Unstuffing Taxonomy

Structuring Data for Great User Experiences

Today’s Talk

• What is taxonomy?

• What do Taxonomists do?

• Taxonomy misses

• Building taxonomies

• Gilt Groupe case study

About Me

• Taxonomist at Gilt Groupe

• Taxonomist at Etsy

• Librarian at NPR

• MS in Library & Information Science

!= Taxidermy

A method of classifying things

Root

Category

Subcategory Subcategory

Category

Taxonomy=Relationships

Degrees of super- or sub-ordination

- Superordinate term = whole (parent)

- Subordinate term = part (child)

Parent

Child Child

Hierarchical Relationships

Generic Relationships

Whiskey

SOME ALL

Single-Malt Scotch

Source: Z39.19-2005 ANSI/NISO

Hierarchical Relationships

Generic Relationships

Whiskey

SOME ALL

Single-Malt Scotch

Instance Relationships

Rivers

Hudson River

East River

Source: Z39.19-2005 ANSI/NISO

Hierarchical Relationships

Generic Relationships

Whiskey

SOME ALL

Single-Malt Scotch

Whole-Part Relationships

Social Sciences

Anthropology

Sociology

Linguistics

Instance Relationships

Rivers

Hudson River

East River

Source: Z39.19-2005 ANSI/NISO

What is a Taxonomist?

Who Needs a Taxonomist?

Bad Taxonomy = Bad Experiences

Too Many Choices

Too Many Choices

Confusing Choices

Confusing Choices

Shop Dresses

By Occasion: Party, Work, Formal, Casual

By Pattern: Floral, Solid, Plaid, Color-blocked

By Sleeve: One Shoulder, Strapless, Spaghetti Strap, Short Sleeved, Long Sleeved, Sleeveless

By Style: Tiered, Ruffles, Wrap, Shirtdress, A-Line

By Length: Mini, Maxi, Mid-calf, Knee-length

Choices that lead to dead ends

Choices that lead to dead ends

Creating Good Taxonomy Experiences

Build a taxonomy with familiar labels and logical groupings

Creating Good Taxonomy Experiences

Understand the user and how they navigate the site

Creating Good Taxonomy Experiences

Know your content

The Gilt Case Study

Importance of Good Data

Data Drives the User Experience

Building a Tool

Attributes

Site-Surfaced Attributes

Results

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Taxonomy Matters!

Thanks!

Amy DeCicco

amydecicco@gmail.com

@amydec