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17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 1
The Information Architectureof Everyday Things
Jesse James Garrett
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 2
Credit where due
Required reading, even though it has nothing to do with this talk
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 3
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.
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 4
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 5
The secret history of information architecture
Information architecture is as old as human communication
Where there’s information, there’s architecture
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 6
Spot the IA
Information Architecture
Waldo
Where’s the information architecture in this picture?
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 7
Reverse-engineering
Common practice in the technical world:
• Take things apart• Put them back together• See what makes them work
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 8
In the beginning…
…was the datum.
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 9
And then there were two
Now known as data.
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 10
Possibilities emerge
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 11
Added information, added complexity
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 12
Humans are pattern-makers
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 13
Yet another definition
Information architecture isthe juxtaposition of individual pieces of informationin order to convey meaning.
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 14
Harper’s Index
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 15
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 16
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 17
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 18
Implicit architecture
Architecture that is inferred or deduced by the user
Most common form of architecture
Not necessarily intentional
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 19
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 20
Restaurant menu
cheesesteaks
logo
sides
kids menu
special combo
cheesesteaktoppings
cheesesteak sauces
everything else
chips
drinks
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 21
Random access
Every user can jump in at any point in the information space
Examples:• Reference materials• Magazines• DVDs
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 22
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 23
Nonlinear access
Each user may follow a different path through the information space
Not necessarily hierarchical
Examples:• Web sites• Interactive fiction
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 24
All Things Considered
Two-hour program
Precision timing required
“The roadmap”
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 25
All Things Considered
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 26
All Things Considered
news
news perspective
features
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 27
All Things Considered
news
news perspective
features
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 28
Lands’ End Catalog
64 pages
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 29
Lands’ End Catalog
An implicit architecture
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showcase
kids
women
unisex
men women
women
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 30
Lands’ End Catalog
An alternate view
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kids
cool-weather casual
dressy
summer casual
spring casual
spring casual
special purpose shoes
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 31
Lands’ End Catalog
Repetition
page 4
page 15
page 51
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 32
64
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2 3
18 19
34 35
10 11
26 27
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4 5
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28 29
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6 7
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Lands’ End Catalog
Repetition
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 33
Lands’ End Catalog
Reference and redirection
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 34
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
Lands’ End Catalog
Reference and redirection
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 35
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 36
Questions to ask
What problem did they set out to solve?
What constraints were they facing?
What could they have done differently?
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 37
Translating ideas to the Web
Extrapolate general principles
Look for patterns that work independent of subject matter
Keep user behavior in mind
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 38
Pitfalls to avoid
Medium-specific constraints
Conventions aren’t necessarily best practices
The letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 39
Other examples
Phone bill
In-flight magazine
Junk mail
Consumer product instructions
Television news programs
“Citizen Kane”
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 40
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
17 March 2002 [email protected] · The IA of Everyday Things · http://www.jjg.net/ia/ 41
Thanks!
Jesse James Garrett
http://www.jjg.net/ia/