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ILS 656 Information Architecture Syllabus
Spring 2007
NOTE: Please print a copy of this page and keep it nearby for ready reference.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSEWORK
Web-based services are becoming more common among libraries, whether public, academic, school, or special. These websites are also getting larger and more complex. Users often cannot find the information they need on the website and webmasters are more challenged to effectively develop and maintain their growing and evolving sites. Information Architecture is a theory-based course that will provide an overview of the concepts and practices of information architecture (IA) and also provide students the opportunity to develop practical skills related to information architecture through application of the theories studied to human-centered design of websites.
This course presents an overview of the concepts and practices of information architecture (IA). Students will develop an understanding of the concepts of IA through reading the existing literature related to IA and we will reinforce those concepts by building complex web sites for real organizations that reflect our best understanding of the organizations mission, processes, goals, clients, suppliers. Students will form IA teams, identify a client, and design and build a web presence for the client.
The preferred way to submit assignments for this course is through a student-designed and maintained website. All enrolled students are generated a MySCSU account which includes the ability to mount a website on the university's server. Students may choose to mount a website on other servers, provided it is publicly accessible to other members of the class and the professor. For those who are not yet proficient at website construction, try Professor Drott's 8 Minute HTML tutorial ["Here is where beginners can learn all that they need to know to write html in eight easy one-minute lessons."].
REQUIRED TEXT AND RESOURCES
Rosenfeld, L. &, Morville, P. (2007). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites (3rd ed.). O'Reilly & Associates. [ISBN-13: 978-0-596-52734-1 $39.99]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
An overview of the concepts and practices of information architecture (IA). Students will develop an understanding of the concepts of IA through reading the existing literature related to IA and we will reinforce those concepts by building complex web sites for real organizations that reflect our best understanding of the organizations mission, processes, goals, clients, suppliers. Students will form IA teams, identify a client, and design and build a web presence for the client.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this course students will to able to:
- Author web pages, and design web sites
- Verbalize the mission of a web site within the context of the organization it serves
- Use research methods to better understand the environment within which a website will be created or revised
- Develop navigation systems, labeling systems, and taxonomies for web sites
- Articulate and apply the principles of information architecture
- Coherently discuss the meaning of the term, "information architecture"
- Apply the principles of information architecture to a real situation
- Create a report describing and making recommendations for web site design.
PRE-REQUISITES & REQUIREMENTS
Prerequisites: ILS 501 or good working knowledge of html with permission from the instructor.
COURSE CALENDAR
- Section I Introduction [Weeks 1-2]
- Week 1 Course Overview and Introductory Concepts [1/22-1/26]
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapter 1
Garrett, J. J. The elements of user experience
- Due: personal introduction and URL for individual website (for submitting coursework)
notify the professor of preferred week(s) to lead seminar discussion
notify professor if any part of the syllabus is not clear or seems to be contradictory
- Week 2 Introduction to Structured Documents and Metadata [1/29-2/2]
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 2, 3
Garrett, J.J. Meet the elements
- Section II Basics of Information Architecture [Weeks 3-5]
- Week 3 Definitions, User Studies, Tasks, Tools [2/5-2/9]
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 4, 5
Shedroff, N. Unified field theory of design
- Week 4 Organizing, Navigation, and Labeling [2/12-2/15]
Presidents' Holiday Recess 2/16
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 6, 7
Bates, M. Design of browsing & berrypicking techniques
- Week 5 Searching, Controlled Vocabulary & Thesauri, and Classification [2/20-2/23]
Presidents' Holiday Recess 2/19
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 8, 9
Berners-Lee, T., Hendler, J., & Lassila, O. The semantic web
