[IA] Week 14. Synthesis

Lecture 14

Synthesis

Information Architecture / IID 2016 Fall Class hours : Tuesday 3pm – 7pm Lecture room : International Campus Veritas Hall B306 6th December

DESIGNING CROSS-CHANNEL USER EXPERIENCES

Chapter 9

Lecture #14 IID_Information Architecture 2

Luca introduces a gastronomic interlude


FIGURE 9.1 J. Bentham, Panopticon.

THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF INFORMAT ION ARCHITECTURE


FIGURE 9.2 The two dimensions of information architecture.

Integrating the Social and the Information Layers


Paradigmatic and syntagmatic - Linguistics and semiotics refer to what we call the

vertical and horizontal axes as paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations: the former

expressing the relationship between any item occurring in a sentence and all the other

items that might take its place in that same sentence; the latter expressing the

relationship between any item in the sentence and the contiguous ones by which this is

variously influenced. For instance, in the sentence “I’m buying a piece of furniture for my

office,” “piece of furniture” has a paradigmatic relation to terms such as chair, armchair,

whiteboard, table, and so on. These could all be used in the phrase instead of furniture.

In that same sentence, instead, “I,” “am,” and “buying” are connected via a syntagmatic

relation, as each of those items requires the other: the verbal form present continuous

requires to be + -ing; the first person “I” requires “am” and vice versa: you cannot say “I

are buying” or “I am buy,” at least if you want to follow the rules.

Beyond Flatland


FIGURE 9.3 From two-dimensional to three-dimensional information architecture.

Into The Fourth Dimension


FIGURE 9.4 The cover of the first edition of Flatland. Source: The Internet Archive.



FIGURE 9.5 Historypin, an application that overlays Google Street View imagery with historical photos, is an early and interesting example of timeflattening and present–past convergence. Screenshot from Historypin.com.



FIGURE 9.6 “555 Kubik,” a performance by Urban Screen, is a beautiful example of physical–digital convergence. Screenshot from Urbanscreen.com.

Bringing It All Back Home


FIGURE 9.7 Heuristics, User tasks, and Channels in a flat swim lane diagram.



FIGURE 9.8 The CHU cube. The elements on the three axes are channels (C), here Paper, Mobile, Shop, Web, heuristics (H), and user tasks (U), here Task 1-n.


• that specific heuristic is not considered relevant in that channel

• that specific heuristic is not considered relevant for that user task: for

example, correlation (as opposed to place-making) at log-in

• that specific user task is not relevant or even existing in that channel:

for example (and for now), printing from a mobile application




FIGURE 9.9 Slicing up the cube. It is interesting to note how the central slice is a basic rendition of Jesse James Garrett’s diagram from Chapter 1 inside this model.


• Place-making

– establishes a clear difference between the concepts of space and place: the latter is a

nongeometric entity that expresses experiential content, shaped and modeled by the

interactions and emotional attachments of the people living it.

• Consistency

– introduces the idea of salience. Consistency is not an abstract measure, but a

pragmatical and empirical goal resulting from the continuously changing pressure

exerted by people and their needs, wants, and beliefs on the system.

• Resilience,

– reduction, and correlation all insist on the active role of the user, of the user’s

preferences, and of the user’s behavior in shaping the final experience. Pervasive

information architectures change, reshape themselves, and open up new paths in

response to user action.




FIGURE 9.10 The urban performance “White Page” by Art Kitchen: a wonderful metaphor of a “writable world” and of user-generated information architecture. Screenshot from Artkitchen.it.

Case Studies: The Pervasive Supermarket

• A number of steps

1. Getting information about current products and offers

2. Building a shopping list

3. Getting to the supermarket

4. Parking the car

5. Fetching a cart

6. Navigating the shop

7. Finding products

8. Queuing and paying


Place-making


FIGURE 9.14 Enhanced cross-channel way-finding reinforces a sense of being there and helps customers feel at home. Image: A. Falcinelli.

