Enterprise Information Architecture Because Users Dont Care About Your Org Chart 2758

Enterprise Information Architecture
Because Users Dont Care About Your Org Chart March 30, 2010 Merit Network Louis Rosenfeld www.louisrosenfeld.com
2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved. 1
About Me
Independent IA consultant and blogger (www.louisrosenfeld.com) Founder, Rosenfeld Media, UX publishing house (www.rosenfeldmedia.com) Work primarily with Fortune 500s and other large enterprises Co-author, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (1998, 2002, 2006) Founder and past director, the Information Architecture Institute (www.iainstitute.org) and User Experience Network (www.uxnet.org) Background in librarianship/information science
2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.
Seminar Agenda
Welcome/Introduction Topic: Top-Down Navigation Break Topic: Bottom-Up Navigation (content modeling) Exercise #1: Metadata Topic: Bottom-Up Navigation (metadata) Lunch Topic: Search Exercise #2: Search Analytics Break Topic: Research Methods Topic: Governance and Organizational Change
Introduction
Introduction: IA in one slide

Definition: the art and science of structuring, organizing and labeling information to help people find and manage information Balances characteristics and needs of users, content and context Top down (questions) & bottom up (answers)
Introduction: Only one IA rule

Paretos Principle (the 80/20 rule)
20% of content satisfies 80% of users needs 20% of possible IA options address 80% of content 20% of IA options address 80% of users needs
IAs goal: figure out which 20% No other rules, just guidelines
Introduction: IA is about priorities
What an Enterprise Is
Large, distributed, decentralized organization made up of multiple business units Distributed
Functionally in many different businesses (e.g., HR vs. communications, or hardware vs. software) Geographically
Decentralized
Large degree of authority and responsibility resides in hands of business units in practice (if not officially) Business units often own significant infrastructure (technical, staff, expertise)
IA and EIA: The differences

The enterprise challenge: providing centralized access to information in a large, decentralized, distributed environment Information often organized by business function (e.g., org chart), not in ways users think Not textbook IA; highly dependent on business context
The Challenge of EIA: Competing trends

Trend toward autonomy
Cheap, easy-to-use democratizing technology Human tendency toward autonomy
Trend toward centralization

Users desire for single-point of access Managements desire to control costs and communications
These tend to cancel each other out, getting us nowhere Result: content silos and user confusion
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Indicators of Problematic EIA: Intranet glitches

How come I didnt know your department was developing a product similar to ours? Why couldnt we find any relevant case studies to show that important prospect? Why do our sales and support staff keep giving our customers inconsistent information?
Indicators of Problematic EIA: External-facing site glitches

Our customers think were still in the widget business; after all these M&As, why dont they realize that weve diversified? We have so many great products that go together; why dont we cross-sell more? Customers keep asking for product support through our sales channel; why dont they use the sites FAQs and tech support content?
The Holy Grail: Cutting against the political grain
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Example: Expense Reporting
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So How Do We Get There?

Let it go
There is no single solution Redemption lies within phased, modular, evolving approaches that respect 80/20 rule
Your friends
Straw men Your colleagues and professional networks
This seminar provides straw men for

EIA design EIA methods EIA team design and governance
Top-Down Navigation
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Top-Down Navigation Roadmap

Main page Site hierarchy Site map Site index Selective navigation
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Top-Down Challenges
Top-down IA
Anticipates questions that users arrive with Provides overview of content, entry points to major navigational approaches
Issues
What do we do about main pages? Portals: the answer? Other ways to navigate from the top down The dangers of taxonomies
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Top-Down Evolution: Univ. Michigan example 1/2
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Top-Down Evolution: Univ. Michigan example 2/2
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Portal Solutions: Why they fail 1/2

Organizational challenges
Fixation on cosmetic, political Inability to enforce style guide changes, portal adoption Lack of ownership of centralizing initiatives, or ownership in wrong hands (usually IT)
Information architecture challenges

Taxonomy design required for successful portal tool implementation
Always harder than people imagine Taxonomies break down as they get closer to local content (domains become specialized)
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Portal Solutions: Why they fail 2/2

Challenges for users
Portals are shallow (only one or two levels deep) Poor interface design Users dont typically personalize
More in James Robertsons Taking a businesscentric approach to portals (http:// www.steptwo.com.au/papers/ kmc_businessportals/index.html)
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Top-Down Navigation: Design approaches

Main pages Supplementary navigation
Tables of contents Site indices Guide pages
Taxonomies for browsing