Merholz, P. Innovation in classification
Fast, K., Leise, F., & Steckel, M. Facets & controlled vocabularies
- Section III Analysis Process [Weeks 6-7]
- Week 6 Research Strategy, Content, and Context [2/26-3/2]
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 10, 11
Nielsen, J. Don't listen to users
Willis, D. Classic IA tools
- Due: Mid-term project report (Concept Paper)
- Week 7 Concept/Content/Context/Process Mapping [3/5-3/9]
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapter 12
Fraser, J. C. Taking a content inventory
Adaptive Path. Sample deliverables
- Section IV Design Process [Weeks 8-10]
- Week 8 Blueprints, Wireframes, Site Responsibility [3/12-3/16]
Spring Break 3/19-25
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 13, 14, 15, 16
Garrett, J. J. Ia/recon
Porter, M. Strategy and the internet
- Week 9 Teams, Documentation [3/26-3/29]
Spring Break 3/19-25
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 17, 18,19
Shirky, C. Social software and the politics of groups
Morville, P. Social network analysis
- Week 10 Content Management Systems [4/2-4/5]
Day of Reflection 4/6
- Read: Rosenfeld & Morville chapters 20, 21
Morville, P. Ambient findability
Saffo, P. Untangling the future
- Section V Usability and Branding [Weeks 11-12]
- Week 11 Usability Testing [4/9-4/13]
- Read: TBA
- Week 12 Testing Content and Branding [4/16-4/20]
- Read: TBA
- Section VI [Week 13] : Final Project Presentations
- Week 13 Final project Presentations [4/23-4/27]
- Due: Final project and report
GENERAL POLICIES
Each student will
- assume responsibility for your learning
- use the provided learning guides and resources; conduct data
searches when necessary
- manage your time effectively (plan a schedule and practice
time management)
- ask for assistance when you need it; avoid unnecessary frustration
and confusion
- remain active in the Message Center, Email, threaded discussions and
other activities
- prepare all work at graduate performance levels
- follow good online etiquette
The instructor will
- provide assistance/knowledge in facilitating understanding of the
course content
- guide students through the course
- facilitate discussion through questioning, probing, examples, etc.
- provide feedback
- maintain records
- mark exams/assignments and maintain records within 15 working days
- respond to messages on Tuesdays and Thursdays
GRADING POLICIES
Seminar participation. The organization of the course is seminar style. Each student will prepare a summary of a reading unit and lead a review discussion of the material. Each student will also prepare a summary of a related topic of their choice and lead a discussion of the topic. [Seminar participation is 1/3 of the final course grade.]
Mid-term project report (Concept Paper). In the project report/concept paper you will: 1) Identify mission and goals, 2) Identify the client's vision, 3) Define the audience, 4) Create a content inventory, 5) Identify the server environment, 6) Create site maps, 7) Create content maps, 8) Design page schematics, and 9) Define constructive processes. [The mid-term team project report is 1/3 of the final course grade.]
Final project and report. [The final project report is 1/3 of the final course grade.]
(OPTIONAL) Write a brief (no more than one page) summary of your background. You may write about your family, early education, employment, and/or personal interests. Discuss a recent, frustrating search for information. What was frustrating about the search? What would have made it less frustrating? Introductions are to be posted in the threaded discussion area under the thread marked "Introductions." [The introduction is optional and will not comprise any part of the final grade.]
[After Stephen Downes October 20, 1999 post to MM Newsletter]
The output of the IA team's work during the first half of the course will be a report (Concept Paper) consisting of the following components:
- Identify Mission and Goals
Learn about your client and about your client's business/industry 1) to identify those tasks and functions that would be facilitated with a web presence and 2) to articulate the purpose of the web site. Clearly ascribe a function to the site. The site mission and goals need to be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis. The team may need to rethink the site's purpose during each step of the design process.
- Identify the Client's Vision
What is the concept or vision of what the client thinks the website should look and feel like. Where there are multiple clients, there will be multiple (and sometimes contradictory) visions. It is not always possible to identify common elements. In such a case, a vision must be constructed out of elements of each client's perspective and - in a way - 'sold' to the clients.
