Information Architecture Course Syllabus

Parsons School of Design, New School University

Instructor:
Victor Lombardi
victorlombardi@yahoo.com

 

Main Goals

• Adopt a human-centered design process
• Understand how information architecture acts as the supporting structure joining design, technology, and business goals
• Develop the ability to document information architecture ideas

 

Student Quotes

Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the class. Your recent comment about 'IA is something you learn by doing' really hit home. The assignments really made IA come alive for me. Terrific job!

I truly have a new found respect for those of you in the IA profession.

Thank you, I found it interesting and quite challenging!

 

Introduction

Information architecture is the art and science of organizing information to help people effectively fulfill their information needs. It can be applied to websites, handheld devices and other platforms. You will learn new design techniques and complete an entire project design cycle to practice your skills. At the end you will have user scenarios, site maps, schematics and functional specifications suitable for your portfolio. The class requires basic web design experience.

 

Textbook

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (the 'Polar Bear' book)
2nd Edition
by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville
About $25.00, available from Amazon.com.
Sample: http://www.ora.com/catalog/infotecture/

 

Student work

Students will need Internet access to complete assignments. Whenever possible, hard copies of homework assignments will be provided.

The evaluation method is as follows:

• 1/3 class participation, including exercises in class
• 1/3 exercises done outside of class
• 1/3 final project

 

Outline

1. What is Information Architecture (IA)?

• Emergence on the World Wide Web
• Why it's necessary
• Historic ties to library science
• How IA fits into projects
• How IA is practiced in conjunction with other design, technology, and business disciplines

Reading:

• Polar Bear: Preface and chapters 1, 2, and 10

Resources:

• Defining IA: http://argus-acia.com/strange_connections/strange001.html
• Diagram of web design disciplines: http://www.jjg.net/ia/elements.pdf
• IA and Business Strategy: http://argus-acia.com/strange_connections/strange006.html
• Argus Center for Information Architecture: http://www.argus-acia.com/
• More resources: http://www.jjg.net/ia/

2. Research and Preparation

• Defining goals
• Learning about audiences and intentions
• Audience personas and scenarios
• Identifying and prioritizing content and functional requirements
• Feature inventory
• Prioritizing and grouping content and functions
• Competitive Benchmarking
• Per industry
• Per function, content, design, etc.

Reading:

• Polar Bear: chapter 7
• Perfecting Your Personas: http://www.cooper.com/newsletters/2001_07/perfecting_your_personas.htm

Resources:

• Information Architecture Tutorial, lessons 1 and 2: http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/98/28/index0a.html?tw=design

3. Organization and Conceptual Design

• Techniques for creativity and innovation
• Guidelines for creating usable, useful, and desirable products
• High level architecture blueprints
• Page mockups and design sketches
• Use Cases
• Tools
• Windows: Illustrator, Visio, etc.
• Mac: Mac, Illustrator, Concept Draw, etc.

Reading:

• Polar Bear: chapters 3 and 8

Resources:

• Web Page Design: Implications of Memory, Structure and Scent for Information Retrieval http://research.microsoft.com/users/marycz/chi981.htm
• Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology http://www.smi.stanford.edu/projects/protege/publications/ontology_development/ontology101-noy-mcguinness.html
• Structure and Style in Use Cases for User Interface Design: http://www.foruse.com/Files/Papers/structurestyle2.pdf

4. Content and Usability

• Layout grids and content positioning
• Setting usability metrics
• Usability testing techniques
• Low- and hi-fidelity prototyping

Reading:

• Notes on the dimensions of prototype tests: http://www.enteract.com/~marc/testing/

Resources:

• Wireframes for low-fidelity prototypes: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks//library/wireframe/wireframe.html
• Taking a Content Inventory: http://webtechniques.com/archives/2001/10/fraser/

5. Navigation systems and search

• Survey of navigation systems
• Interaction design primer
• Labeling systems
• Search engines and information display
• Controlled vocabularies

Reading:

• Polar Bear: chapters 4, 5, and 6

Resources:

• Indexing: http://www.webreview.com/1997/10_03/strategists/10_03_97_4.shtml
• Labeling systems: http://www.webreview.com/1997/02_21/webauthors/02_21_97_3.shtml
• Synonymous Search Index: http://www.webreview.com/1998/10_30/developers/10_30_98_1.shtml
• Building a Thesaurus: http://www.webreview.com/1998/10_30/developers/10_30_98_2.shtml
• Controlled Vocabularies: http://www.webreview.com/1999/07_09/strategists/07_09_99_3.shtml

6. Documenting Your Ideas

• Content mapping
• Detailed page schematics
• Functional specification, page inventory, style guide

---Project review

Reading:

• Polar Bear: chapter 9

Resources:

• Content mapping
• Detailed page schematics
• Functional specification, page inventory, style guide

7. IA, Design, and Technology

• Relationship to visual design
• Relationship to interaction design
• Relationship to "front-end" and "back-end" technology

---Project review

Reading:

Resources:

8. IA Beyond the Web

• Information appliances

---Project review

Reading:

Resources:

9. Project Presentations

Reading:

---Project review

Resources:

10. Advanced Topics

• Generative design and design pattern languages
• 'How Websites Learn': designing to accommodate change in visitor behavior and change in content and functionality
• Multi-lingual text
• Selling to clients
• A career as an information architect

Reading:

Resources:

• The evolving role of an IA: http://argus-acia.com/strange_connections/strange004.html

 

This document is located at
http://www.noisebetweenstations.com/ia/ia-course