people, product, and place: ia and the convergence of the physical & digital world (with...

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People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World

WORLD IA DAY 2016 - PITTSBURGH 02/20/2016

BALANCE

JONATHAN MORGAN DIRECTOR OF EMERGING EXPERIENCES

@PROMOROCK

balanceinc.com

http://balanceinc.com



MY FIRST COMPUTER: TRS-80My first computer and my first introduction to coding. This is when I decided that the last thing I would waste my life on would be computers.



1996 desktop computer

FAST FORWARD 15 YEARS: CONNECTIVITYBoth the technology and I became more sophisticated. The Internet changed everything (for me).

We were now able to connect to the world outside our bedrooms and offices in an entirely new way.



2000 feature phone

MOBILE WEB: CONNECTIVITY AWAY FROM THE DESKAdvances in mobile technology allowed us to access information on the go. Anytime and anywhere.

But this still wasn’t much different than what we had available at our desks.



MOBILE GPS: CONTEXT THROUGH CONNECTIVITYMobile GPS was a significant step forward, affording less transactional interactions between personal technology and the world.

For the first time, we have mobile technology that fills the gaps between ‘here’ and ‘there’.



BLUETOOTH: CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THINGSBluetooth took a step in a different direction. Instead of connecting to the wide world around us, it focused on connecting us to other things we own. For better…..



…. Or worse

BLUETOOTH: CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THINGS… or worse.

Each of these connective personal technologies was a piece of the puzzle that culminated in…



…. Or worse

THE SMARTPHONE: THE CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGIESNow the technology in our pocket has the capacity to access and collect information on nearly every facet of our environment, including ourselves.

Typical smartphones include wifi, BLE, NFC, motion co-processors, barometric, light, and proximity sensors, among others. 3D sensors, radar, …. (soon)



…. Or worse

THE APP EVOLUTION: A SHIFT IN EXPECTATIONSThe most talked about apps of 2008 were able to leverage these embedded technologies to provide value. The combination of wifi &/or cellular and

GPS got users one step closer to their goal by eliminating the ‘cold search’. But to a large degree, this was still transactional = ‘I ask, you give’.



…. Or worse

THE APP EVOLUTION: THE INTRODUCTION OF CONTEXTLeveraging similar technology as Facebook (2008), Uber is able to greatly simplify their interface = less need for navigation, single screen design,

and limited typing. But what is really groundbreaking is how they leverage CONTEXT = Me in relation to them in relation to where I need to be.



TECHNOLOGY IS USELESS WITHOUT BIG BRAINS TO MAKE SENSE OF THE INFORMATION

• Understand the information

• Qualify it

• Structure it in a way that supports a need

This is what we do as Information Architects.

WE MAKE THE COMPLEX SIMPLE

To leverage the full power of connectivity, we first need understand context.



WHAT IS CONTEXT?

PEOPLE

PRODUCT PLACE

PEOPLE? PRODUCTS? PLACE?

SITUATION, LOCATION, PERSONALITY, PROFICIENCIES, …

PHYSICAL, DIGITAL, UTILITARIAN, DECORATIVE, …

CITY, DISTRICT, STREET, ROOM, …

How is it classified? SPATIAL, TEMPORAL, SENSORY, SOCIAL & CULTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ATMOSPHERIC,…

Let’s explore a place to answer this.



EAST FOURTH STREET DISTRICT CLEVELAND, OHIO



Layout of the Immediate EnvironmentSpatial Temporal Sensory

Social & Cultural Psychological Atmospheric



Volume, Density, Activity, and State of Mind of People

Spatial Temporal Sensory


Trajectory Spatial | Temporal

Orientation Spatial

1 2 3 4 5

Volume Spatial

Density Spatial | Temporal

Interactions: With the Environment Spatial | Temporal | Environmental

Interactions: One-to-one, One-to-many Spatial | Temporal | Social & Cultural | Psychological

Attention Sensory | Psychological

Emotion Psychological Cadence

Spatial | Temporal



Stationary ArtifactsSpatial Temporal Sensory


Patios Spatial

Marquees Spatial

Planters Spatial

Lighting Spatial

Driveway Spatial

Pedestrian Only Walkway Spatial

Tables & Chairs Spatial



Weather & The UnpredictableSpatial Temporal Sensory


It’s Cleveland. The Weather is a Wild Card. Atmospheric



Sound & SmellSpatial Temporal Sensory


Smell of Food is Everywhere Sensory

Variable Levels and Density of Sound Sensory



CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION IS NOT

CONTEXT THEN WHAT IS CONTEXT?



PRODUCT PLACE

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION +

RELATIONSHIPS +

UNDERSTANDING

RELATIONSHIPS

“CONTEXT IS AN AGENT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS OF THE AGENT’S ENVIRONMENT”

ANDREW HINTON, UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT: ENVIRONMENT, LANGUAGE, AND INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

ENVIRONMENT

UNDERSTANDING

PEOPLE



WE HAVE CONSIDERED CONTEXT IN OUR WORK THROUGHOUT OUR CAREERS.