Varieties: product, business function, topical Topic pages
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Top-Down Navigation: Main pages

Often 80% of discussion of EIA dedicated to main page
Important real estate But there are other important areas
Navigational pages Search interface Search results Page design (templates, contextual navigation)
Divert attention from main pages by creating alternatives, new real estate: supplementary navigation
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Top-Down Navigation: Supplementary navigation

Examples
Site maps/TOC Site indices
Benefits:
Create new real estate Can evolve and drive evolution from org-chart centered design to user-centered design Relatively low cost to initially implement
Drawbacks:
Often unwieldy for largest enterprises (not at IBM, Microsoft, failure at Vanguard)
Top-Down Navigation: Site maps

Condensed versions of site hierarchy
Hierarchical list of terms and links Primarily used for site orientation Indirectly cut across subsites by presenting multidepartmental content in one place But still usually reflects org chart
Alternative plan
Use site map as test bed for migration to usercentric design Apply card sorting exercises on second and third level nodes Result may cut across organizational boundaries
Site Map: Visually
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Site Map: State of Nebraska
Majority of links reflect org chart
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Site Map: State of Kentucky

Evolving toward more usercentered, topical approach
29
Top-Down Navigation: Site indices

Flat (or nearly flat) alpha list of terms and links Benefits
Support orientation and known-item searching Alternative flattened view of content Can unify content across subsites
Drawbacks
Require significant expertise, maintenance May not be worth the effort if table of contents and search are already available
Specialized indices may be preferable (shorter, narrower domain, focused audience)

Site Index: Visually
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Site Index: Am. Society of Indexers example

Full site index
@1000 entries for smallish site Too large to easily browse Replace with search?
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Specialized Site Index: CDC example

Not a full site index Focuses on health topics
Narrow domain Specialized terminology Possibly still too large to browse
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Specialized Site Index: PeopleSoft example

Product focus
A large undertaking at PeopleSoft High value to users
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Mature Site Index: Informed by search analytics
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Top-Down Navigation: Guides

Single page containing selective set of important links embedded in narrative text Address important, common user needs
Highlight content for a specific audience Highlight content on a specific topic Explain how to complete a process
Can work as FAQs (and FAQs can serve as interface to guides)
Benefits
Technically easy to create (single HTML page) Cut across departmental subsites Gap fillers; complement comprehensive methods of navigation and search Can be timely (e.g., news-oriented guides, seasonal guides) Minimize political headaches by creating new real estate
Guides: Visually
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Guides: Vanguard example 1/2
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Guides: Vanguard example 2/2
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Guides: IBM example
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Top-Down Navigation: Topic Pages

Selective taxonomy improvement
Portions of a taxonomy that expand beyond navigational value Help knit together enterprise content deeper down in taxonomy
New real estate can be used by

Individual business units (to reduce pressure on main page) or Cross-departmental initiatives
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Topic Pages: CDC example

Subtopics now comprise only a small portion of page
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Top-Down Navigation: Taxonomies & portals

Can a single taxonomy unify an enterprise site?
First: can one be built at all? Software tools dont solve problems (see metadata discussion) Multiple taxonomies that each cover a broad swath of enterprise content: audience, subject, task/process, etc. Two-step approach:
1. Build shallow, broad taxonomy that will answer where will I find the information I need? 2. Rely on subsite taxonomies to answer where in this area will I find the information I need?
Approaches

Top-Down Navigation: Impacts on the enterprise

Potential of small steps around which to build more centralized enterprise efforts
Site map and site index creation and maintenance Guide and topic page creation and maintenance Large editorial role, minimal technical requirements for both
May be preferable to tackle more ambitious areas much later

Developing and maintaining top-level taxonomy Connecting high-level and low-level taxonomies
Top-Down Navigation Roadmap

Main page Site hierarchy Site map Site index Selective navigation
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Top-Down Navigation Takeaways

Main pages and portals: Bypass for now, add guides over time Site hierarchy/taxonomy: Start shallow, "simple" (e.g., products); add progressively harder taxonomies (work toward faceted approach) Site map/ToC: Use as a staging ground for a more topical approach Site index: Move from generalized to specialized around a single topic, or augment with frequent search queries/best bets work Guides: Start with a handful, then expand and rotate based on seasonality or other criteria of relevance
Bottom-Up Navigation
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Bottom-Up Navigation Roadmap
Content modeling
Metadata development
Metadata tagging
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Bottom-Up Navigation: The basics

Focuses on extracting answers from content
How do I find my way through this content? Where can I go from here?
Goals
Answers rise to the surface Leverage CMS for reuse and syndication of content across sites and platforms Improve contextual navigation Increase the effectiveness of search
Content Modeling: The heart of bottom-up navigation

Content models
Used to convey meaning within select, high-value content areas Accommodate inter-connectedness
Same as data or object modeling? Absolutely not!