- Define the Audience
The 'audience' of a web site is the group or groups of people who will actually use the site. It is important to identify an audience because it will be important to determine what people will want to do when they're on the site. If, for example, people will visit the site daily for news and current events, then this information must be easily accessible, and not buried in some deep recess. Often, there will be more than one audience. A corporate site, for example, may be intended to serve both employees and customers. And while their interests may overlap (they may both need product information, for example), they will often have different interests and priorities.
- Create a Content Inventory
Identify what the site should contain, given the established purpose and audience. The creation of a content inventory is often subject to practical considerations. If it is not possible to produce the content required - daily activity summaries, say - then such content should not be included in the inventory. A content inventory is often a 'wish list' of what all clients and all customers would like to see contained in the site.
- Identify the Server Environment
At this point, hard decisions need to be made about the technology that will deliver the content. This may include the selection of a service provider, or it may include the selection of server operating system and software. These decisions are driven in part by the nature of the content - rapidly changing content will require database support, for example, while visual content may require a streaming media server. The choice of technology is also driven by budget considerations. While the information architect should be involved in the drafting of the budget, he or she almost never determines the amount of money available for the project. This at this point the information architect must identify the range of possibilities within the budgeted amount, and amend the content inventory accordingly.
- ) Create Site Maps
The 'site map' identifies the route that potential users of the site will travel. Key to this is the identification of which resources will be available from the front page, and which resources will be deeper in the site. A variety of site organizational styles is possible; the choice or an organizational style will depend on the purpose of the site and the site audiences. For example, a site that is primarily focused toward group discussion should provide frequent and quick links directly into the discussion itself. Sites that focus on presenting information should place this information front and center. (The design of a site map also draws upon elements of usability. Any site map should be tested against actual users in order to identify intuitive navigational flows.)
- Create Content Maps
A 'content map' is a description of the site content as it might appear to a database. Content maps should sort the data by type and identify any properties or relationships inherent in the data. Content maps are sent to the database guru for programming. They also suggest links that may not be obvious in the site map. For example, the site map may suggest paths leading to corporate staff and corporate products; the content map (which tells you that every product has staff, and that all staff work on products) will suggest links between product pages and staff pages. The content map also serves to ensure that important content is not omitted from the site. If an item in the content inventory cannot be placed into a classification in the content map, then the content map (and probably the site map) must be revised to reflect this gap.
- Design Page Schematics
Once different types of content are identified, the information architect must consider how it will be displayed on a web page. Elements of usability are again considered, as well as the nature of the content and the nature of the audience. Page schematics may vary from drawing to sketches to block diagrams. They are a first run at organizing the display of information so it is easy to read and visually pleasing.
- Define Constructive Processes
At this point, the site is ready to turn over to the programmers, writers and artists. Each of these three groups of people will have to work within the original plan. The information architect should create a clear set of design parameters for each group. Writers should be informed not only about what they will write, but also about the writing style they should employ, the length and division of contributions, and even the font selection likely to be used in the final version. Graphic Designers should be given a set of objects for design - everything from buttons to a logo to a masthead - and also informed of the client's preferences, the architect's vision, and the user's needs. The HTML programmers and other coders need to know the desired functionality of the site. If the architect expects the page to resize for different browsers, for example, this should be documented. A production schedule identifying completion targets and dates should be drafted, and communication between the three groups of people facilitated. (Ongoing testing and client review should be performed to keep the design on track.)
The journal is a non-graded assignment in which the student, a specified intervals, comments on the course. Four entries are requested:
- Write a narrative describing what you expect to gain from this course, your feelings about online versus onground courses, and why you chose to study online during this semester. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "BEGINNING REFLECTIONS - FIRST WEEK OF CLASS".
- Write a narrative describing what you have gained from this course so far, your feelings toward this mode of instruction, and problems you may have encountered--including any solutions you may have already found. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "THIRD WEEK REFLECTIONS -- date".
