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The eighth class of a 15 week course in Information Architecture taught at Parsons, the New School for Design. Topics include: How to have a great conversation, interviewing basics, and how to write questions that get good answers.
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Class 8:Understanding what it is like to not understand
Instructor: Abby Covert
Last Class we...
–Talked about the use of heuristic evaluations in the information architecture process–Learned 10 actionable principles of heuristics to use in
our evaluations–Got homework to heuristically evaluate a current system
involved in your project’s problem space–Got homework to individually conduct some interview
based research–Then we had a hurricane! Holy moly.
2
Heuristics Check-in!
• How did everyone’s evaluation go?–Which principles were easy to understand? –Which principles were NOT easy to understand?–What was your biggest discovery?
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Research Check-in!
• How did everyone’s research with users go?–What questions were hard to ask?–What questions were hard to get answered?–What did you struggle with?–What was easy?–What would you do differently?
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everything is complex
I intend to because I believe
facilitate understanding organize meaning, create clarity and establish truth
put the what before the how
make the unclear clear
information architect
understanding is always good but it is equally important to not understand
clarity is a prerequisite of truth
I am an
by: Abby Covert & Dan Klyn
architecture frames problems, design solves them
support goals, makers and users
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When you speak to someone, they don’t
understand the world the same way that you do.
...Or you wouldn’t need to talk to them.
You have to learn what it is like to not understand things the way you do today. To see things through their eyes.
Make that your goal.
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The key to understanding
what it is like to not understand
is to listen.
How do you have a great conversation?
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Remember: you have two ears and only one mouth
Listen twice as much as you speak.
Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening”
How do you have a great conversation?
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Remember: Don’t formulate your answers while the
other person is speaking.
Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening”
How do you have a great conversation?
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Remember: Don’t fill silence needlessly. A moment of silence can be the most revealing part.
Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening”
How do you have a great conversation?
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Remember: Don’t step on other people’s thoughts. the
person who starts the sentence should end it.
Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening”
How do you have a great conversation?
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Remember: Spend equal energy listening and talking.
Most people spend more energy talking.
Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening”
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Biased Questions
Don’t you agree that campus parking is a problem?
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Questions that assume what they ask.
There are many people that agree that campus parking is an
issue. Are you one of them?
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Double-Barreled questions.
Do you agree that campus parking is a problem and that the
administration should be working diligently on a solution?
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Vague questions.
What do you think about parking?
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Wordy questions.
Do you believe that the parking situation on campus is problematic or difficult because of lack of
spaces and the walking distance or do you believe that the
parking....
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
How do you have ask the right questions?
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Remember: Avoid Unrelated questions.
Have you ever encountered parking problems in the parking
garage on campus? Do you like the bus system?
Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”http://owl.english.purdue.edu
Framing a great conversation
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Remember: Write a well formulated guide when
interviewing. Question Flow is important.
✓ Position - Establish where this person sits in the space you are exploring
✓ Convictions - Understand what they believe to be true and why
✓ Doubts - Understand what they have a hard time believing, what makes them nervous and why
✓ Color - Ask anything else that will help to color in their responses to their previous questions
✓ Questions - Always let them ask you questions. Sometimes the best stuff comes out from what they ask you
What time is it?
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Workshop!–Write an interview guide for each of the interviews
you can conduct with people you have access to–Write a survey to send out to people you have
access to
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Homework!–Conduct research (conduct interviews, send out
surveys) and come to the next class ready to formulate findings
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