Information

Architecture
Sean Payne
My comprehensive guide for beginning an information architecture project. This guide details the components for restructuring or starting up a website, application, or service. This is the first piece of writing I decided to construct for my portfolio.

S e a n M a j o r P a y n e J u n e 2 0 1 2

What is Information Architecture?

What is Information Architecture?
Information architecture is the complex system of organizing information through any sort of grouping or indexing. The storage of information needs to be systematically designed enabling people to find and manage information. The architecture should be tailored specifically to meet the requirements of the people who desire access to the information. Information architecture should provide functionality for finding information and for exploring related content.

Project Scope Document

What is it?
A Project Scope Document is a document that summarizes what kind of service or project that you will deliver to a client. This is created before the start of the service or product in order to ensure that the client knows that you understand their expectations. It also tells them exactly how you will meet these expectations and alerts them to the cost of the effort. The scope document will address the problem or need of the client, confirming your interpretation. This will eliminate any confusion and will ensure that everything is completed to expectation by summarizing the goals and objectives of the project. The document will also detail the deliverables necessary to complete the project. The specifics of the work will also be defined by showing the milestones and timeframes for the service. The report should include what resources are required from the client so that they can plan accordingly to provide you with these resources. Finally, the cost needs to be presented in a manner that details the price for each deliverable. The payment plan for this cost will also need to be specified. Overall, the project scope document will ensure that you and the client are in agreement over the transaction you are making with them.

Why Would You Do It?

As mentioned in the previous explanation, the project scope document is used to display an agreement between you and a client. This would be sensible to use not only in an information architecture field, but also in any field that requires you to provide a service or complete a project. This document will provide a plan for the project ahead of time, which will prevent roadblocks. It will also ensure that if you have completed the work specified, the client will not be able to refuse payment.

Who Participates?
There is a multitude of potential people who would contribute to this document. These could include Computer Scientists, Designers, Marketing Staff, Bosses, etc.

Alternate Resources

URL: http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/2491.aspx Title: Writing a Scope Statement Site: Bright Hub

Stakeholder Meeting
Stakeholder Meeting Basics
What is it?
A stakeholder meeting is held to obtain a consensus about the objectives of a project. During the meeting, the user objectives and business objectives should be brought to light. The meeting should involve the purpose of the system being developed, the intended users, the stakeholders, and the constraints (if applicable). The meeting also needs to include the key functionality, the usability goals, and the initial design concepts. Everyone should leave the meeting with a common vision of the project.

Why would you do it?

The stakeholder meeting is used to eliminate uncertainty or disagreement. It removes these problems early on, so that later in the project there will not be arguments over the goals and objectives. The meeting will also identify future issues or constraints, which will allow the people involved to avoid these problems. The meeting would be useful for any project that requires teamwork.

Who participates?
The main participants would be business managers, project managers, and user representatives. Aside from that, marketing associates, developers and training and support staff could also be involved. Essentially, anyone who knows the intended users and business objectives should be involved.

Alternate resources
URL: http://www.ehow.com/how_2084922_facilitate-stakeholder-meetings.html Title: How to Facilitate Stakeholder Meetings Site: EHOW

Stakeholder Meeting Analysis

Top 3 Goals
1. Gain a better understanding of the user and produce a website and tools that cater to the user. Justification: This is the most important goal because any product or service must cater to the client/user in order to be successful. No business can prosper without attentive detail to the customers needs. This goal technically encompasses other goals as well, because in order to have a website that appeals to the user, goals (involving organization, presentation, etc) must be completed.

2. Restructure the organization, labeling, and searching for the information Justification: Without a well-structured site, users wont be able to find the information they need. If the user cant find the information they need, then they wont have a desire to use the website. 3. Establish a new mindset within the organization Justification: Without first acknowledging failures, the organization will fail to produce better results. By creating a new mindset, the organization gains the ability to procure innovative and fresh ideas.

Stakeholder Meeting Reflection

Class Concensus on Goals
1. Cater to user expectations Difference: The general idea was the same. The major difference was that I used more detail than necessary. The high level idea of my statement was to cater to the user. 2. Streamline User Workflow Difference: Once again, my idea was similar. I was too specific talking about organization, but my intention was to improve navigation for the user. The high level idea of my statement was indeed to streamline user workflow. 3. Increase Knowledge about Job Search Difference: This one was fairly different. I was focused on changing the companys mindset, but as a class we decided that educating more people about job opportunities was the actual intention. However, my idea was a concept listed within this topic, so I was on the right track.

