PeopleSoft.com Case StudyEnterprise Information Architecture

March 16, 2002

Chiara Fox, PeopleSoftPeter Merholz, Adaptive Path

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What We’ll Talk About

I. Project Overview

II. The Role of the IA In the Enterprise

III. Merging Top-Down and Bottom-Up IA

IV. Content Analysis Methodologies

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I. Project Overview: The Problem

Three separate web properties with different architectures• PeopleSoft.com, Customer Connection, and Alliance Connection

No unified user experience and quality varies• Resources are duplicated (sometimes triplicated)• Hard for users to find things cross-site due to differences in IA• Difficult to share content that is the same across sites

Each site has separate technical backend• Sites published with FutureTense, Lotus Notes, and other relational

databases• Three sites, three search engines, no structured content• Two Internet Systems teams to support the different platforms

Need to plan for implementation of PeopleSoft Portal

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Project Overview: The Team

Consultants – Adaptive Path and Lot21• Indi Young, Janice Fraser, Peter Merholz, Marcus Haid

In-house – Web development team• Chiara Fox, Information Architect• Camille Sobalvarro, Manager Design & Information Architecture• 11 web producers• 10 member migration “posse”• 2 thesaurus developer/IA/indexer consultants• 3 designers + 2 design consultants• 4 usability and metrics specialists• 15 technical developers + 3 CMS consultants

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Project Overview: The Process

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Project Overview: Implementation Tracks

Visual design and site style guide Content migration, including ROT removal Installation and preparation of Interwoven’s TeamSite

(templates, workflow, scripting) Metadata development (schema, vocabularies,

indexing) Training (on using system, creating and using

templates, architecture, indexing) Refining IA at a highly detailed level as content was

migrated

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II. The Role of the IA in the Enterprise

Hub of the entire process Liaison between many teams Migrator training One title, many roles

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Role of the IA: Hub of Process

Only team member with detailed knowledge of all content on all sites

Had vision of how sites should function when complete Understood every aspect of the architecture,

wireframes, blueprint, and other specifications

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Role of the IA: Liaison Between Many Teams

Consultants• Information architecture, CMS implementation, graphic

design

Internet Systems In-house designers Other departments within PeopleSoft, such as product

marketing

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Role of the IA: Migrator Training

Understand new architecture How content fits into wireframes Use of CMS templates “Ask Dr. IA” newsletter

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Role of the IA: One Title, Many Roles

Project manager XML coder Vocabulary editor Content migrator Copyeditor Directory creator CMS system architecture designer

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III. Merging Top-Down and Bottom-Up IA

Two primary approaches to developing the new information architecture

Top-Down• Driven by user research• Develop mental models of audience types• Derive main site organization from this understanding of

approaches to the task

Bottom-Up• Foundation for designing architecture• Building product module pages• Metadata development• Site and product indexes

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Top-Down IA: User Interviews

19 subjects• 6 potential customers, 7 current customers, 6 alliance

partners• Four slices – C-level, Director, Manager, Implementer

Hour-long task analysis interviews, probing how the person was involved in the process of purchasing enterprise-level software

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Create a “mental model” for an audience

Refine Requirements

Find Out What OtherPeople Say

Set TechnologyRequirements Get Proposals

Find Out High-LevelInformation

Find Vendors

Get Input from Peoplewithin Company

Research CorporateNeeds

UnderstandExistingProcess

Determine theROI

Set Requirements

Set FeatureRequirements

Set ReportRequirements

Set DataStorage

Requirements

Set SecurityRequirements

Set IntegrationRequirements

Solicit End-User Input for

Features

Get Buy-Infrom KeyPlayers

Get Buy-Infrom IT

DepartmentFind Vendors

Write Requestsfor Proposals

ReadProposals

Get Input fromOther

Customers

Read VendorMarketingMaterials

DistrustMarketingMaterial

Read ReviewsAttend

Conferences

Explore Web-Based

Solutions

ExploreWirelessSolutions

RefineRequirements

Based onResearch

Research the ProductsResearch the Needs

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For each set of tasks, map the content thatcould be used to support it

