understanding the importance of information architecture by understanding chocolate
TRANSCRIPT
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IF INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE WAS A BOX OF CHOCOLATESSharePoint Saturday CalgaryJune 6, 2015
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• DevFacto Portals and Collaboration Practice Lead
• Over 20 years of IT experience• MBA in Management of Information
Systems• B. Sc. in Operations Management
PRESENTER: DAVID MCMILLAN
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“My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’" - Forrest Gump
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OVERVIEW
This presentation will examine:• The purpose and value of information architecture (I.A.)• The causes of ineffective I.A. • The key components of successful I.A. implementation
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A Brief Introduction
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WHAT IS INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE?
• The art and science of organizing and labelling information
• Usability
• Findability
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WHY IS I.A. IMPORTANT?
• Reduced time in finding the correct information
• Reduced duplication of information
• Less misinformation
• Better ROI through the effective use of technology
• Technology is used as intended
• Technology enables users, not inhibits them
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SO WAIT A SECOND…
A box of chocolates has an implementation of information architecture?
YES! (It just hasn’t been organized very well)
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I.A. IS IN THE BOX
Caramel Orange Cream Salted Caramel Strawberry Cream Mocha Ganache Vanilla Cream
Coffee Cream Praline Cherry Brandy Nut Buster Almond Nougat Mocha Cream
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BUT SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO READ
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OR IT ISN’T CONSISTENT
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THE CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE I.A.
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THE CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE I.A.
• Ambiguity • A lack of uniqueness
• Variation • A lack of consistency
• Ignorance • A lack of information
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THE CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE I.A.Ambiguity
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AMBIGUITY
am·bi·gu·i·ty noun \ˌam-bə-ˈgyü-ə-tē\
Definition: something that does not have a single clear meaning; something that is ambiguous
Antonyms clarity, clearness, obviousness, plainness
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AMBIGUITY
The cause:• Limited variety of colours, shape and/or design• Not organized in a way that makes sense• Too many options (flavors)
The fix:• If we cannot change the physical attributes, we can…• Sort (index)• Filter (reduce the variety)
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AMBIGUITY FIX: SORTSort (indexing)
• The process of assigning content objects with specific attribute values
• Group chocolates in ways that limit the chance of error or confusion
• i.e. The caramel is in column 2, row 3
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AMBIGUITY FIX: FILTER
Filter (reduce variety)• Reducing the variety provides less chance of choosing the wrong
one• Filters ensure only relevant and useful information is provided• i.e. Pot of Gold, caramels only
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THE CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE I.A.Variation
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VARIATION
var·i·a·tion noun \ˌver-ē-ˈā-shən\ Definition: something that is similar to something else but different in some way
Antonyms: fixation, stabilization
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VARIATION
The cause:• Lack of quality control• Not enough differentiators
The fix:• Structure (improve consistency)• Clarity (improve differentiators)
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VARIATION FIX: STRUCTURE
Structure (improve consistency)• In the case of chocolates, consistency could be achieved through
quality control• Manage statistical fluctuations (variances) in the process (e.g. Six
Sigma)• In information governance we use tools like vocabularies and
taxonomies to control the consistency of inputs
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VARIATION FIX: STRUCTURE
From and information perspective:
A vocabulary is a set of words (or terms) used to control the input possibilities
• E.g. If we want to search for the United States as a country, if someone has entered US or USA, the result set will not reflect that record
A taxonomy is a structured set of metadata used for classification of information, which may or may not include vocabularies
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VARIATION FIX: CLARITY
Clarity (improve differentiators)• In the case of chocolate, clarity could be improved through
changing physical attributes such as:o Shape – basis shapes like square, ball, rectangle, etc.o Color – white, light, dark, colorful toppings, etc.o Texture or pattern – dots, lines, combinations, etc.
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VARIATION FIX: CLARITY
Some basic combinations:• Shapes: 5• Colors (Red, Green, Blue, White): 4• Designs: Lines (3), Dots (3), combined (3)
Total supported clear chocolate variations:
5x4x3x3x3 = 540 unique combinations
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THE CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE I.A.Ignorance
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IGNORANCE
…is bliss, until you pick a chocolate you don’t like.
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IGNORANCE
ig·no·rance noun \ˈig-n(ə-)rən(t)s\ Definition: a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education : the state of being ignorant
Antonyms: acquaintance, awareness, cognizance, familiarity
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IGNORANCE
• The cause:• Lack of structure• Not enough information
• The fix:• Classification (build structured
metadata)
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IGNORANCE FIX: CLASSIFICATION
• Classification (build structured metadata)
• ISO 15489 defines classification as: “The systematic identification and arrangement of business activities, and/or records into categories, according to logically structured conventions, methods, and procedural rules represented in a classification system.”
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IGNORANCE FIX: CLASSIFICATION
• Classification (build structured metadata)
• Taxonomies and Classification• “Taxonomy is a structured set of metadata…”• Classification is “…logically structured conventions, methods, and procedural
rules…”• Therefore, taxonomies are our structure to allow for classification
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CLASSIFICATION - TAXONOMY
Metadata, content types and vocabularies:• Our tools to build a taxonomy• Let’s build a taxonomy for chocolates
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CLASSIFICATION - METADATA
• Definition: data that provides information about other data• A circular reference; we’re really talking about attributes
• Chocolate metadata• Chocolate type (white, milk, dark)• Fill type• Color• Shape• Surface pattern• Box location
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CLASSIFICATION - CONTENT TYPES
• Used to group metadata of common groups• Chocolates• Candies• Candied apples• Ice creams
• Common parent types, unique sub content types• Candied apples:
o Caramel appleo Candy appleo Chocolate apple
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CLASSIFICATION - CONTENT TYPES
• Child content types inherit metadata field from parent
• Then, add their own unique metadata belowChocolates have: Caramel chocolates have:• Chocolate type • Chocolate type
• Fill type • Fill type
• Color • Color
• Shape • Shape
• Surface Pattern • Surface pattern
• Box location • Box location
• Caramel type
• Salted
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CLASSIFICATION - VOCABULARIES
• A set of predefined terms used for the population of metadata
• Example: ‘Province’ as a metadata field• Simplified Interface: a drop down or radio buttons are easier than a free text field• Consistency: variation in what is entered (AB, Alta, Alberta all mean the same)• Central Control: provides a single centralized location for updates and maintenance
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CLASSIFICATION - VOCABULARIES
Metadata vocabularies for chocolates:• Chocolate type
o Dark, milk, or white• Fill type
o Caramel, ganache, cream, nougat, etc.• Color• Shape• Surface pattern• Box location
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SUMMARY
• We’ve examined why I.A. is important
• The causes of ineffective I.A.• Ambiguity• Variation• Ignorance
• And how to combat them• Sorting• Filtering• Structure • Clarity• Classification
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SUMMARY
And we’ve developed a sweet tooth…
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DEVFACTO & INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE• We’re happy to help guide you through the world
of IA
• A variety of DevFacto I.A. engagements• Information Architecture Review• Information Architecture Planning• Information Architecture Roadmap• Information Governance Mentorship
• Let’s chat!
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THANK YOU Questions and Review
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David McMillanMy Social Self
[email protected](877) 323-3832
www.devfacto.com
Moss-adventures.blogspot.ca @DavidRMcMillan and
@DevFactoPortals