information architecture class11 03 27

ReductionSI 658 Information Architecture

Marti Gukeisen

3/27/2013

Reduction

3/27/2013

SI658 Information Architecture2

as in LESS. enough said.

Reduction

Revenge Effects

the ironic, unintended effect of some action or

technology that directly contradicts the intended

benefit.

- Edward Tenner

Why Things Bite Back

3/27/2013


Reduction

The Produce Weighing Machine

was supposed to make getting produce EASIER

but it made getting produce HARDER (take longer

& require more effort)

it placed a large COGNITIVE LOAD on the user

(remember which produce has which number)

remembering a string of numbers:

People are BAD AT. MACHINES are good at.

Why, produce machine makers? WHY?!

3/27/2013


Reduction

is a produce weighing machine

inevitably hard to use?

NO!

How could they have fixed it?

3/27/2013


Reduction

Reduction

minimizing cognitive load and frustration via

techniques that mitigate overload of information

and choices

3/27/2013


Reduction

SIMPLE

3/27/2013


1. I did not like this book

2. It did point out that

SIMPLICITY drives

success.

Why? Because we

are OVERLOADED.

Cognitively.

Reduction

main contributors of cognitive overload

quantity of choices

quantity of information

3/27/2013


Reduction

quantity of choices:

the long tail

3/27/2013


Reduction

quantity of information:

information shadow

3/27/2013


Reduction

terms that mean we hate cognitive

overload (but love having options)

Information Anxiety

(coined by Richard Saul Wurman)

Paradox of Choice

(coined by Barry Schwartz)

3/27/2013


Reduction

What we want

Have all of the information

Have all of the choices

Have it be really easy to decide

3/27/2013


No problem.

Jerk.

Reduction

most critical skill of humanity:

ability to IGNORE

“Filtering out extraneous information is one of the

basic functions of consciousness. If everything

available to our senses demanded our attention at

all times, we wouldn’t be able to get through the

day.”

- Barry Schwartz 2005

3/27/2013


good source to imagine

not being able to ignore

Reduction

the lie of multi-tasking

3/27/2013


we can only focus on ONE THING at a time

locus of attention - the thing we are currently focused on

what people call multi-tasking is usually attention-switching

can do more than one thing WITHOUT paying attention (“listening” to lecture, while you tend your march madness bracket)

doing something “on auto-pilot” - we have trained ourselves through practice to do something without needing our active attention

Reduction

how to ask a kid what they want for

dinner

DON’T

“What would you like for

dinner?” (open fridge)

DO

“Would you like fish sticks

or macaroni & cheese for

dinner?”

3/27/2013


Reduction

Behavioral Economics

the study of how people make choices (by

economists).

Everybody cares about this:

marketers

politicians

psychologists

sociologists

your mom (at least how you make decisions)

3/27/2013


Reduction

the principle of least effort

= the most you can get from doing the least

surprise: people are lazy and we want stuff for free

(or almost free)

why? (from an evolutionary cognitive psychology

perspective)

because if cave men ran around when they didn’t

have to, they would use up calories that they

might not be able to replace anytime soon: Live

longer if you do the least necessary to get your

next meal.

3/27/2013


Reduction

what a jam!paradox of choice & the right not to vote

3/27/2013


Reduction

diminishing marginal utility

3/27/2013


Reduction

marginal utility: how much happier will

one more glass of wine make you?

3/27/2013


how

happy

you are

(utility)

super happy

1

glasses of wine

2 3 4 5 6 7not happy

Reduction

answer:

it depends. how thirsty am i?

3/27/2013


a lot more happy if

you haven’t had any

wine yet

a little more happy if

you’ve already had

some wine

eventually it will make

you less happy

Reduction

hick’s law

time = a + b log2(n + 1)

What does it mean?

it takes longer to find something in a logically

ordered list if you break it into two groups first.

