UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
School of Information Studies
INFOST 717
Information Architecture
SYLLABUS
Some specifics in readings, schedule, assignments, and/or evaluation may change each semester
Instructor:
Steven J. Miller
[email protected]
E-mail:
Office Hours: Online: via email
Location: NWQB 2584
Phone:
414-229-6640
Fax:
414-229-6699
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to information architecture and user experience design, focusing on designing user-centered
organization, labeling, navigation, search, metadata, and knowledge organization systems for websites.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces students to the core concepts, practices, and resources of the interdisciplinary
fields of information architecture (IA) and user experience design (UXD). IA deals with structuring a website’s
content for findability and usability through the creation of consistent user-centered taxonomies, labels, global
and local navigation systems, internal website search functionality, metadata, and structured vocabularies.
UXD consists of information architecture, interaction design, and user research, all of which are covered in this
course, although the last two to a lesser extent than the first. IA is concerned with the logical and information
design in contrast to the physical or visual design of websites. IA researches and models website users,
content, and business or organizational context.
Students will first learn how to critically analyze existing websites from an informed information
architectural perspective. They will go on to learn about various kinds of IA research, conduct a website
usability test, and create a website strategy and design. Among various concrete deliverables, students will
create a usability test report , a conceptual sitemap/blueprint diagram, several kinds of webpage mock-up
wireframe diagrams for web browser and mobile device displays, a portion of an interactive website
prototype, and in the end tie these together in an information architecture design report that can also serve as
a kind of portfolio when job seeking. Having studied information architecture, you will never look at a website
the same way as you did before! You will notice how well or poorly a site is “architected” and follows IA and
UXD principles.
PREREQUISITES:
Required:
o Successful completion of L&I SCI 511 Organization of Information, or consent of instructor.
o MLIS Computer Literacy Requirements:
http://www4.uwm.edu/sois/programs/graduate/mlis/complitreq.cfm
Recommended:
o Completion of L&I SCI 571 (Information Access and Retrieval).
OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Articulate the parameters and principles of information architecture as an area of applied practice;
2. Become aware of and consult some of the major professional information architecture resources;
Information Architecture Syllabus
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3. Identify, critically analyze, and design organization, labeling, navigation, and search systems for webbased user interfaces, with an emphasis on institutional, e-commerce, and business enterprise
websites and intranets;
4. Identify, analyze, and design knowledge organization systems, such as controlled lists, synonym rings,
taxonomies, thesauri, and faceted navigation, for integration into the information architecture systems
and structures of websites and intranets;
5. Analyze and design metadata schemes for database-driven websites and intranets, or for databasedriven applications within websites and intranets;
6. Articulate the basic principles of user-centered design, usability, and usability testing, and employ
some of their tools;
7. Produce high-level, low-fidelity site maps, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and an overall strategy
for the information architecture design of a website;
8. Create a professional Information architecture design report incorporating major IA deliverables
creating during the course of the semester.
COMPETENCIES:
ALA’s Core Competences of Librarianship (2009):
Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information:
• 3A. The principles involved in the organization and representation of recorded knowledge and information.
• 3B. The developmental, descriptive, and evaluative skills needed to organize recorded knowledge and
information resources.
• 3C. The systems of cataloging, metadata, indexing, and classification standards and methods used to
organize recorded knowledge and information.
http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/sites/ala.org.educationcareers/files/content/careers/corecomp/corecom
petences/finalcorecompstat09.pdf:
METHOD:
Online content and video presentations/lectures, learning exercises, discussions.
Students with needs should contact the instructor as early as possible for accommodations. See the Secretary
of the University’s website for complete policies:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/faculty/1895R3_Uniform_abus_Policy.pdf.
WORKLOAD:
Students should expect to spend on average 8-10 hours a week on class-related activities such as readings,
discussions, lectures, and assignments.
