Maadmob website » presentations

Introduction to information architecture

donna — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:54:29 +0000

This was a virtual seminar I presented for ASIS&T in January 2011. There were some great questions, and I answered some on the IA book website.

In this virtual seminar, you’ll learn all about information architecture – what it is, why it’s so important to do well and the major things to do and not to do.

We’ll discuss:

how people look for information and what they need to do with it when they find it
different ways you can organize information and when they are suitable
exactly how (processes) you can figure out the best ways to organize your content
the tricky issue of what to call things
other key IA tips

It’s all based on Donna’s experience designing information architecture, navigation and content for a wide range of information systems (usually big ones) such as government and corporate websites, intranets and document management systems.

Keeping your content alive from cradle to grave

donna — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:29:09 +0000

By now we all know that the web is not a publication — that it’s a living, evolving thing. But a lot of content I see still appears to be ‘published’ once and then left alone.

This talk is about what happens after content is published. We’ll talk about how to:

decide what to create in the first place (and what the best format is)
identify which content types need to be left alone, and which need to be looked after
revive existing content and give it a second wind
check your content is still working for its readers
put it to sleep when it is time
put a process in place so you can do this yourself and with distributed content creators

We’ll also discuss how this varies depending on your industry, size of site and type of content.

Organisation schemes for web content

donna — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:03:25 +0000

This is a preview for a virtual seminar I presented for UIE on organisation schemes for web content. It’s only about 5 minutes, and has slides and audio.

Information architecture patterns

donna — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:05:23 +0000

We have patterns for buildings, patterns for interaction design, and patterns for software development. But are there patterns for information architecture?

Of course there are – patterns emerge from use, and there certainly are enough information architectures around to identify a set of patterns.

This presentation will describe a wide range of commonly-used information architecture patterns, including hierarchies small and large, different types of database structure, hypertext, subsite models, sites with multiple entry points and ways of combining these (and more that I discover before April).

For each I will describe the core elements of the pattern, discuss the most appropriate uses and show real-world examples.

Understanding the different patterns will help attendees to select the most appropriate structures for their content.

Designing to delight the information seeker

donna — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:55:38 +0000

Finding information is not the user’s goal. It’s a means to an end. You need to look at what they desire.

Maybe they desire to locate a fact to prove a point. Perhaps buy a product based on important criterion, or locate the best deal. Maybe they desire to compare features before they make a decision, or keep an eye on current events. Or, maybe they just desire to re-read something they saw on an earlier visit.

Each of these information-seeking desires demands a very different approach to the information architecture, the information design, and the page layout. Donna Spencer will show you the key features of each behavior and what you need to include in the design, with both good and bad examples of each. You’ll go away with skills that take your users beyond just finding the information, helping them to use the information to achieve their goals.

Information seeking behaviours: And how to design for them

donna — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:13:36 +0000

When people use websites and intranets they are doing more than just ‘finding’ information. They may be looking for something they know about or exploring something brand new; filtering through large volumes then comparing results; getting an overview of a topic or diving deep. They may even think they want to find one thing, but actually need something entirely different.

Each of these information behaviours needs very different approaches to information architecture, information design and page layout. During this presentation, Donna will talk about each information behaviour, its key attributes, key design needs, and show good and bad examples of each.

Getting content right

donna — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:44:01 +0000

We all know that great content is a core part of the website user experience. So why is it so hard to find content that isn’t dull, lifeless and uninteresting – blah, blah, blah?

Web content can be vibrant, interesting and fun. It can draw you in, fill your head and make you learn without having to think. And it’s not really hard to write. Three simple tricks can turn poor content into a great experience:

remember that readers care more about themselves than you
write in real words with authentic voice
play show and tell

This presentation will discuss these principles, with plenty of funny and not-so-funny examples. You’ll go away with practical steps to make your writing kick-ass. And you won’t even have to think.

Design games for information architecture

donna — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:24:46 +0000

Would you like your design team to collaborate better? Are you looking to gather more valuable insights from your focus groups and interviews?

Design games are a fun, technology-neutral way of gathering design insights for your projects. In this presentation, I will show you how to take advantage of design games in many situations, with all types of people, including:

Freelisting, modified card sorting and scavenger hunts: To learn about
your users language and categories
Design the Home page and Divide-the-Dollar: To identify and prioritise functions and features
Reverse-it and Idea cards: To break a creative block and generate ideas

I have played all these games and more with users, stakeholders and design teams, so this presentation will be based on my experience organizing games and making sure they provide useful inputs to the design process.

In this presentation I will focus on games and tips most applicable to IA projects.

Wireframes for the Wicked

donna — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:32:40 +0000

Wireframes beyond the basics, not for the weak at heart. In this panel, three experienced designers will share their tried and true tips for making wireframes really work. We’ll talk about how to sketch a wireframe on the fly to demonstrate an idea and how to create a standalone wireframe deliverable; when to show a concept and when to describe nitty-gritty detail; how to make a narrative wireframe and how to make a specification wireframe. And best of all, we’ll show you plenty of examples.

This panel is being presented at SXSW Interactive, with Nick Finck and Michael Angeles.

Involving Users: Why is it so hard to do the right thing?

donna — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:45:31 +0000

Why is user involvement in projects the exception rather than the rule, despite the fact we know it is the ‘right’ thing to do? Taking a practical standpoint and without the boring and irrelevant theory, this presentation discusses the role of user involvement in web projects covering:

What types of projects need (and do not need) to involve users
Determine the value of involving users or the risks of not involving them
Methods and techniques appropriate for different situations
Low-contact, quick methods you can use to learn about users with little effort
Tips to help other people understand the value of user involvement