3/27/2013


A - L M - Z

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N

O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D

E F G H

I J K L

M N O P

Q R S T U

V W X Y Z

this is easier: than this:

Reduction

but it does NOT meanthis is easier Decorative Bedding

Comforters

Blankets & Throws

Sheets

Kids Bedding

Bedding Essentials

Mattress Pads &

Toppers

Bath Towels

Small Kitchen

Appliances

Cookware

Luggage

Dinnerware

Home Dècor

Window Coverings

Rugs

Mattresses

Bedroom Furniture

Living Room Furniture

Dining Room &

Kitchen

Accent Furniture

Game Room & Bar

Furniture

Home Entertainment

Home Office

Furniture

Kids' Room Furniture

than thisBed & Bath

Decorative Bedding

Comforters

Blankets & Throws

Sheets

Kids Bedding

Bedding Essentials

Mattress Pads & Toppers

Bath Towels

For the Home

Small Kitchen Appliances

Cookware

Luggage

Dinnerware

Home Dècor

Window Coverings

Rugs

Furniture & Mattresses

Mattresses

Bedroom Furniture


Dining Room & Kitchen

Accent Furniture

Game Room & Bar Furniture

Home Entertainment

Home Office Furniture


3/27/2013


Reduction

we mostly choose between two options

at a time

so we all chose which socks to wear today via an

elaborate sock-to-sock bracket system?

sadly, no

but we did use categorization to make short

decisions that eliminated many at once:

Its cold; I want long socks (all short socks eliminated)

I want ones that are dark like my pants (all light socks

eliminated)

these are closest and do not have holes > winner!

3/27/2013


Reduction

tactics for making decisions

categorical elimination

satisficing

deciding not to decide

doing what you’ve done before

doing what other people are doing

whatever is easiest

make a spreadsheet, methodically explore all

options, chose the best possible option

3/27/2013


Reduction

how technology can help you decide:

show only the most likely options

aka personalized options

3/27/2013


Reduction

the dangers of assumingit makes an ASS of U and ME (thanks, mom)

3/27/2013


emails about diabetes,

but I’m not a diabetic

mistyped or outdated

entries remembered

by auto-fill

Reduction

more dangers of personalization:

giving people exactly what they want

3/27/2013


Reduction


organize and cluster

Decorative Bedding

Comforters

Blankets & Throws

Sheets

Kids Bedding

Bedding Essentials

Mattress Pads &

Toppers

Bath Towels

Small Kitchen

Appliances

Cookware

Luggage

Dinnerware

Home Dècor

Window Coverings

Rugs

Mattresses

Bedroom Furniture


Dining Room &

Kitchen

Accent Furniture

Game Room & Bar

Furniture

Home Entertainment

Home Office

Furniture


Bed & Bath

Decorative Bedding

Comforters

Blankets & Throws

Sheets

Kids Bedding

Bedding Essentials

Mattress Pads & Toppers

Bath Towels

For the Home

Small Kitchen Appliances

Cookware

Luggage

Dinnerware

Home Dècor

Window Coverings

Rugs

Furniture & Mattresses

Mattresses

Bedroom Furniture


Dining Room & Kitchen

Accent Furniture

Game Room & Bar Furniture

Home Entertainment

Home Office Furniture


3/27/2013


Reduction


focus & magnify

3/27/2013


Reduction

reduction in a pervasive IA

internal (in-channel)

simplify based on the

context

example: no print

button on mobile

external (cross-channel)

maintain consistency

across channels

example: grocery store

flyer presenting items in

the same way as the

store layout

3/27/2013


Reduction

Take-aways

Know

reduction does not

mean having less

options

good interface design

makes a lot of options

easy to manage

Do

reduce user effort (via consistency and other ways to simplify)

present broad sets when options are clearly ordinal

cluster & organize options with no obvious order

3/27/2013


Project Timethe part where you collaborate and teach each other

3/27/2013


Reduction

Get in your groups

3/27/2013


Reduction

group assignment

last one (it’s a doosey): what you make of it

revised high level IA

revised homepage & (3) interior page wires

cross-channel assessment & recommendations

brief in ctools

due April 3

3/27/2013


https://docs.google.com/a/umich.edu/presentation/d/1muAD2mxE0-WYb3LrHtPpuO7unJhfCNIN6Xrk518Cefw/edit?usp=sharing

Reduction

group project breakdown

assignment 1 – 100 pts



assignment 4 – 100 pts you are here

presentation – 500 pts April 17th

participation – 100 pts you grading each other

3/27/2013


Presentation

Timethe part where you teach

3/27/2013

37 SI658 Information Architecture

Wrap UpMore stuff for you to do.

3/27/2013

38 SI658 Information Architecture

Reduction

next reading

Due TUES Apr 2nd at 11 pm.

50-300 words responding

to the following:

3/27/2013


Polar Bear

Ch 12 Design & Documentation

LatersQuestions?

3/27/2013


information architecture class11 03 27

Internet

overload of information

extraneous information

timelocus of attention

large cognitive load

active attention reductionhow

weighing machinewas

machine makers

optionsinformation anxiety