TEXTS, READINGS, AND RESOURCES:
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Morville, Peter, and Louis Rosenfeld. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. 3rd Edition.
O'Reilly, 2006. ISBN: 0596527349. Also available as an e-book.
Krug, Steve. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. 3rd
Edition. New Riders Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0321965516. Also available as an e-book.
RECOMMENDED (NOT REQUIRED):
Unger, Russ, and Carolyn Chandler. 2012. A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in
the field or in the making. 2nd Edition. New Riders. ISBN: 978-0321815385. Also avail. as e-book.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS:
Atherton, Mike. 2011. "Beyond the Polar Bear." Slideshare. http://www.slideshare.net/reduxd/beyond-thepolar-bear
ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005. Guidelines for the Construction, Format, and Management of Monolingual Controlled
Vocabularies. Section 5 (p. 10-20). Posted on the course site.
Axure RP Flow Diagrams tutorial: http://www.axure.com/learn/flow-diagrams
Barker, Iain. 2005. “What is Information Architecture?” KM Column. May.
http://www.steptwo.com.au/files/kmc_whatisinfoarch.pdf
Boiko, Bob. 2005a. "Defining Data, Information, and Content: A CM Domain White Paper." Posted on course site.
Boiko, Bob. 2005b. "Working with Metadata: A CM Domain White Paper." Pages 4-6. Posted on the course site.
Dillon, Andrew. 2002. “Information Architecture in JASIST: Just Where Did we Come From?” JASIST 53:10, 821823. http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/bitstream/10150/105433/1/IA_in_JASIST.pdf
Garrett, Jesse James. The Elements of User Experience: Diagram. http://www.jjg.net/elements/pdf/elements.pdf
Hedden, Heather. 2010. The Accidental Taxonomist. Information Today Inc. Pages 280-287. Posted on the
course site.
Instone, Keith. "Navigation Stress Test." http://instone.org/navstress/
Latham, Don. 2002. “Information Architecture: Notes Toward a New Curriculum.” JASIST 53:10, 824-830.
Posted on the course Site.
Leise, Fred, Karl Fast, Mike Steckel. Boxes and Arrows series of online articles:
"What Is a Controlled Vocabulary?" 16 December 2002: http://boxesandarrows.com/what-is-a-controlled-vocabulary/
b) "Creating a Controlled Vocabulary" 7 April 2003: http://boxesandarrows.com/creating-a-controlled-vocabulary/
c) "Synonym Rings and Authority Files." 26 August 2003: http://boxesandarrows.com/synonym-rings-and-authority-files/
a)
Leise, Fred. 2004. “Metadata and Content Management Systems: An Introduction for Indexers.” The Indexer
24:2 (Oct., 2004) 71-74. http://www.theindexer.org/files/24-2/24-2_071.pdf
Lynch, P. J., and Horton, S. 2008. Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites. Third Edition.
Yale University Press. Selections. Also available online: http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/index.html
Madsen, Dorte. “Shall We Dance?” 2009. Journal of Information Architecture, 1:1 (Spring).
http://journalofia.org/volume1/issue1/01-madsen/ or http://journalofia.org/volume1/issue1/01-madsen/jofia0101-01-madsen.pdf
Morrogh, Earl. 2002. “Information Architecture: From Craft to Profession.” Boxes and Arrows, 11/04.
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/information_architecture_from_craft_to_profession
Myer, Thomas. 2002. “Information architecture concepts: Misconceptions explained.” July.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/us-inarch/index.html
Mvungi, S., De Jager, K., Underwood, P. 2008. "An evaluation of the information architecture of the UCT Library
web site." South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science 74:2, 171-182. Posted on the course Site.
Nielsen, Jakob. Ten Usability Heuristics. http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html
Rayfield, Jem. 2012. “Sports Refresh: Dynamic Semantic Publishing.” BBC Internet Blog.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2012/04/sports_dynamic_semantic.html
Unger, Russ, and Carolyn Chandler. 2012. A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field
or in the making. Second edition. New Riders. Selections. Posted on the course site.
