my grandmother the information architect: the ia of everyday life hallie wilfert...
TRANSCRIPT
Meet my grandmother
Meet my grandmother
Meet my grandmother
IA & Home Organization
Methodology
Definition of an Information Architect
Clarifies the mission and the vision for the site, balancing the needs of its sponsoring organization and the needs of its audiences
Determines what content and functionality the site will contain
Specifies how users will find information in the site by defining its organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems
Maps out how the site will accommodate change and growth over time.
Clarifies the mission and the vision for the site, balancing the needs of its sponsoring organization and the needs of its audiences
Determines what content and functionality the site will contain
Specifies how users will find information in the site by defining its organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems
Maps out how the site will accommodate change and growth over time.
Clarifies the mission and the vision for her home, balancing the needs of my grandfather and the needs of visitors and house guests.
Determines what content and functionality her home will contain
Specifies how users will find things in her home by defining its organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems
Maps out how her home will accommodate change and growth over time, e.g., moving to a smaller place.
Content Inventories
Lesson: Take time to do things right and you will not have to do them again
...not for a while, anyway
The Christmas Tree
Lesson: There's space for everything as long as everything is labeled clearly
Lesson: Give items enough space and make what is going on as transparent as possible
My grandma’s audience
Audience of one Grandma is the gatekeeper through
whom all things must pass Keeps things consistent Keeps things under her control
In a different household…
Grandma’s Junk Drawer
My Junk Drawer
Grandma vs. Hallie
Card Sorting
Grandma says,
“Don’t look in the den, nothing’s in it’s place. I mean I have everything in groupings, but nothing is where it should be yet.”
Card Sorting
Card Sorting
Warning: Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too deep
Warning: Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too deep
So what else?
Grandma has more to teach us than just how to organize
Possible traits of an organized person
Demanding
Possible traits of an organized person
Exacting
Possible traits of an organized person
Inquisitive
Possible traits of an organized person
Persistent
Possible traits of an organized person
Know-it-all
Possible feelings about an organized person
Resentment
Possible feelings about an organized person
Passive Aggression
Possible feelings about an organized person
Hoping you’ll just go away
Possible feelings about an organized person
Acceptance
Possible feelings about Information Architects
Are impediments to getting things done
Think they know everythingAct like their way is the only
way
A NAG!
What does this make you?
Prove that IAs make everyone's job easier
Understand that everyone is capable of doing IA
Try, try again - persistence pays off
So what can we do?
What if you don't have a grandma like this?
Everyone uses information architectureJunk drawersSorting laundryPantries
IA is everywhere
Home organization in popular cultureReal Simple magazine & onlineContainer StoreProfessional organizers
IA in magazines
Real Simple says
“Imagine the potential buyer (or worse, a relative) going through your closets or drawers. What would you not want him or her to see?”
“Tackling clutter without knowing your priorities can be counterproductive. ‘People who take a “tidy up” approach are actually rearranging rather than organizing…Sooner or later, the space relapses to its original condition.’”
IA in magazines
IA in magazines
IA in stores
IA in stores
IA in books
IA from the Books
Organization from the Inside Out says
“Being organized has less to to with the way an environment looks than how effectively it functions.
If a person can find what he or she needs when he or she needs it, feels unencumbered in achieving his or her goals, and is happy in his or her space, then that person is well organized.”
What we’ve learned
Take time to do things right and you will not have to do them again
There's space for everything as long as everything is labeled clearly
Give items enough space and make what is going on as transparent as possible
Sometimes, even the best IA gets in too deep It might not be love at first “site” (groan), but everyone can
learn to love their IA Information Architecture is everywhere if we know where to
look