Consistency

• a hierarchical-enumerative model on the first level (a taxonomy)

• a faceted model on the second level

– The faceted scheme on the second level allows us to address several mental

models at the same time, enabling users to access the elements of a given

collection from different points of view, in this case, the products and related

pieces of information in our supermarket.

– Faceted classification is widely used today in applications such as iTunes, on

devices such as the iPod, and on Web sites, where it seems to be all the rage

for online shops. On the Web it is often simplified and used as part of a general,

at times implicit, taxonomy. A good example of a classification system mixing

taxonomies and facets on the Web is the grocery market at Amazon Grocery &

Gourmet Food


Consistency


FIGURE 9.15 Amazon Grocery & Gourmet Food employs a mixed classification system consisting of a full-fledged taxonomy at the first level and a faceted classification at the second level for improved findability.

Consistency


FIGURE 9.16 WineM by ThingM: an example of faceted classification applied to retail. Screenshot from Thingm.com.

https://vimeo.com/19185576

Resilience


FIGURE 9.17 Use of mobile computing in the pervasive supermarket helps refind paths, customize the shopping experience, and receive ad hoc suggestions. Image: A. Falcinelli.

refind and retrace paths and shopping tasks

we have already used in the past, regardless

of the channel in which they were created

customize our shopping experience by

checking our Web profile, if any, or our past

shopping carts, allowing us to save time and

money

share our histories and profiles with family,

friends, or peers

Reduction


FIGURE 9.18 A focus and magnify strategy (step 1) reduces the paradox of choice, allowing customers to focus their attention only on those products that match their interests or profiles. Image: A. Falcinelli.

Reduction


FIGURE 9.18 A focus and magnify strategy (step 2) reduces cognitive overload by allowing people to expand their choices only after having first zoomed in to their niche of interest. Image: A. Falcinelli.

Going CHU


Table 9.1 User Task “Navigating the Shop” Rendered in Table Format for Our Sample 1U aH aC slice (Heuristics on the Y Axis, Channels on the X Axis)

Store Print Web Mobile

Place-making Color code aisles and shelves. Provide visible unambiguous visual cues. Consider different types of users and mobility.

Respect color codes. Respect the physical layout of the store. Tie individual products to both their placement in the store and their findability online. Provide maps.

Make people feel at home. Translate the physical layout into clear information architecture. Use established labels, colors, and fonts. Provide maps.

If providing in-store navigation, rely on established conventions for labels, colors, and fonts. Augment the sense of place with in-context information when in-store. Provide premade paths.

Consistency Use colors, surfaces, labeling, and signage in a way that considers shopping and user goals. Verify labels and names and use them consistently.

Resilience Allow more than one path to products. Do not build oneway paths. Allow for shortcuts. Consider variations from the standard aisle model.

Allow people to customize their experience, but do not vary the mental model established with place-making and in other channels. Store preferences. Offer more than one way to find information.

Provide people with histories of their choices on the fly. Make these aware of current choices and offer suggestions for missing/needed products.

Reduction Use the physical layout of the shop and signage to build meaningful clusters of products. Use aisle height.

Only print those products and lines of products that are relevant for the current customer/time/supermarket. Link to other channels for more.

Provide the full catalog, but use strategies to offer information incontext.

Be contextual. Mobile moves with the customer. No need to provide info on products not currently available, for example.

Correlation Place products where they are needed, even if this means having them around.

Suggest theme, goal, and price couplings.

Suggest best buys, couplings, and social recommendations and allow printouts.

Link products according to social and on-the-fly input, for example, from staff (sales or sold-outs).

More Tables


More Tables


More Tables


More Tables


More Tables


Final Review

• Date/Time/Duration

– Tuesday, 13th December 2015

– 3:00 – 4:50 pm

– 20 mins for each team [15 min Presentation/ 5 min Q&A ]

• Final Presentation (13th December)

– Presentation Document (Powerpoint and Team Blog)

• System Concept Statement

• Place-making, Consistency, Resilience, Reduction, and Correlation Strategies

• Menu Hierarchy

• Journey Map / Storyboard

– Concept Movie

– Prototype (if you have any)


Education

[IA] Week 14. Synthesis