UserWorks. 2006. "Strategy Recommendations Report: American Library Association Website." December.
http://wikis.ala.org/webplanning/images/d/d8/Strategy_Recommendations_Report.pdf
Wodtke, Christina, and Austin Govella. 2008. Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web. Second Edition.
New Riders. Selections. Posted on the course site.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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USABILITY.GOV SHORT ARTICLES:
[Ugov CSB]. “Content Strategy Basics.” http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/content-strategy.html
[Ugov IDB]. “Interaction Design Basics.” http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/interaction-design.html
[Ugov PER]. “Personas.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/personas.html
[Ugov PRT]. “Prototyping.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/prototyping.html
[Ugov PUT]. “Planning a Usability Test.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/planningusability-testing.html
[Ugov RUTR]. “Reporting Usability Test Results.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-andtools/methods/reporting-usability-test-results.html
[Ugov CS]. “Card Sorting.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/card-sorting.html
[Ugov SCN]. “Scenarios.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/scenarios.html
[Ugov TA]. “Task Analysis.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/task-analysis.html
[Ugov UC]. “Use Cases.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/use-cases.html
[Ugov UEB]. “User Experience Basics.” http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html
[Ugov WF]. “Wireframing.” http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/wireframing.html
ONLINE RESOURCES:
The Information Architecture Institute: http://iainstitute.org/
Boxes and Arrows: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/
Journal of Information Architecture: http://journalofia.org/
American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T): Information Architecture Special Interest
Group: http://www.asis.org/SIG/ia.html
Usability.gov: http://www.usability.gov/
UPA: Usability Professional’s Association: http://www.upassoc.org/
Additional Useful Books of Potential Interest (Not Required):
[I have required some of these in this course in the past in addition to Morville/Rosenfeld and Krug.]
Unger, Russ, and Carolyn Chandler. A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in
the making. New Riders, 2009. ISBN: 0321607376.
Lynch, P. J., and.& Horton, S. Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites. Third Edition.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
Free version available online at: http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/index.html
Wodtke, Christina, and Austin Govella. Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web. Second Edition. New
Riders, 2008. ISBN: 0321600800.
Resmini, Andrea and Luca Rosati. 2011. Pervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User
Experiences. Morgan Kaufmann.
Stewart, Darin L. 2011. Building Enterprise Taxonomies. Mokita Press. Second edition. ISBN: 978-0578078229.
Hedden, Heather. The Accidental Taxonomist. Information Today Inc., 2010. ISBN 9781573873970.
Brown, Daniel M. Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning.
Second edition. New Riders, 2011. ISBN: 0321712463.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week
Topics
Readings
1
Introduction to information architecture, user experience
design, and user behavior
MR* 1-4 + Appendix; UC p. 3034; Garrett; Ugov UEB
2
IA organization and labeling systems; taxonomies and
metadata; content management systems
MR 5-6; Krug 1-5
3
IA navigation systems and conventions; global, local, and
contextual navigation
MR 7; Krug 6; Young; Instone
4
IA search systems
MR 8
IA research 1: context and content; stakeholder interviews;
competitive analysis; business requirements; content
inventory; heuristic analysis
MR 10a; UC 84-85, 90-93; Ugov
CSB; Schade
IA research 2: users; user-centered design; user research
methods; card sorting; usability testing; user requirements
MR 10b; UPA; Nielsen 2012;
Krug 8-9; Ugov PUT; Ugov
RUTR; Ugov CS; Nielsen 2009a
5
Assignment 1: Analysis of an existing website’ s organization, labeling, navigation, and search
systems, and usability testing on the site.
6
IA strategy; user modeling and groups; personas &
scenarios
MR 11; UC p.102-107; Ugov
PER; Ugov SCN; UserWorks
7
IA design 1: site organization, conceptual blueprints/site
maps; Axure software for diagramming
MR 12a; UC p. 219-228; WG p.