Final Goals
1. Cater to User Expectations 2. Streamline User Workflow 3. Increase Availability of Knowledge about Job Search

Alternate Resources
Site: Human Dimensions URL: http://www.hd.gov/HDdotGov/detail.jsp?ContentID=296 Site: Wordpress URL: http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/what-is-stakeholder-analysis/ Site: Institution for Innovation and Improvement URL: http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_to ols/stakeholder_analysis.html Site: Mindtools URL: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm Site: Stakeholder Map URL: http://www.stakeholdermap.com/stakeholder-analysis.html

Heuristics
Heuristics Basics
What is it?
Heuristics are an evaluation of a substance that is qualitative but not quantitative. I.E. A test score would not be a heuristic. For web pages, heuristics are used to determine if a website is functional. They are also used to judge aesthetic and technical design. Websites need to be easily navigated and need to have a complex and intuitive architecture of information. There needs to be a sense of professionalism about the website. The design needs to procure inherent behavior in a user. A user should instinctually be able to navigate the website. Heuristic evaluation can be either short or long, but the shorter the heuristic, the less advantageous it will be. However, a thorough heuristic will take extended periods of time. It is important to find the middle ground.

Why would you do it?

Heuristics are used when designing or redesigning a website. Websites need heuristics because many of the variables are qualitative, but not quantitative. The interface should be evaluated to determine if users could navigate the pages effectively without running into a dead end. The website needs to use linguistics that appeal to the user. The term shopping cart from online stores is intuitive because the description matches physical shopping, which users have experienced. All buttons should have labels without similar or overlapping meanings. Errors should not occur, but if they do they should display friendly messages and allow the user to report the errors. Any user should be able to understand the website regardless of skill level.

Who participates?
Expert evaluators (shown to identify more than 80% of usability problems), Random evaluators (shown to identify around 25% of usability problems), Company employees, The users (especially if they run into errors and report feedback)

Heuristic Analysis
Top 3 Problems
1. The website does not cater to user expectations Justification: The main goal of the website is to provide information regarding jobs to the user. However, the website is structured in a manner that makes sense to the business or designer as opposed to being structured for the user. The poor organization, labeling, and presentation will result in a lack of trust and interest from the user. The company does not understand the mindset of the user. This is the most important problem, because overall, the goal of providing information to the users is not met.

2. The website does not streamline user workflow Justification: Even though information might be contained within the site or by another linked site, this information is poorly organized and presented. Users will not be educated about jobs if they are not able to locate the information. Tools are useless or confusing, and navigating the website is painful. The search is not intuitive and accessing data is challenging. This is the second important problem because even though the information is in the site, it is difficult to access and as a result users will not locate the information they are looking for. 3. The website does not provide a user friendly environment Justification: The account creation is difficult and poorly structured. The users arent even notified when they have successfully created an account. The purpose of creating an account is also unclear. Forms and search criteria cannot be saved or easily modified. All of these problems will frustrate the user and discredit the website. If the users lack the desire to use the website, then they will not receive information about jobs.

Heuristic Reflection
Top Three Expected Problems
1. Simplicity Difference: This is somewhat different than my stated problem, but there are many overlapping ideas. Features on the website need to be simple so that both the novice and experienced user are able to utilize the service. I said that the website was catering to the experienced user essentially noting the same point. However, adding simplicity should not reduce functionality or limit information, which would negatively affect the user. I touched on the need for trust from the user, which would be gained from reducing the redundancy of the site and by consolidating the information. Finally, any complex process may stay complex, but should guide the user and have clear and concise labeling. Even though my choice of words was different, my intentions were the same. 2. Findability Difference: I said website does not streamline user workflow, which means findability. There is no difference other than learning. The class discussed the disambiguation of confusing labels and making consistant paths throughout the website which I mentioned when I talked about organizing the information and creating a layout that enables the user to find the information they are looking for. Search functions need to be improved as well. One important subject I brought up is that even though the site may contain good information, the lack of organization could make this information impossible to locate. 3. Intuitiveness Difference: Once again, there is no real difference here. My point was that the website is not user friendly, which directly stems from structuring the website in a non-intuitive manner. The language chosen should appeal to the user, the labels should make sense, there shouldnt be multiple paths to the same page, etc. User accounts need to have a defined purpose and a notification when created.

Final Problems
Simplicity Findability Intuitiveness

Alternate Resources
Site: Hubpages URL: http://suvitharoja.hubpages.com/hub/heuristic-analysis-to-enhance-user-interface-design

Site: Premiere Creative URL: http://www.premierecreative.com/website-usability.html Site: User Effect URL: http://www.usereffect.com/topic/25-point-website-usability-checklist

Usability Testing
Usability Testing Basics
What is it?
Usability testing is a method of evaluating a product or service with representative users as the test subjects. These users are observed while they strive to complete typical tasks associated with the project. The users efforts are documented in order to identify usability problems. The user is also consulted to determine their satisfaction with the product or service. Solutions to problems should balance constraints of time, budget, and resources.

Why would you do it?

All services and products need to cater to the user. Without an understanding of the user, the organization is likely to develop a product in a way that is intuitive to the organization but not to the user. If users do not understand the service or product they will disband from usage of the service. Usability testing should be used anytime an organization desires to develop and market a service. Without strict adherence to user needs, the service will become obsolete. Not to mention, one negative voice against the service can make a large impact against the organization. The users opinion of the service affects not only the current service being provided, but affects the opinion of future services that the company attempts to create and market.

Who Participates?
Representative users are observed, while people such as developers, designers, project managers, or researchers collect information about the usability of the service.

