehr, deezmon, TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³, colbalt123, logicalrealist, Supercapacity, Richard Moross, selva, esteban, Martin Deutsch, watz, airship, antitezo,