171-175; Nielsen 2009b;
Loranger
8
IA design 2: web page design: home page, navigation page,
destination page; wireframes; Axure for wireframing
MR 7 & 12b; Krug 6-7; Ugov
WF; Nielsen 2009c
9
IA design 3: Mobile and cross-channel IA; responsive design
& mobile apps; diagrams for tablet and phone; social media
Krug 10; Tate, Messner, Estes
2013a-b; UC p. 254-255
Assignment 2: IA strategy overview & user model; 1 site map diagram, 5 wireframe diagrams.
10
IA design 5: User interaction design; task analysis, use
cases, task flow diagrams; Axure for flow diagrams
Ugov IDB; WG p. 150-153;Ugov
TA; Ugov UC; Axure Flow
11
IA design 4: Prototyping; wireframe prototype usability
testing; Axure software for prototyping
UC 259-264; Ugov PRT; Axure
Assignment 3: Use case, task flow, interactive prototype.
12
IA design 6: Knowledge organization, databases, metadata,
advanced search based on metadata; user tagging & rating
Leise 2004. Boiko 2005 a-b;
Hood
13
IA design 7: Knowledge organization systems, taxonomies,
thesauri, & controlled vocabulary strategies
MR 9 & p. 324-25; Hedden;
ANSI-NISO 5;
Leise/Fast/Steckel; MR 20
Assignment 4: Metadata / controlled vocabulary matrix table, 1 controlled term list, 2
metadata records, 1 advanced search wireframe.
14
IA & UXD in practice; ethics in IA &UXD; IA & UXD
education & careers; Future directions: semantic IA &
content publishing
MR 13-16; Krug 11-13; Dillon,
Latham, Madsen; Atherton;
Rayfield
Assignment 5: Final IA design report.
•
Abbreviated citations to required readings in this schedule refer to complete citations given in the list of readings above.
*MR = Morville & Rosenfeld. UC = Unger & Chandler. WG = Wodtke & Govella. Numbers are chapter numbers unless indicated by
"p" for page numbers. Many of the readings listed above are short 1-3 page articles. Additional, recommended, non-required
readings and resources will be given in weekly “Readings and Resources” guides.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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717 ASSIGNMENTS:
All assignments are due by 7:00 am USA central time on the designated due date. Anything submitted after that
time will be marked late.
Assignments Scenario: Design the information architecture for an original website of your own invention on a
topic of interest to you. First analyze and test an existing website similar to yours. Then develop the information
architecture design for your own site. Your website must satisfy some conditions that will be specified.
Assignment 1:
1. Critically analyze the IA organization, labeling, navigation, and search systems of an existing website that
would be a competitor to, or in the same domain as, the original website you will invent and design.
2. Create a usability test plan, conduct a usability test on the site using two real people, and report the results
in a basic-level usability test report.
Assignment 2:
1. Develop an IA design strategy for your own original invented website consisting of:
a. An overview of the context, content, and users of your website, including a brief user model and two
examples of user personas.
b. An overview of how your design improves upon the IA systems of the competitor site analyzed in
Assignment 1 and how it addresses any usability problems found in your test of that site.
2. Develop visual diagrams conveying your website design ideas:
a. One conceptual site map / blueprint diagram.
b. Three coordinated and annotated wireframes of the home page, a navigation page, and a destination
page for web browser display.
c. Two wireframes for a responsive design display of the home page on a smartphone in portrait and
landscape orientations.
Assignment 3:
1. Envision a component requiring step-by-step user interaction within your website, and create a simple
user interaction design use case table and a task flow diagram for a specific user interaction.
2. Develop a partial interactive prototype based on your website wireframes.
a. Compose a persona-based user scenario narrative consisting of the steps necessary for one of your
personas to accomplish one of his/her particular goals within your website.
b. Create an interactive prototype of your website with sufficient navigation and interaction to enable and
demonstrate the user scenario above.