Alternate Resources
URL: https://www.cu.edu/irm/stds/usability/index.html Title: Usability Testing Site: CU (University of Colorado)

Usability Testing Analysis

Top 10 Problems
1. The website runs slow Reason: If users find themselves waiting a long time for information, they wont want to use the service. This is likely to happen since there are other sites that accomplish the same goal more quickly.

2. Redundancy Reason: This will ultimately confuse people and users will spend too much time wondering which of the redundant links will take them where they want to go. Users will have trouble finding the information and will want to use services that are more direct and easily navigated. 3. Right Places Dont Jump Out Reason: Users should be able to look at the page and easily see where the important information is. 4. Labeling is not intuitive Reason: Users should not be confused at where a link will take them. The linguistics should be tailored to the user. If the user cant understand where links will take them, then the user will not be able to locate the information they are looking for. 5. Labels on the list do not correspond to the pages they lead to Reason: Users should not find themselves at the wrong page when they click a link. This will ultimately result in the user being unsatisfied with the website. 6. Prioritize Important Items Reason: Users should find the most relevant information towards the top/front of the site. They shouldnt have to search hard to find job openings or salary information. 7. Search is not optimized Reason: Search is one of the most common functions used in the world of online information. Searches should be structured to produce the most relevant results. 8. Aesthetics Reason: Font sizes should indicate importance of information, colors should be intuitive (such as links being highlighted), and the design should be easy on the eyes. The aesthetics should also be easily modified to accommodate accessibility options. 9. People arent looking in the right places Reason: Users should be able to find the information they are looking for. It should be a quick and simple process. Information should be found in places that are intuitive for the user to look. At the moment, the heat graphs display that users are searching the entire page for information. 10. Locating information takes a long time Reason: Users need to find information they are looking for. Ultimately, users that spend copious amounts of time searching for information will chose to use a service that can deliver the same information faster.

Top 3 Problems
1. Locating information takes a long time Reason: Users are searching in the wrong places for information. The labeling is redundant, which causes confusion. Some links lead to the incorrect pages. The labeling does not make sense and the information that is important doesnt jump out of the page. Users are spending too much time looking around the page for the information/tools they are looking for. Ultimately, the goal of this website is to deliver information about jobs, but neither employers nor employees can locate the information they are looking for. 2. Labeling is not intuitive Reason: The linguistics used on the page is not intuitive to the user. Links and the pages they correspond to are not always labeled the same. The navigation is poorly structured so that the important items dont have a label that sticks out and the navigation hierarchy is done poorly. There are redundant links/labels and aesthetically, the labels do not stick out. For example, the green jobs link is not green.

3. The website isnt optimized Reason: The website not only is difficult to navigate, but the actual pages load slowly. Not to mention, the search function doesnt return results that are most relevant to the users queries. The website should be restructured so that pages load quickly, are accessible to all users, and labeled so that the search function returns the correct results.

Usability Testing Reflection

Top 3 Problems
1. Improve Navigation and Labeling Evidence: The site is poorly structured and the linguistics used is not intuitive to the user. The labels on a link dont correspond to the pages that show up when a link is clicked. Reports are long and the information is not consolidated or summarized so users have to navigate through heavy amounts of information. There is a copious amount of redundancy and the site does not flow smooth. There are too many long and cluttered lists. The users are uncertain about where links will take them. 2. Website is not optimizedf Evidence: The website has too much extraneous code and information. The website does not run quickly and efficiently. The search algorithm returns information that is irrelevant to the users query and doesnt prioritize items correctly. The website uses CSS that provides poor accessibility from visually impaired users. 3. Simplify the home page Evidence: Hierarchy of navigation does not make sense. Areas of importance do not stand out to the user. Large blocks of unlinked text need to be removed. The areas that users spend time focusing on need the most relevant information. Pages need to have a uniform design so that users know when they are still on the ESD website. Important information needs to be above the fold.

Alternate Resources
URL: http://www.spoonfeddesign.com/usability-analysis-of-applecom-why-is-it-so-good Site: Spoon Fed Design Title: Usability Analysis of Apple.com: Why is it so Good? Thoughts: About Apple, but breaks down good user features URL: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/usability-testing-demystified/ Site: A List Apart Title: Usability Testing Demystified Thoughts: Descriptive look at important points URL: http://usabilitytestinghowto.blogspot.com/ Site: Blogspot Title: Usability Testing Thoughts: Talks about eliminating team disputes URL: www.usability.gov/pdfs/chapter18.pdf Site: Usability Title: Usability Testing Thoughts: Provides importance levels for criteria URL: www.infodesign.com.au/ftp/UsabilityTesting.pdf Site: Info Design Title: What is Usability Testing Thoughts: Concise compared to other resources

10 Thoughts for Future

1. This time my thoughts were more consistant with the class, this was good 2. The class was a little more specific with specific locations of problems, I should find highlight these details next time 3. I should navigate the slide show more quickly keeping the pattern in mind, spent too much time actually reading slides 4. I should do my analysis ahead of time, so that my classwork will be more productive 5. Use more resources in the initial analysis! 6. I should try to be less broad when identifying the main problems 7. Point 6 is contadicatory to earlier deliverables, but I need to note the difference between finding problems and summarizing purposes 8. Usability heat graphs should be mostly white (or blue). This would indicate that users aren't looking around the page 9. Utilize my peers to get ideas/feedback 10. Present my ideas to the teacher/ta if possible

User Survey
User Survey Basics
What is it?
A user survey is a method of discovering how the user is likely to utilize the software or website. Essentially, the organization wants to figure out what features the user would like to find in the software or website. The issues brought to light need to be most relevant to the design team. User surveys attempt to unravel the major points that the design team is uncertain about. The Internet is being used more often to spread these surveys, whereas traditionally they were mostly done through mail.