But our ‘playground’ has shifted from this…



…to this…



…and soon, if not already, this.

But in my opinion, our greatest

opportunity lies in …



… old-timey, human-to-human interaction.



The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.

Mark Weiser The Computer for the 21st Century 1991

This paper introduced the concept of Ubiquitous Computing, or Calm Technologies.



…. Or worse

PRODUCT VS. SERVICE DESIGN: OUR PRODUCT IS A SERVICEThe challenge in our line of work is to turn data & information into understanding that drives the creation of something of unique value.

The real world is complex. It’s filled with information. It’s filled with context.



CALM TECHNOLOGIES FEED ON INFORMATION

BUT COME ALIVE THROUGH CONTEXT



STEVE MANNTIMELINE THROUGH THE YEARS

…. Or worse

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE + CALM TECHNOLOGIESCreating something of value necessitates structure and clarity. We need to adapt our current methods to better understand opportunity. We look through the lens of the information available to us, the interactions taking place, and the relationships of myriad facets of the experience.



Communicating Context



⬆CUSTOMERAPP/ASSOCIATEAPP⬇




While this example leverages context and emerging technologies, it’s far from ‘calm’.

• It commands attention

• It’s needy

• It’s still an app (or apps)

Let’s explore a more ‘calm’ example through a collaborative activity.




OPPORTUNITY MODELING Let’s see how we might use similar thinking to uncover opportunities to solve really big

problems with relatively small solutions.

Activity duration: approximately 2 hours*

*excluding upfront research & preparation



Through the use of readily available technology, we can develop the infrastructure, platform, and an affordable product to help the blind safely navigate complex city environments.

⬆a hypothesis & a big problem



1. Collaboratively deconstruct a scenario through the lens of a persona Consider all elements of the environment with a special focus on those elements that pose the greatest concern and/or risk to the success of a solution.

Extract and document potential steps in her journey on Post-its.

Each member of the team will internalize the information during the process. Making it less necessary to continually return to these artifacts.



2. Map relevant contextual information to each step in her journey Move the flow defined in the first step to the whiteboard.

Collaboratively explore and document any contextual information that might be relevant to the hypothesis, scenario, and persona.

The contextual information listed under each step in the journey should relate only to that step.



3. Define the ‘Information Need’ of our persona at discrete moments in time Analyze how the contextual information might affect the ability of our persona to complete her journey - one step in her journey at a time.

Clearly communicate her Information Needs to further focus our attention on what is most important at that particular slice in time.



4. Identify potential opportunities &/or solution spaces Document any potential opportunities to serve our persona at each step in her journey. This should be based solely on the Information Needs listed above it.

Do not limit yourself to just digital solutions. Solutions that involve real people are often far more reliable and beneficial. So, no ideas are off the table as long as it aligns with an Information Need.



5. Collectively ideate feature/support ‘thought-starters’ At this point in the process, we want to understand what is necessary to turn opportunities into a tangible solution - a product, product feature, or service.



6. Rank and classify potential features/solutions Identify themes in the solutions documented in the previous step.

Classify each potential solution by where it will likely live - on the person (personal product/technology), the environment (infrastructure, public products, human services), etc.



7. Map potential features to dependencies Restate the intent of the feature or solution, define the support needed (technology, human, etc.), and designate in more detail where the support will live.



8. Explore the possibilities Explore what solutions might look like.

Evaluate each by asking, ‘does this align with the reality of the user, the reality of the environment, and the reality of the technology?’ and ’is this a viable path for further exploration?’.

The outcome of this exercise is not to define concrete solutions but rather uncover opportunity to create value. This is merely the foundation for further exploration and refinement. In the process, we infect the team with information and empathy.

If done well, no one will even know they were thinking and acting like an Information Architect.



Through the use of readily available technology, we can develop the infrastructure, platform, and an affordable product to help the blind safely navigate complex city environments.

⬆a hypothesis & a big problem made small(er)



The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.Mark Weiser The computer for the 21st Century 1991

A direct challenge for Information Architects:



IoT + IAWithout us, concepts like the Internet of Things are dry, lifeless, and impersonal.

Regardless of the next hot acronym, our skill set is invaluable…



We make the complex simple!If the Internet or digital technology went away tomorrow, a really good Information Architect and/or User Experience professional will be just as valuable as they are today.


People, Product, and Place: IA and the Convergence of the Physical & Digital World

WORLD IA DAY 2016 - PITTSBURGH 02/20/2016

BALANCE

JONATHAN MORGAN DIRECTOR OF EMERGING EXPERIENCES

@PROMOROCK

balanceinc.com


people, product, and place: ia and the convergence of the physical & digital world (with...

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