Assignment 4:
Imagine a database-driven website component if your site does not already include one. Based on this, create:
a. A simple metadata scheme and controlled vocabulary matrix table.
b. A simple controlled list of terms.
c. Two metadata records conforming to the scheme and using the terms from the list.
d. An advanced search wireframe that includes both fielded search and vocabulary value selection.
Assignment 5: Information Architecture Design Report:
Write a formal design report for the information architecture of your website by pulling together designated
parts of previous assignments, revising them if needed based on instructor feedback, and adding a few new
elements such as a title page and executive summary.
ACADEMIC CONDUCT:
Rules of academic conduct require that you not use the work of others without clearly indicating it as such. To do so
is plagiarism. You may not submit work that has already been used in fulfillment of a requirement of any other
course without prior approval of the instructor. Academic misconduct may result in a lowered grade, no credit for a
given assignment, or removal from the course.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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COURSE PARTICIPATION:
Each student is required to post at least seven meaningful discussion messages during the course of the semester as
part of your total course grade. These seven messages must be posted during seven different weekly course units of
your choice in the relevant weekly discussion folder. Messages should demonstrate your active engagement with
course content, such as your own reflection on a weekly course reading, content topic, discussion question, the
results of and thoughts on an aspect of a non-graded course exercise, or some other aspect relevant to the course
unit.
EVALUATION
Requirements
Weight
Assignment 1
20%
Assignment 2
30%
Assignment 3
15%
Assignment 4
15%
Assignment 5
15%
Discussions
5%
Total
100%
GRADING SCALE:
97-100
A
Excellent work
73-76.99
C
93-96.99
A-
Very good work
69-72.99
C-
89-92.99
B+
Average work
65-68.99
D+
85-88.99
B
Satisfactory, but undistinguished work
61-64.99
D
81-84.99
B-
Unsatisfactory work
57-60.99
D-
77-80.99
C+
Below 57
F
Students in the Information Organization (IO) Concentration must earn a final grade of B or higher in order to have
this course count towards their concentration requirements.
Note on the grading scale: Neither the UWM Graduate School nor SOIS has a single uniform grading scale. Although
many instructors choose to use a similar scale, any instructor may determine a scale best suited to his or her
particular assessment methods.
SOFTWARE for Diagramming, Prototypes, Screen Captures:
•
•
•
This course requires students to visually represent the information architecture of websites using diagrams
called site maps (or blueprints), wireframes, task flows, and interactive prototypes. We will use Axure RP
Pro 7.0. as our diagramming and prototyping software. Assistance will be provided on how to use the
software for the course.
For site maps and static wireframes I will allow the use of other drawing software, including Microsoft Visio
2010. But for prototyping and task flows you must use Axure RP.
We will also use screen capture software for selected aspects of some assignments. A good choice is
ScreenHunter Free software available for free download from http://wisdomsoft.com/products/screenhunter_free.htm, unless you have some other preferred screen capture software.
You must be able to use a rectangular area capture feature to capture only selected portions of screens and
not your entire desktop or application screen.
Information Architecture Syllabus
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•
No prior experience with these tools is assumed, and I will post short video tutorials at the beginning of the
weeks during which you will need to start using these tools. I will also have a student assistant to give
personalized assistance as needed, with sufficient advance arrangement. Do not attempt to learn how to
use the software at the last minute before an assignment is due. You will likely not succeed well. If you
stay current with the weekly exercises for your own practice you should be fine.
UWM AND SOIS ACADEMIC POLICIES:
The following links contain university policies affecting all SOIS students. Many of the links below may be accessed
through a PDF-document maintained by the Secretary of the University:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf. For graduate students, there are additional guidelines from
the Graduate School (http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/current/), including those found in the
Graduate Student and Faculty Handbook: http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/policies/expanded/.