Why would you do it?

User surveys are used when there are concepts that the design team is uncertain about. If features, aesthetics, or linguistics are up in the air the survey needs to clarify how the user interprets these. The usability study brings important input from a small user base, but this can tackle a wider and more representative user base. The user survey is used when you want to improve a service before it is released.

Who participates?
A professional consultant may be used if the design team has little experience in creating user surveys. This is especially important because a poorly designed survey will do more harm than good, and can be a waste of time and resources. The design team is involved, because they know the issues that they want to target. Obviously, a user base is also involved, being that this is a user survey.

Alternate Resources
URL: http://manwithnoblog.com/2010/02/17/user-surveys-do-it-right-or-not-at-all/ Site: Man with no Blog Title: User Surveys - Do it Right or Not at All

URL: http://www.infotoday.com/online/sep02/Plosker.htm Site: Info Today Title: Conducting User Surveys Thoughts: This is about libraries, but brings to light many important issues of surveys URL: http://erc.msh.org/quality/foutools/fouusrvy.cfm Site: The Guide to Managing for Quality Title: User Survey URL: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/user-surveys-require-good-planning-and-attention-todetail/5059967 Site: Technical Edge Title: User surveys require good planning and attention to detail URL: http://knowledge-base.supersurvey.com/customer-surveys.htm Site: Super Survey Title: Customer Service Surveys

Project Charter
Project Charter Basics
What is it?
A project charter is a written statement indicating the planning teams objectives and values. This charter is used to evaluate whether or not the work being done in the project is actually relevant and keeps team members focused on the final product. The charter should be short, but not to an extent that the goals are poorly defined. A project charter eliminates risks related to scope creep and helps to resolve disputes later in the project. The charter not only defines goals, but encompasses schedule and budget as well. The charter is used as a daily reference and can be used to access new ideas.

Why would you do it?

A project charter is used to ensure that the team is working for the common mission of the organization. Without the charter, it becomes easy for team members to argue about original project intent. The absence of the charter could also result in scope creep, which leads to unnecessary time and money investments. The charter can be used to reduce the chance that these issues will occur. If data is collected beforehand (perhaps when restructuring, as opposed to creating) then the project scope can be referenced afterwards to ensure the goals have been met. Without the project scope, goals can be lost and whether or not restructuring is effective will be difficult to evaluate.

Who participates?
Since the project scope document has already been created, the client is not involved in the project charter. The project manager is involved (and usually the most important) because the PM generally understands the project goals, time constraints and budget. Other team members can also be involved as well because they know how their parts will contribute to the mission and understand what deadlines are reasonable for themselves.

Alternate Resources
Site: Method 1,2,3 Title: How to create your project charter URL: http://blog.method123.com/2009/06/03/create-your-project-charter Site: Informit Title: Project Management Crash Course: What is a project charter? URL: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1400865

Project Charter Analysis

Integrated Problems
1. Website is not simplistic Justification: Users have difficulty performing simple tasks and features on the website are not optimized. This showed up in the heuristic analysis and was proved when users attempted to use basic services the website was designed to provide. The website needs to be simple in order to compete with other websites serving the same purpose. Tasks that arent simple should be explained well enough that users are still able to accomplish their goals. The search function needs to be improved since this is a key tool with modern websites. The code also needs to be improved so that the website will run more quickly. All of these factors will affect the users desire to use the website, which will contribute to the overall goal of educating people about jobs. 2. Finding information is difficult Justification: The entire purpose of the website is to relay information about jobs to the user. Users found it difficult to locate the information they were looking for. Even finding jobs was difficult, which is the main purpose of the website. If users cant find the information they are looking for, they will peruse a website that can provide this information. 3. The site is not intuitive Justification: Labeling is confusing to the user. Labels use terms that contradict other labels and many links dont go to their intended destinations. Furthermore, there are redundant labels everywhere. If the site does not appeal to the user, then the user wont enjoy using the site. The user will not trust a website where these issues exist.

Integrated Problems and Goals

1. Cater to User Expectations Relation to Problem 1: The user expects that the website will be simple enough for them to use. They also expect that the website will run quickly and that the search function will return relevant results. Relation to Problem 2: The user expects to find information about jobs on this website. If they cannot find the information, they will not use the website. Relation to Problem 3: The user expects that the site will have smooth navigation. The user also expects that the site will use linguistics that makes sense to them. 2. Streamline User Workflow Relation to Problem 1: The user needs to be able to find information quickly and in order to do so, the website needs to be optimized and self-explanatory. Relation to Problem 2: The users productivity will decline if they cannot locate the information they desire. Relation to Problem 3: The user spends time deciphering labels and on deciding which redundant link to click. This is counterproductive and will not streamline their workflow.

