SIGIA-L Mail Archives: RE: [Sigia-l] Still Defining the Damn Th
RE: [Sigia-l] Still Defining the Damn Thing
From: Cindy Hoffa (cindy_at_blep.net)
Date: Mon Feb 03 2003 - 20:02:28 EST
Just trying to clean up the odd breaks so this message has a chance at a
response. See message below.
-----Original Message-----
From: sigia-l-admin_at_asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-admin_at_asis.org] On Behalf
Of Richard_Dalton_at_Vanguard.com
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 1:29 PM
Subject: [Sigia-l] Still Defining the Damn Thing
I agree 100% with Christina Wodtke and others who have the opinion that
we need more definition of Information Architecture (and other related
disciplines). To
that end I offer yet another definition (in what I hope is simple,
plain-talk language).
Comments and discussion are welcome - if you don't want to discuss it
(again) on this mailing list, then why don't those of us who do find
somewhere we can -
suggestions welcome.
- Richard Dalton
"Finding vs Using" - A User Driven Definition
=============================================
This debate is being discussed mainly within the context of Websites.
Users face (at least) 2 major challenges when using Websites:
1. Finding "things".
2. Using the "things" once they've found them.
I suggest that:
- Information Architecture is the discipline of organizing and
providing navigation to "things" in such a way that users can find them.
- Interaction Design (or whatever you want to call it) is the
discipline of designing the "things" such that users can use them once
they've found them.
I realize the term "things" could use some work - i'd loosely define it
as "content or functionality that helps a user complete their task".
I would include the following within the realm of I/A: User Research to
identify discrete User Tasks, Creation of Mental Model Diagrams using
User Tasks, Content Inventories (including Metadata), Taxonomy &
Labelling, Searching Systems, "Traditional" Information Architecture
Diagrams, Page Layouts or Frameworks that
show placement of global navigation elements, etc, etc.
And the following within the realm of I/D: User Research & Task Analysis
to drive Workflows of discrete User Tasks, Local Navigation (navigation
between pages within a discrete "thing"), Page Design (selection &
placement of task specific Content or functionality on the page).
There does not seem to be a huge of overlap in the skills used to
organize Information to help people find it at a macro level (cognitive
psychology, LIS?, etc) vs those used to help someone interact with an
interface (HCI, graphic design, etc).
------------
When replying, please *trim your post* as much as possible.
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ASIST IA 03 Summit: Making Connections
http://www.asist-events.org/IASummit2003/
Searchable list archive: http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/
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