Refine Requirements

Find Out What OtherPeople Say

Set TechnologyRequirements Get Proposals

Find Out High-LevelInformation

Find Vendors

Get Input from Peoplewithin Company

Research CorporateNeeds

UnderstandExistingProcess

Determine theROI

Set Requirements

Set FeatureRequirements

Set ReportRequirements

Set DataStorage

Requirements

Set SecurityRequirements

Set IntegrationRequirements

Solicit End-User Input for

Features

Get Buy-Infrom KeyPlayers

Get Buy-Infrom IT

DepartmentFind Vendors

Write Requestsfor Proposals

ReadProposals

Get Input fromOther

Customers

Read VendorMarketingMaterials

DistrustMarketingMaterial

Read ReviewsAttend

Conferences

Explore Web-Based

Solutions

ExploreWirelessSolutions

RefineRequirements

Based onResearch

Research the ProductsResearch the Needs

(Improved)InteractiveDiagram

Super Demo

Product Tour

BusinessSolutions

White PaperDownload

(Improved)Product

Module Page

eBusiness IQTest

Advisor ToolsWizard (future

version)

Partner ProfilesCyber

SeminarsRegistration

CyberSeminars

PackageSolutions

Descriptions

IndustrySolutions

Descriptions

Product LineDescriptions

See HowComponents Relate to

One Another

Customer Listby Product or

Industry

ProductConfigurators

ProductConfigurators

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Prospective Customer Navigation

Home Page

Research theNeeds

ResearchInformation...

Make Decision(decidingfactors)

Implement...

UnderstandWhat PS is

Doing &Decide

Train...

Which still resembles…

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Bottom-Up IA: Forms the Foundation

Closely linked with the content analysis Focused on:

• Understanding and describing the content• Finding the patterns and groupings• Matching content with user needs

Results are leveraged in different ways

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Bottom-Up IA: Building Product Module Pages

Went through the site and pulled together all information related to products• Support• Upgrades• Marketing

Used sticky notes to gather the items into logical groups Logical groups became the tabs on the module pages

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Bottom-up IA: Metadata Development

12 attribute schema developed based upon patterns found and functionality we wanted

10 controlled vocabularies developed of varying complexity

Individual thesauri were developed for the products, services, and subject attributes

Semi-automatic indexing tool used to tag content, as well as manual tagging

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FINANCIALS [Financial Analytics] 

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT [Financial Analytics]Analytic Forecasting {Financial Analytic Forecasting} {Financial Forecasting}Asset Liability Management {Liability Management}Asset Management {Managing Assets}Balanced Scorecard Billing {Bills}Budgeting {Budgets}CFO Portal {Portal for CFO} {Chief Financial Officer Portal} {Portal for Chief Financial Officer}Contracts {Contracting}Deduction Management {Deductions} {Managing Deduction}eBill Payment {e-Bill Payment} {Bill Payment}Expenses Financial Insight [Financial Analytics]General Ledger {G/L}Payables {Accounts Payable} {A/P}Projects Purchasing Receivables {Accounts Receivable} {A/R}

 MARKETPAY [MarketPlace]

 TREASURY MANAGEMENT

Deal Management {Managing Deals} {Management of Deals}Risk Management {Risk} {Managing Risk} {Management of Risk}

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Bottom-up IA: Site Index & Product Index

Alternative to the primary navigation for getting to content

Indexed just like a back of the book index Product index based upon the product vocabulary Australian Indexers Society award for Web Indexes

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IV. Content Analysis Methodologies

Many methodologies of content analysis were employed Content inventory Unified content map Product matrix Classification scheme analysis

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Content Analysis: Content Inventory

Clicked through thousands of pages across the three properties (8,000 lines in the Excel spreadsheet)

Automated attempts insufficient—manual attention required

Tagged each piece of content with metadata, preparing it for both IA and CMS migration• Content types• Where it lives• Link Ids• Etc.