3. Increase Availability of Knowledge about Job Search Relation to Problem 1: If the website is not simple, users will not be able to use it effectively and as a result will not find information about jobs. Relation to Problem 2: Users cant find information and as a result they will not be educated about the job market. Relation to Problem 3: Users dont understand the labeling on the website and this will result in decreased usage of the service. This will leave job seekers uneducated about the job market.

Charter Paragraph
At the current state, the website is not simplistic. Finding job information is challenging and the site is not intuitive to the user. By fixing these problems the project will cater to user expectations and streamline the user workflow, which will help to accomplish the overall goal of increasing knowledge about job search.

Project Charter Reflection

Revised Problems and Goals
1. Cater to User Expectations Relation to Problem 1: The user expects that the website will be simple enough for them to use. They also expect that the website will run quickly and that the search function will return relevant results. Relation to Problem 2: The user expects to find information about jobs on this website. If they cannot find the information, they will not use the website. Relation to Problem 3: The user expects that the site will have smooth navigation. The user also expects that the site will use linguistics that makes sense to them. 2. Streamline User Workflow Relation to Problem 1: The user needs to be able to find information quickly and in order to do so, the website needs to be optimized and self-explanatory. Relation to Problem 2: The users productivity will decline if they cannot locate the information they desire. Relation to Problem 3: The user spends time deciphering labels and on deciding which redundant link to click. This is counterproductive and will not streamline their workflow. 3. Increase Availability of Knowledge about Job Search Relation to Problem 1: If the website is not simple, users will not be able to use it effectively and as a result will not find information about jobs. Relation to Problem 2: Users cant find information and as a result they will not be educated about the job market. Relation to Problem 3: Users dont understand the labeling on the website and this will result in decreased usage of the service. This will leave job seekers uneducated about the job market.

Charter Paragraph
At the current state, the website is not simplistic. Finding job information is challenging and the site is not intuitive to the user. By fixing these problems the project will cater to user expectations and streamline the user workflow, which will help to accomplish the overall goal of increasing knowledge about job search.

Alternate Resources
Site: Inform It Title: What is a Project Charter? URL: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1400865

Site: Tutorials Point Title: Project Charter URL: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/project_charter.htm Site: I Six Sigma Title: Six Sigma Project Charter as a Vital Control Document URL: http://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/project-charter/six-sigma-project-charter-vital-controldocument/ Comments: Not exactly accurate, but brings some great questions into the picture Site: Project Management Student Title: Project Charter: How Important is this? URL: http://pmstudent.com/project-charter-how-important-is-it/ Comments: Good for answering why questions Site: Project Times Title: Writing Better Project Charters URL: http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/writing-better-project-charters.html Comments: Useful for making my own charter

10 Thoughts for Future

1. Other students had longer charter statements. Mine was concise, which is actually better in this case. 2. The Project Charter defines big goals and problems, not all the little ones. Less detail can be better. 3. Ensure all problems relate to goals 4. Ensure that the problems are high level 5. My analysis was good, maybe I could change the structure by using a table 6. Try to use more sources ahead of time 7. Read deliverable twice and then do not look at it while writing. This worked well 8. Provide a few more examples for the problems 9. Try to further relate problems to user decisions 10. Try to relate problems and goals with a little more detail

Personas
Persona Basics
What is it?
Personas are fictional users of a website that symbolize typical groups of users regarding their goals and characteristics. They substitute for real people and assist in creating accommodations regarding design and functionality. A persona describes on person but represents a broad type of user. Personas embody user expectations and goals. Personas are not a replacement for other usability testing methods, but serve as an excellent extension to other methods. The persona includes a name, personality, and photo, bringing theoretical users to life. Occasionally, personas can make people uncomfortable and modifications may need to be made in order to reduce the realism.

Why would you do it?

Personas help the design team to focus on user needs and goals. Since personas represent groups of users, they help the design team appeal to the broad spectrum of users without focusing on the needs of every

individual. Personas are based on user studies not on assumptions by the team. This further ensures that functionality and design modifications are targeted towards the user. Personas should be used with the creation of any website because they will ensure that, on the day of the release, value is presented to the user. Personas will also identify if there is more than one major type of user, which can call for new interfaces. For instance, the ESD site might need one interface for job seekers and one interface for employers.

Who participates?
Researchers would be involved because primary research needs to be conducted to create personas. They should not be based off of the design team perception of the user. The project manager (or a paid persona writer) would create the personas and present them to the team. The whole design team would be involved in the discussion because they will all have interpretations of the user needs based on the persona. Discussion is necessary to gain an accurate consensus about the user goals and problems.

