Linda Urban
Communications Home
Principles of Information Architecture
Last Updated: 10/17/05
| Course: |
UC Berkeley Extension, EDP
321208 |
| Quarter: |
Fall 2005 |
| Meetings: |
4 Tuesday evenings, 6:00 to 9:00, (10/18, 10/25, 11/29,
12/13)
and 3 Saturdays, 9:30-4:30 (11/5, 11/19, 12/3) |
| Dates: |
October 18 - December 13 |
| Instructor: |
Linda Urban (email: lurban@earthlink.net) |
Course Overview
Description (From the UCB Extension
Catalog)
Information architecture is at the core of every technical communication project.
It determines how information is designed, organized, and labeled, and it specifies
the navigation structure that makes it possible for users to find information.
This course looks at the traditional architecture of paper-based documents,
examines how organizing information for online delivery differs from paper-based,
and then focuses on the need to design information that can be delivered in
more than one way.
This course presents a process for developing the architecture of information.
As you learn the process, you work with a small group of students to develop
a project. After your team defines the goals and audience for the project, you
analyze the audience needs and necessary content, identify categories for grouping
and presenting the information, develop appropriate navigation, and create preliminary
designs for the main types of topics to be included. You involve users in the
process and experience the impact of user input on your information design.
Modular writing, single-sourcing, content management, user-centered design,
and usability are all important concepts in the industry today. What do these
terms mean? How do they relate to information architecture? And, as a technical
communicator, how do they impact you? You learn the answers to those questions
while focusing on developing the information architecture for your project.
Learning Objectives
- Gain an understanding of information architecture:
- What does Information Architecture mean?
- How is information architecture defined today?
- What does information architecture mean for technical communicators?
- Learn to identify the architecture (or lack of it) in existing information
- Learn a process for defining the information architecture of a project,
and practice that process
- Working with other class members, create the architecture for a project,
following the process presented in class.
Student Responsibilities
As a student in this class, you are expected to:
- Attend all class sessions, and arrive on time. Class will
start promptly. We don't have many meetings, so being at
each one is important. However, I do realize that sometimes
circumstances occur that require you to miss a class or
arrive late. Please let me know—in advance, if possible—if
you must miss a class. And plan to get in touch with a classmate
afterwards to discuss what you missed.
- Participate actively. There will be individual and group work in class, as
well as instructor lectures and presentations. Bring your questions and ideas
to class.
- Turn in homework assignments when due, and do the assigned reading before
class. See the course outline below for details.
- You will be working with your classmates. Work collaboratively and with
respect for each other. Do your share. You will be expected to identify what
role(s) you took and how you contributed.
- Complete your class project, turn it in at the final class, and present
your findings to the class. (Most people will do this in groups.) More about
this below, under Class Project.
There is a wealth of resources about information architecture available—web
sites, books, discussion lists, and more. I've assigned only one primary book,
and provided some links and pointers to other readings and resources. I hope
you'll explore, learn more, and be inspired by what is available.
Instructor Responsibilities
As the instructor, my role is to present you with information related to the
subject, provide opportunities for you to try out what you're learning, help you
understand the class material, and provide feedback on your work. Please feel
free to ask questions. I'm happy to arrive a bit early, stay a bit late, or talk
at the break. You can also reach me by email with questions.
I will also give you a grade. My expectations of you are outlined in this
syllabus. If you have any questions about what is expected of you, please ask.
Course Requirements
Top
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, actively participate
in class discussions, complete reading assignments and submit written
assignments on due dates.
Class Project
Working with a small group of other students, you will plan, design, and develop
the information architecture for a project you select. (Project must be approved
by the instructor.) You will work on it each week, both in class and outside
of class.
You will document your project, and present it at the last class meeting. In
your presentation, you will clearly describe:
- The purpose of the information
- How it will be used, and who will use it
- How the information is organized
- How users will find information
- Why you designed it as you did
Throughout the class, you will learn a process for developing the information
architecture of a project, and follow it as you develop your project:
- Identify business purposes and goals
- Identify the audiences and understand the users' mental model
- Users’ context and tasks
- What the user wants to know, when they want to know it, how they will
use it ?