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Link ID Link Name Link

Subject Type (not summary or keywords) Document Type

1.0.0 about peoplesoft http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutpsmarketing info box1.1.0 our offices http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/offices/index.htmlnav 1.2.0 peoplesoft at a glance http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/glance/index.htmlnav

1.2.1 corporate backgrounder http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/glance/corporate_backgrounder.htmlmarketing paragraphs1.2.2 awards http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/glance/awards.htmlmarketing list w/description1.2.3 corporate history http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/glance/trkrecord.htmlmarketing list w/description1.2.4 corporate reports http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/glance/corp_reports/index.htmlnav

1.3.0 community connection http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/index.htmlnav 1.3.1 charitable contributions http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/charitable_contributions.htmlmarketing paragraphs1.3.2.0 volunteering to make a difference http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/volunteering.htmlmarketing paragraphs

1.3.2.1 volunteer request form http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/culture/commcon/community.htmlmarketing form1.3.3 giving guidelines http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/give_guide.htmlmarketing paragraphs1.3.4 proposal process http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/proposal_process.htmlmarketing paragraphs1.3.5 computer product contributions http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/commcon/comp_prod_contributions.htmlmarketing paragraphs

1.4.0 peoplesoft leadership http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/leadership/index.htmlmarketing paragraphshttp://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/careers/events/index.html

1.5.0 investor relations http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/ir/index.htmlfinancial list 1.5.1.0 Events and Presentations http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/aboutps/ir/customer_rel_calendar.htmlfinancial list

1.5.1.1 8-Jan-01 http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/careers/benefits/index.htmlfinancial presentation1.5.1.2 1-Feb http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/presentations/020101wit/wit_soundview_conf_feb_1_2001.htmfinancial presentation1.5.1.3 7-Feb http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/presentations/020701bofa/banc_of_america_conference_february_7_2001.htmfinancial presentation1.5.1.4 12-Feb http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/presentations/021401cc/goldman_sachs_files/v3_document.htmfinancial presentation1.5.1.5 14-Feb http://www.peoplesoft.com/en/us/presentations/021401rb/rob_stephs_021401_files/v3_document.htmfinancial presentation

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Content Analysis: Unified Content Map

Graphical representation of content on the sites Shows redundancies and gaps in content between the

sites

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Information AboutTechnologies and

IssuesGeneral Product

Information(including

Marketplace andapp hosting)

(Atoms)

General ProductInformation

ProductDescriptions

TechnicalInformation about

the Products

Statements ofDirection

(Foundation)Data Sheets

TechnicalWhite Papers(Foundation)

Product One-Sheets

Product one-sheet

FunctionalityLists perproduct

CustomizedProduct

Descriptions

Information aboutTechnologies and

Issues

White Papers

TechnicalInformation about

the Products

Data Sheets

Customer CaseStudies

Customerprofiles byProduct orIndustry

Customer CaseStudies

CustomerProfiles

Timely Informationabout the Product

Customer Listby Product or

Industry

NewsReleases

FeatureStories

Timely Informationabout the Product

NewsReleases

InternetArchitectureInformation

(Foundation)

PeopleToolsInformation

Statements ofDirection(Product)

TechnicalWhite Papers

(Product)

InternetArchitectureInformation(Product)

ComponentDescriptions

Demos

PeopleSoft.com

Customer Connection

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Content Analysis: Product Matrix

Began as a way to understand how products fit together Illustrates the atom –> molecule –> crystal model Forms the basis of the product hierarchy Now used in other departments to understand how

products are structured

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Content Analysis: Classification Scheme Analysis

Done early in project Compare terms used across the different sites Great for building a case for the project by showing

inconsistencies Used to discover alternate terms for vocabularies

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Official NameMain Products

PageIndustry Solutions

PageCustomers, by

IndustryIndustry User

groups

GovernmentFederal Government

Federal Government

US Federal Government

Public Sector Public Sector Public Sector Public SectorGovernment Public SectorFederal User Network

Financial Services Financial Financial Services Financial Services Financial ServicesFinancial Services (UK)

High TechnologyHigh Technology/ Electronics High Tech

High Technology/ Electronics

DistributionWholesale Distribution

Wholesale Distribution

Wholesale Distribution

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Thank You

Chiara Fox

Information Architect, PeopleSoft

chiara_fox@peoplesoft.com

http://www.chiarafox.com

Peter Merholz

Partner, Adaptive Path

peterme@adaptivepath.com

http://www.peterme.com