Alternate Resources
Site: User Focus Title: Assumption Personas are Fake Personas URL: http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/personas.html Site: UX Magazine Title: Personas: The Foundation of a Great User Experience URL: http://uxmag.com/articles/personas-the-foundation-of-a-great-user-experience

Persona Analysis
Prior Deliverables
Stakeholder Analysis: The first goal is cater to user expectations. This goal highlights the importance of creating a user-friendly site. The second problem is streamline user workflow. This goal signifies the importance of creating a smooth hierarchy of information and developing a clean structure and navigation system. The third goal is to increase knowledge about job search. This goal identifies the importance of creating an accessible and optimized website. The site needs to run quickly and search functions need to work well or users will abandon the website for a better alternative. Heuristic Analysis: The first problem is simplicity. This problem explains the importance of developing an interface that users of any experience level can understand. The second problem is findability. This problem signifies the importance of making a smooth navigation system with optimized search features. The final problem is intuitiveness, which highlights the importance of removing redundancy and tailoring linguistics to the user. Usability Analysis: The first problem is that locating information takes a long time. This signifies the importance of creating a better navigation system that users can easily traverse. The second problem is that labeling is not intuitive. This identifies the need for linguistics to appeal to the user and for removing redundancy. The last problem is the lack of optimization. The site runs slow and users will find this inconvenient and use a site that can perform the same tasks more quickly. The search is also not optimized, which is important in the modern world of information.

Claimant Job Seeker: Beth

Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: Low Site Usage: High Web Saviness: High Use Cases 1. Finding a job based on her skills 2. Filing for her unemployment claim 3. Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 4. Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials

Non Claimant Job Seeker: Michelle

Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: Low Site Usage: High Web Saviness: Medium Use Cases 1. Finding a job without a fee based on her skills 2. Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 3. Finding classes to improve her skills 4. Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages

Employer: Gina
Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: High Site Usage: High Web Saviness: High Use Cases 1. Filing for UI taxes 2. Posting job oportunities 3. Finding quick bios about potential employees 4. Recieve and post forms

What is a Use Case?

A use case is a goal-orientated methodology that considers the interactions between users and a system. A set of use cases defines the user and outlines their needs.

Difference Between Tasks and Use Case

Tasks are used to determine the ability for different users to accomplish goals on the website. A use case, however, signifies an actual task that a specific user would want to perform. Use cases involve different personas, which have unique goals based on their situations. Tasks are brought to light by users for features they want, whereas use cases are used to evaluate if these tasks can be completed.

Persona Reflection
Claimant Job Seeker: Beth
Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: Low Site Usage: High Web Saviness: High Use Cases 1. Finding a job based on her skills 2. Filing for her unemployment claim 3. Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 4. Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials

Non Claimant Job Seeker: Michelle

Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: Low Site Usage: High Web Saviness: Medium Use Cases 1. Finding a job without a fee based on her skills 2. Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 3. Finding classes to improve her skills 4. Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages

Employer: Gina
Key Indicators ESD Knowledge: High Site Usage: High Web Saviness: High Use Cases 1. Filing for UI taxes 2. Posting job oportunities 3. Finding quick bios about potential employees 4. Recieve and post forms

Additional Resources
Site: Boxesandarrows URL: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/making_personas_more_powerful_details_to_drive_strategic_and_t actical_design Title: Making Personas more Powerful: Details to Drive Strategic and Tactical Design Comments: Very thorough and details the process of creating personas Site: Journal URL: http://www.cooper.com/journal/2001/08/perfecting_your_personas.html

Title: Perfecting your personas Comments: Discusses making personas that are great communication tools Site: Info Today URL: http://www.infotoday.com/online/jul03/head.shtml Title: Personas- Setting the Stage for Building Usable Information Sites Comments: Talks about company failures and successes Site: Grokdotcom URL: http://www.grokdotcom.com/topics/personastereotyping.htm Title: When you create personas, stay clear of stereotypes Comments: Much different than other articles, new perspective Site: User Interface Engineering URL: http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/05/18/yahoos-approach-to-keeping-personas-alive/ Title: Yahoo's Approach to Keeping Personas Alive Comments: Short, but important and discusses persona use throughout project

10 Thoughts for Future

1. Personas are not substitutes for other user testing, but a good extension 2. Personas are useful throughout the duration of the process, not just at the beginning 3. My analysis was actually good, perhaps change the structure to follow the outline 4. Personas are more effective if they seem realistic 5. Personas don't have to be realistic if the team is uncomfortable 6. In personas, identify the interests of the person and imagine what they would use the website for 7. Provide more detail in basics exercise, perhaps examples 8. Ensure that personas are not biased 9. Ensure personas are based off of research not assumptions 10. Tasks and Use Cases are different, remember definitions for next time

Content Inventory
Content Inventory Basics
What is it?
Content inventory is a method of logging information from a website when you plan to migrate the information to a new website. This information is then categorized and developed into the new hierarchy of the website. Content inventory should include the content title as well as the. . . Owner- Department, branch, or individual responsible for the item Type- Including articles, graphs, forms, systems, etc Format- Hard copy, electronic files, links, titles, etc Location- URL, hierarchy, or physical location Update Frequency- To determine the importance of the information Status- Whether or not the content is up to date, needs to be removed or created Notes- Special circumstances regarding the information Content inventory frequently is performed in a spreadsheet documents with columns representing pages and all underlying rows display the information on these pages.

