UX Myths
How I Structure Site Content
For the last few weeks we’ve been looking at information architecture. First with 8 principles of usability and then with some thoughts about setting up your site structure so search engines could find and understand your content. When I started I promised I would offer my own process for setting up the content structure on a site. First here are those other posts about information architecture to get you caught up in case you missed any. Bear in mind that much of what follows is the process I use when I have complete control over the information on a site. That usually means it’s one of my own sites. My process with structuring a client’s site will end up being a little different than what’s described here, though I’ll follow as much of the process below as the client allows. My Process When it’s entirely up to me what content will be included on a site and how that content will be organized I run through the same process. The majority of my time goes into the first 3 items above. Pruning
Evolutionary architecture and emergent design: Evolutionary architecture
Way back in the very first installment of this series, I suggested some definitions for architecture in the software world. However, if you've been reading this whole series (and if you're not my mother, I thank you for that!), you've noticed that I've spent most of my time on design. This installment rectifies the lack of material about agile architecture. Distinguishing architecture from design Martin Fowler's definition of architecture (from conversations with him) is my favorite: Architecture is the stuff that's hard to change later. You can think of the interaction between architecture and design as the relationship shown in Figure 1: Figure 1. The architecture of a software system forms the foundation upon which everything else sits, represented in Figure 1 as gray boxes. The corollary to Fowler's definition of architecture is that you should construct the architectural elements so that they become easier to replace if you really need to. Figure 2. Figure 3. Back to top Build vs. buy
You’re not a user experience designer if…
The UX field is booming. It seems like the number of user experience practitioners has doubled in the last year — from newbies who’ve just entered the workforce, to mid-career changes, to folks who’ve been doing this all along but finally found out what to call themselves. It’s incredibly reassuring to finally see a long overdue interest in user experience practice; after all, that’s what many of us have spent our careers fighting for. I started this blog to give greater insight into how we think, how we work, and how we benefit customers and companies alike. I consider myself lucky to be among many professionals who speak at conferences around the world in an effort to bring UX into the mainstream. And it’s working! There’s just one problem: not everyone calling themselves a user experience designer is actually a user experience designer. But how does a user experience designer demonstrate their user experience designing? You’re not a user experience designer if… Related Posts:
Information Architecture: Enhancing the User Experience | Webdes
Defined as ‘the structural design of shared information environments’, information architecture focuses on bringing the principles of architectural design to the online world. Just like the blueprints of a dream home or the outline of a well-written article, good website structure organizes information in a way that enhances the user experience and delivers pertinent information as quickly as possible. In fact, most website visitors only become aware of information architecture when it is poor and stops them from finding the information they require. Read on for more details and a case study. Why Is It Important? Even an optimized site with sleek design and compelling copy can fall flat without sound information architecture. For example, Starbucks offers two free hours of Wi-Fi in their cafes with your registered Starbucks card, but the actual process of registering and getting online is so confusing, it’s enough to send you to the competition. Case Study – Vancouver Bike Repair 1. 2. 3.
Structure de site Internet : comment faire ?
La structure d’un site a un impact énorme sur le référencement naturel. Une mauvaise conception pose problème: perte de positionnement, contenus non indexés, incompréhension du visiteur… La solution est d’adopter le plus tôt possible une structure adaptée pour votre site. Arborescence générale Avant même de parler technique, il faut parler de contenus et de cibles. A qui votre site s’adresse, pour répondre à quels besoins, avec quels outils ou quels contenus ? Dans l’ordre, voici les points clés de la structure de votre site Internet : Quel type de site utiliser ? La dernière question est sans doute la plus épineuse. lister tous les contenus (actuels ou à venir) de votre site webles regrouper en catégoriesles structurer Rien de tel qu’une image pour mieux comprendre : Le problème, c’est que cette structure dépend de votre point de vue. La méthode du tri des cartes et les personas La méthode de tri des cartes implique une aide extérieure. L’html et structure Les balises html La page plan de site
Metadata design pattern for the web
Written by Brian Cray on October 1st, 2010 The Web is shifting. Web pages are no longer silos of information. Twitter, Facebook, and blogs are adding conversations to the web, and those conversations are context for web content that can potentially provide an amazing amount of value to users. The major shift began when people could begin commenting on diaries with Open Diary in 1998 and growing quickly in popularity when Google bought Blogger in 2003. Today, conversations are happening everywhere, and more people are joining in every day. New problem: Conversations are silos But now conversations are falling into silos. But why do I care what others are saying? Twitter redesign is tearing down the silos Twitter's redesign is beginning to unlock this potential. After the redesign I instantly see what others are saying, who said it first, and even a peak at what's being discussed when I click on a tweet. Others want to demolish the walls, too Building a design pattern for metadata Applications
Presenting Information Architecture
Site planning with a team is often easier if you base your major structural planning and decisions on a shared master site diagram that all members of the group can work with. The site diagram should evolve as the plan evolves and act as the core planning document as changes are proposed and made in the diagram. Site diagrams are excellent for planning both the broad scope of the site and the details of where each piece of content, navigation, or interactive functionality will appear. For major planning meetings consider printing at least one large diagram of the site organization, so that everyone can see the big picture as it develops from meeting to meeting. The site diagram should dominate the conference table, becoming a tactile, malleable representation of the plan. Site diagrams Figure 3.10 — Jesse James Garrett’s visual vocabulary for site design diagrams. Major elements of a mature site diagram include: Site file and directory structures Wireframes
