17 march [email protected] · the ia of everyday things · 1 the information architecture of...

17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 1

The Information Architectureof Everyday Things

Jesse James Garrett


Credit where due

Required reading, even though it has nothing to do with this talk


Kirk’s question

“How can I develop my skills when I don’t have a project to work on?”

I didn’t have an answer then.

This talk represents a first step toward one.


A quote

“The world can be seen as only connections, nothing else… A piece of information is really only defined by what it’s related to, and how it’s related. There really is little else to meaning.

The structure is everything.”

— Tim Berners-LeeWeaving the Web


The secret history of information architecture

Information architecture is as old as human communication

Where there’s information, there’s architecture


Spot the IA

Information Architecture

Waldo

Where’s the information architecture in this picture?


Reverse-engineering

Common practice in the technical world:

• Take things apart• Put them back together• See what makes them work


In the beginning…

…was the datum.


And then there were two

Now known as data.


Possibilities emerge


Added information, added complexity


Humans are pattern-makers


Yet another definition

Information architecture isthe juxtaposition of individual pieces of informationin order to convey meaning.


Harper’s Index


Harper’s Index Examples

Prison sentence, in years, received in June by an Oregon activist for setting fire to a car dealership : 23

Percentage of U.S. college students who say they intend to pursue a foreign language : 57

Chances that a U.S. soldier in the Vietnam War volunteered : 4 in 5

Number of cars destroyed in the fire : 3

Percentage who are actually enrolled in a foreign-language course : 8

Chance that a U.S. soldier in World War II did so : 1 in 3

Number of years since 1776 in which no nation was at war : 0

Age, in months, at which an infant can distinguish between a bird and an airplane : 9

Estimated number of times an adult must taste a disliked food before learning to like it : 10


Harper’s Index

Percentage of U.S. college students who say they intend to pursue a foreign language : 57

Percentage of U.S. college students who are enrolled in a foreign-language course : 8


Juxtaposition

Placing pieces of information near each other implies a relationship

If no relationship is explicitly stated, the user will infer one

Inference relies upon familiarity

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartGeorge GershwinLudwig van BeethovenPaul McCartney

Great ComposersOverrated Composers

Svetlana PetrovaKevin SpencerJacqueline McKenzieWilhelm Bruner


Implicit architecture

Architecture that is inferred or deduced by the user

Most common form of architecture

Not necessarily intentional


Explicit architecture

Architecture that is made apparent to the user

Very common for information retrieval tasks

Labels can serve to make architecture explicit

But explicitness doesn’t ensure clarity

Example:

home solutions resources channels


Restaurant menu

cheesesteaks

logo

sides

kids menu

special combo

cheesesteaktoppings

cheesesteak sauces

everything else

chips

drinks


Random access

Every user can jump in at any point in the information space

Examples:• Reference materials• Magazines• DVDs


Linear access

Every user follows the same path through the information space

Examples:• Most traditional narrative forms (movies, novels, plays)• Magazine articles• Tutorial or instructional materials


Nonlinear access

Each user may follow a different path through the information space

Not necessarily hierarchical

Examples:• Web sites• Interactive fiction


All Things Considered

Two-hour program

Precision timing required

“The roadmap”



news

news perspective

features


Lands’ End Catalog

64 pages



An implicit architecture

64

1

2 3

18 19

34 35

10 11

26 27

42 43

56 57

4 5

20 21

36 37

50 51

12 13

28 29

44 45

58 59

6 7

22 23

38 39

52 53

14 15

30 31

46 47

60 61

8 9

24 25

40 41

54 55

16 17

32 33

48 49

62 63

showcase

kids

women

unisex

men women

women



An alternate view

64

1

2 3

18 19

34 35

10 11

26 27

42 43

56 57

4 5

20 21

36 37

50 51

12 13

28 29

44 45

58 59

6 7

22 23

38 39

52 53

14 15

30 31

46 47

60 61

8 9

24 25

40 41

54 55

16 17

32 33

48 49

62 63

kids

cool-weather casual

dressy

summer casual

spring casual

spring casual

special purpose shoes



Repetition

page 4

page 15

page 51


64

1

2 3

18 19

34 35

10 11

26 27

42 43

56 57

4 5

20 21

36 37

50 51

12 13

28 29

44 45

58 59

6 7

22 23

38 39

52 53

14 15

30 31

46 47

60 61

8 9

24 25

40 41

54 55

16 17

32 33

48 49

62 63


Repetition



Reference and redirection


64

1

2 3

18 19

34 35

10 11

26 27

42 43

56 57

4 5

20 21

36 37

50 51

12 13

28 29

44 45

58 59

6 7

22 23

38 39

52 53

14 15

30 31

46 47

60 61

8 9

24 25

40 41

54 55

16 17

32 33

48 49

62 63


Reference and redirection


Ideal sources

The most interesting architectures spring from problems of diversity:

• Diversity of information• Diversity of audience• Diversity of modes of access• Diversity of use

But don’t overlook simple problems that have simple solutions


Questions to ask

What problem did they set out to solve?

What constraints were they facing?

What could they have done differently?


Translating ideas to the Web

Extrapolate general principles

Look for patterns that work independent of subject matter

Keep user behavior in mind


Pitfalls to avoid

Medium-specific constraints

Conventions aren’t necessarily best practices

The letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law


Other examples

Phone bill

In-flight magazine

Junk mail

Consumer product instructions

Television news programs

“Citizen Kane”


Book recommendations from the audience

Film Form by Sergei Eisenstein

Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud

Sources of Power by Gary Klein

Visual Thinking by Rudolf Arnheim

The Language of Vision by Gyorgy Kepes

Information Design: The Knowledge Architect’s Toolkit by Graziella Tonfoni


Thanks!

Jesse James Garrett

[email protected]

http://www.jjg.net/ia/

17 march [email protected] · the ia of everyday things · 1 the information architecture of...

Documents

ia of everyday things

theres architecture

talk slide

intentional slide

web slide

complexity slide

harpers index slide

theres information