Image Courteousy of verticalmeasures.com

Why would you do it?

Content inventory is used to ensure all vital information is relocated from the outdated website to the new website. Without content inventory, some information is bound to be lost. Alternatively, creating new information might not occur without realizing that this information was not on the original site. Finally, information that is outdated and useless could be unnecessarily relocated to the new website. Content inventory will also ensure the website is developed to cater to the user. Users will look for information and if this information has been lost or does not exist, they will look for a site that will deliver this information. Content inventory also maps out where the information will be located on the new website, ensuring that the navigation will be intuitive to the user. Creating this navigation scheme ahead of time also makes creating and organizing the information simple and quick. By having one person understand and analyze this information, there will be less redundancy, disorganized information, and navigational errors. The overall process aids in design, architecture, and content management.

Who participates?
Multiple departments are allowed to create individual inventories, but only one person should manage the final completed inventory list. This will avoid multiple analysts storing information in multiple locations and avoid other navigational issues. The person best suited for the job would be the IA team member or a hired specialist for content management.

Alternate Resources
Site: Web Content Strategy Title: How to conduct a content inventory URL: http://www.webcontentstrategy.com.au/how-to-conduct-a-content-inventory/ Comments: Shows more locations to pull information from Site: Vertical Measures Title: How To: Create and Use a Content Inventory URL: http://www.verticalmeasures.com/content-strategy/how-to-create-and-use-a-content-inventory-2011/ Comments: Great picture example and talks about utilizing the inventory

Content Inventory Analysis

CI of Sitemap

UI Claimant Use Cases and Key Items

1. Finding a job based on her skills 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource 3. Other opportunities for job seekers Filing for her unemployment claim 1. Apply for Unemployment Benefits 2. File a weekly claim 3. Claim unemployment benefits online 4. File weekly benefits claim online 5. Re-open your claim 6. Apply for benefits by phone Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training Programs 3. Workshops and Educations

2.

3.

4.

Non Claimant Use Cases and Key Items

1. Finding a job without a fee based on her skills 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource 3. Other opportunities for job seekers Finding classes to improve her skills 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training programs 3. On-the-Job training 4. Apprenticeships Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training Programs

2.

3.

4.

3.

Workshops and Educations

Employer Use Cases and Key Items

1. Filing for UI taxes 1. File and pay taxes 2. Tax Credits Posting job opportunities 1. Hire an employee Finding quick bios about potential employees 1. Hire an employee Recieve and post forms 1. Find forms and publications 2. Mandatory unemployment-insurance workplace poster 3. 5288C-1 - Report changes of basic business information 4. 5288C-2 - Report changes of business owners or officers 5. Unemployment-tax forms and publications 6. More forms and publications for businesses

2. 3. 4.

Content Inventory Reflection

CI of Sitemap

UI Claimant Use Cases and Key Items

1. Finding a job based on her skills 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource 3. Other opportunities for job seekers Filing for her unemployment claim 1. Apply for Unemployment Benefits 2. File a weekly claim 3. Claim unemployment benefits online 4. File weekly benefits claim online 5. Re-open your claim 6. Apply for benefits by phone Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 1. Find a job through

2.

3.

4.

2. Find a job through WorkSource Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training Programs 3. Workshops and Educations

Non Claimant Use Cases and Key Items

1. Finding a job without a fee based on her skills 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource 3. Other opportunities for job seekers Finding classes to improve her skills 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training programs 3. On-the-Job training 4. Apprenticeships Sorting potential jobs by hourly wages 1. Find a job through 2. Find a job through WorkSource Finding resume/interview advice and tutorials 1. WorkSource training programs 2. Training Programs 3. Workshops and Educations

2.

3.

4.

Employer Use Cases and Key Items

1. Filing for UI taxes 1. File and pay taxes 2. Tax Credits Posting job opportunities 1. Hire an employee Finding quick bios about potential employees 1. Hire an employee Recieve and post forms 1. Find forms and publications 2. Mandatory unemployment-insurance workplace poster 3. 5288C-1 - Report changes of basic business information 4. 5288C-2 - Report changes of business owners or officers 5. Unemployment-tax forms and publications 6. More forms and publications for businesses

2. 3. 4.

Alternate Resources
Site: Vertical Measures URL: http://www.verticalmeasures.com/content-strategy/how-to-create-and-use-a-content-inventory-2011/ Title: How To: Create and Use a Content Inventory Comments: Great diagram and brief explanation Site: Growing Venture Solutions URL: http://growingventuresolutions.com/blog/content-inventory-and-content-audit-views Title: Content Inventory and Content Audit with Views Comments: Much more in-depth Site: Volacci

URL: http://www.volacci.com/blog/luke-stenis/2010/august/11/how-conduct-content-audit-your-websitecontent-inventory Title: How to Conduct a Content Audit of Your Website - The Content Inventory Comments: Also more in-depth than other websites Site: Boxes and Arrows URL: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/content-analysis Title: Content Analysis Heuristics Comments: Much different than other articles, new perspective Site: Search Engine Marketing Group URL: http://sem-group.net/search-engine-optimization-blog/creating-a-content-inventory-to-improve-seo/ Title: How Creating a Content Inventory Can Improve Your SEO Comments: Short, but more focused on why

Taxonomy
Taxonomy Basics
What is it?
Taxonomy is a process in which you dissect the content inventory items and analyze words and phrases users might search for when trying to complete the tasks listed in the CI. These can include broad terms, narrow terms, synonyms, and any other logical associations a user might come up with. Taxonomy will also involve determining where the linguistics fit into the information architecture of the web pages. The whole process creates a hierarchy of information.