- Where the information intersects with the users' experience
- How the user thinks about the information now
- Analyze the content for
- Types of information
- Categories of information
- Groups of categories
- Validate with users and stakeholders
- Determine appropriate labels and terminology
- Validate with users and stakeholder
- Design navigation—that is, how the user will access the information
- Primary navigation
- Secondary navigation
- Validate with users and stakeholde
- Design the architecture of a topic
- Define elements
- Define structure
- Consider reuse in the design
- Create prototypes and test them with users
- Test the architecture with real information
- Refine the design as needed
- Document the architecture and information design
Evaluation
Grades will be based on the following scale:
| In-class and small group participation: |
25% |
| Weekly development of class project: |
25% |
| Final project and final presentation: |
50% |
Textbooks and Other Instructional
Materials
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Required
- Wodtke, Christina, Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web,
New Riders, 2002.
- Krug, Steven, Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.
New Riders Publishing, 2000
Highly Recommended
- Rosenfeld, Louis and Morville, Peter, Information Architecture for the
World Wide Web, 2nd Edition, O'Reilly & Associates, 2002
Additional Books and Resources
For more, see the Class Reading and Resources list.
Course Outline and Class Assignments
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Week 1. Course Overview (October 18,
2005)
- Be prepared to introduce yourself to the class.
Topics
- Class introduction and syllabus review
- Instructor and student introductions
- What is information architecture?
- What does IA mean for technical communicators?
- An overview of an IA process
- Discussion of class projects and homework
Readings and assignments due week
2
- Wodtke - Chapters 1 through 3
- Spend minimum of 20-30 minutes exploring some
of the web sites mentioned in the resources list.
- Consider topic for your class project.
Week 2. Rooting the Architecture in Business
Goals and User Needs (October 25, 2005)
Topics
- Review of IA process
- Starting the IA process: Understanding
project goals and purposes, identifying audiences, and determining
user needs, goals, tasks
- Techniques for gathering information from stakeholders
and users: brainstorming, interview, and card sorting.
- In-class work on your project,
related to goals and users.
Readings and assignments due week 3
- Wodtke - Chapters 6 and 7
- Project work.
Write the beginnings of an information architecture plan. Include the following:
- Define subject and overall scope
- Define business goals and purposes
- Identify your audiences, describe them, and identify primary audience
- Develop audience description/persona,
considering user goals, needs, and tasks relating to your
content area.
- List user tasks in spreadsheet, print with cell borders
showing, bring to class [This may
shift; to be clarified in class.]
Week 3. Content Analysis (November
5, 2005)
Topics
- What is content?
- Defining the pieces
- Validating content with users
- Uncovering existing architecture
- Labeling information
Readings and assignments due week 4
- Wodtke - Chapters 6 and 7
- Project work.
Continue developing your information architecture plan:
- Add to detailed list of content, type it up,
print it out on cards
- Conduct a card sort of the information with
at least 2 users and record the results in a spreadsheet
Week 4. Navigation: Getting Users to
the Information (November 19, 2005)
Topics
- Making use of categories and labels
- Methods of access
- Providing additional navigation
- Search
- Introducting metadata, facets, thesaurus, and
such
Readings and assignments due week 5
- Wodtke - Chapters 8 and 9
- Develop roughs of several pages with navigation
- Draft a navigation plan
Week 5. Architecture of Topics (November
29, 2005)
Note: Content of weeks 5 and 6 may shift somewha
Topics
- Types of topics
- Taxonomies
- Writing style and topic design
- Elements
- Tagging systems
- Navigation within topics - decisions and rules
- Enabling reuse
- Modular Writing
Readings and assignments due week 6
- Wodtke - Chapters 10-12
- Create sample pages showing
topic architecture.
- Identify tasks you want users
to test.
- Create paper prototype pages
for usability test.
Week 6. Documenting the Architecture
and User Testing (December 3, 2005)
Topics
- Conducting a usability test
- Site maps, wireframes, and other IA documentation
deliverables
- Putting IA skills touse in more traditional
documentation projects
Readings and assignments due week 7
- Finish your project and prepare the presentation
Week 7. Project Presentations by Students
(December 13, 2005)
Topics
- Project presentations
- What next? Learning more...
- Class evaluations
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