- Write a narrative describing your current feelings toward this mode of instruction, and any problems or successes you have had since the third week's journal entry. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "REFLECTIONS FROM THE MIDDLE - date".
- Write a narrative describing your current feelings toward this mode of instruction, and highlight problems or successes you have had over the course of the semester. An overall critique of the course and suggestions on how it can be improved for future classes would be appreciated. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "REFLECTIONS FROM THE END - date".
Journal entries should be submitted to the instructor during the first, third, sixth, and thirteenth weeks.
All assignments will be graded on a 6-point scale where 6=Outstanding, 5=Strong, 4=Adequate, 3=Limited, 2=Seriously flawed, 1= Fundamentally deficient, and 0=Unable to evaluate. This scoring convention is after the GRE Scoring Guide. Adapted and in more detail this is:
- 6 Outstanding.
- Presents a cogent, well-articulated/presented response to the assignment and demonstrates mastery of the elements of effective writing/presentation. The work typically: develops the assignment with insightful reasons and/or persuasive examples, sustains a well-focused, well-organized discussion/presentation, expresses ideas clearly and precisely, uses language fluently with varied sentence structure and effective vocabulary, demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor flaws
- 5 Strong.
- Presents a well-developed assignment and demonstrates a strong control of the elements of effective writing/presentation. The work typically: develops the assignment with well-chosen reasons and/or examples, is focused and generally well organized, expresses ideas clearly and well, uses varied sentence structure and appropriate vocabulary, demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor flaws
- 4 Adequate.
- Presents a competent rendering of the assignment. The work typically: develops the assignment with relevant reasons and/or examples, is adequately organized, expresses ideas clearly, demonstrates adequate control of language but may lack sentence variety and/or may have some flaws in standard written English.
- 3 Limited.
- Demonstrates some competence in fulfilling the assignment but is clearly flawed. Exhibits one or more of the following: vague or limited development of the assignment, weak in the use of relevant reasons or examples, poorly focused and/or poorly organized, has problems expressing ideas clearly, uses language imprecisely and/or lacks sentence variety and/or contains occasional major errors or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics
- 2 Seriously Flawed.
- Demonstrates serious weakness in fulfilling the assignment. Exhibits one or more of the following: is unclear or seriously limited in developing the assignment, provides few relevant reasons or example, is unfocused and/or disorganized, contains numerous errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that severely interferes with meaning
- 1 Fundamentally Deficient.
- Exhibits one or more of the following: contains numerous errors in content, either of omission or accuracy or both; provides little evidence of the ability to develop or organize a coherent response to the assignment; pervasive pattern of errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that severely interferes with meaning
- 0 Unable to be evaluated.
- Not submitted on time or off assignment or merely copies the assignment
GRADE EQUIVALENTS
- 5.5-6=A
- 4.5-5=B
- 3.5-4=C
- 2.5-3=D
- below 2.5=F
Each student is expected to participate in weekly online discussions and activities. Each student will be responsible for leading a number of online discussions based on assigned and supplementary readings.
Attendance is automatically monitored and recorded by the OnlineCSU courseware.
While it is expected that every student will participate regularly, there may be times when illness, official university activities, etc., force a student to miss a day(s) of online activity. Final course grades may be lowered for each unexcused absence from online activity. Attendance for the purpose of this course is defined as a combination of frequency and duration of activity in any given week. A student who does not participate--or participates only marginally--in any one week can expect to have their final grade lowered by 10% for each week of "absence" from the course. For example, a student does not participate for a week and has not received written permission from the instructor for the absence; if the student's grade would otherwise be an "A" (4.0), it is now an A- (3.7) and if the student's grade would otherwise be an "A-" (3.7), it is now a B+ (3.3). [A=4.0; A-=3.7-3.9; B+=3.3=3.6; B=3.0-3.2; any average below 3.0 (B) is below expected graduate level performance.]
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