After this organization is completed, the development team can come to an agreement on the best or most widely recognized terms to utilize. The team will not always agree on one decision being the best, because everyone has a unique way of thinking, but narrowing the number of terms and creating a hierarchical navigation is achievable.

Why would you do it?

Creating a taxonomy is arguably the most essential part of website design because it will enforce that the website is intuitive to the vast majority of users. In order to keep a user on your website, they must find a term related to their goals within seconds of visiting your website. For example, if a user is searching for a job as a residential architect and they start at a homepage, a nice navigation might be. . . Job Seekers -> Full-Time -> Architecture -> Residential Taxonomy will also help to eliminate unnecessary redundancy because terms with similar meanings can be removed. For instance, it would be confusing to have two choices such as job seekers and looking for a job. This will lower user trust and potentially confuse them enough to leave the site. On the other hand, taxonomies can show the necessity of having two terms in different locations that lead to the same page.

Who participates?
The entire design team would be involved. It is necessary to have multiple inputs so that the view is not a perception or assumption by one person. Users are also involved. User surveys, personas, and usability testing can all have indications of vocabulary that might be used.

Alternate Resource
Site: Tech Republic URL: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/information-taxonomy-plays-a-critical-role-in-web-site-designand-search-processes/5054221 Title: Information taxonomy plays a critical role in Web site design and search processes Comments: Nice and detailed article

Taxonomy Analysis
Key Term Description

Key Term Organization

Taxonomy Reflection
Key Term Description

Key Term Organization

Alternate Resources
Site: Digital Web Magazine URL: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/better_living_through_taxonomies/ Title: Better Living Through Taxonomies Comments: Very understandable explanation Site: ZD Net URL: http://www.zdnetasia.com/how-to-create-effective-taxonomy-39190441.htm Title: How to create effective taxonomy Comments: Thorough with flowcharts Site: Old Dominion University URL: http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm Title: Bloom's Taxonomy Comments: Interesting Diagram Site: MSU URL: https://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/taxonomy.html Title: Taxonomy: Scientific Names Comments: Related to animals, but still a nice short article Site: Taxonomy Strategies URL: www.taxonomystrategies.com/presentations/Getting_Started.ppt Title: Getting Started Comments: Powerpoint, not directly related, but interesting and lengthy

10 Thoughts for Future

1. Taxonomy isn't a heiarchy of topics, but of lingustics 2. Taxonomy is very difficult, perhaps leave it to someone better with language 3. Make sure my analysis is complete on time so I can get feedback and modify for my reflection 4. If initial articles are unclear find better resources to learn from 5. Definitely ask classmates about language choices 6. Work backwards, Part 2 was easier to start with

7. Try to start with key verbs and have everything else under them 8. Think about taxonomy for my business website 9. If I ever do this in practice, hire a professional 10. Work with a team to brainstorm

Wireframes
Wireframes Basics
What is it?
A wireframe is a representation of final usability functions for a website. Typically, a wireframe would be a paper prototype or a testable computer interface without in depth design features. A wireframe should be detailed to the point where buttons are in chosen locations by a design team. They should not be detailed to the point where color choices, font sizes, etc are finalized.

Here is a great example of a homepage wireframe curteousy of Six Revisions. Wireframes are meant to determine whether or not key functionality has been covered and intuitively structured. Many times, part of the wireframe will be carried into the process of user testing on the paper prototypes. This determines unanswered questions about navigation and helps to acquire user feedback to make sure the site caters to the user.

Why would you do it?

Wireframes are used as a last measure of user testing. Wireframes need to be performed because, although previous decisions are made from analyzing the user, the product before the wireframe is still an estimate of what the user will need. By using wireframes, the user concerns and issues will be brought to light and final changes can be made to accommodate the user. Wireframes also highlight questions and issues that have not previously occurred in the user testing and other deliverables. This will avert future changes to the website while simultaneously logging a paper trail of the functional and design decisions in the project.

Who participates?
Users participate in Wireframe testing because the design team requires feedback about all the navigational decisions they have made throughout the project. The design team participates in the creation of the wireframes including someone who draws the wireframes up or creates them in Visio. Typically, a project manager or a professional would conduct the testing and observe users.

Alternate Resources
Site: Six Revisions URL: http://sixrevisions.com/user-interface/wireframing-benefits/ Title: The Benefits of Wireframing a Design Comments: Awesome article and examples