Many distinctions between data and semistructured text Text makes up majority of enterprise sites
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Content Modeling: The basics

Based on patterns revealed during content inventory and analysis What makes up a content model?
1. Content objects 2. Metadata (attributes and values) 3. Contextual links
Applies to multiple levels of granularity

Content objects Individual documents
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Content Modeling: Were already doing it at page level

album page = title/artist/release + tracks + cover image
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Content Modeling: Content analysis reveals patterns

album pages artist bios
artist descriptions
album reviews
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Content Modeling: Answer some questions

album pages artist bios
artist descriptions album reviews
What contextual navigation should exist between these content objects? (see Instones Navigation Stress Test--http://userexperience.org/uefiles/ navstress/ ) Are there missing content objects? Can we connect objects automatically?
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Content Modeling: Fleshing out the model

album pages artist descriptions
concert calendar
TV listings
album reviews
discography
artist bios
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Content Modeling: Connecting with metadata, rules

Content Objects album page album review link to other Content Objects album review, discography, artist album page by leveraging common Metadata Attributes Album Name, Artist Name, Label, Release Date Album Name, Artist Name, Review Author, Source, Pub Date Artist Name, Album Name, Release Date Artist Name, Desc Author, Desc Date Artist Name, Individual Artist Name Artist Name, Tour, Venue, Date, Time Artist Name, Channel, Date, Time
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discography artist description artist bio concert calendar TV listing
album review, artist description artist bio, discography, concert calendar, TV listing artist description artist description artist description
Content Modeling: Problematic borders

album pages artist descriptions
concert calendar
TV listings
album reviews
discography
artist bios
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Content Modeling: When to use

Use only for high value content High value content attributes based on users, content, context, including
High volume Highly dynamic Consistent structure Available metadata Available content management infrastructure Willing content owners
Much content can and will remain outside formal content models
Content Modeling: Steps for developing a model

1. Determine key audiences (whos using it?) 2. Perform content inventory and analysis (what do we have?) 3. Determine document and object types (what are the objects?) 4. Determine metadata classes (what are the objects about?) 5. Determine contextual linking rules (where do the objects lead us to next?)
Content Modeling: Content object types 1/2

List known object types For each audience:
Are there types that dont fit?
Examples: company executive bios, Q&A columns Venue reviews may be part of a separate content model
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Content Modeling: Content object types 2/2

For each audience (continued):
Gap analysis: are there types missing that users might expect?
Examples: Gig reviews, Buy the CD, Links to music in the same genre
Which types are most important to each audience?

Fans of the band: Interviews with the band members Casual listener: Samples of the CD tracks
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Content Modeling: Metadata 1/2

Determine which objects would benefit from metadata Develop three types of metadata
Descriptive Intrinsic Administrative
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Content Modeling: Metadata 2/2

Aim to balance utility and cost
Answer most important questions: who, what, where, why, when, how? Cost-benefit analysis Development and maintenance costs of controlled vocabularies/thesauri Ability of in-house staff to apply properly
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Content Modeling: Contextual linking rules

Are there specific objects for which these questions arise again and again?
Where would I go from here? What would I want to do next? How would I learn more?
You have a rule if

The questions apply consistently The answers work consistently Metadata can be leveraged to connect questions and answers
Unidirectional links or bidirectional?

Content Modeling: Impacts on the enterprise

Content models are a means for tying together content across business unit boundaries Content modeling is modular; over time, content models can be connected across the enterprise Major benefits to users who get beyond main page Can help justify CMS investments Not all content areas and owners are appropriate to work with
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Content Modeling: Putting it all together
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CMS Selection: EIA needs

Support metadata management (Interwoven) Support shared metadata workflow
Author creation/submission/tagging (distributed) Editorial tagging (centralized) Editorial review (centralized)
Ability to support contextual linking logic
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Metadata: What is metadata?

Data about data Information which describes a document, a file or a CD Common metadata
CD information: title, composer, artist, date MS Word document properties: time last saved, company, author
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Metadata: Three types

1. Intrinsic: metadata that an object holds about itself (e.g., file name or size) 2. Descriptive: metadata that describes the object (e.g., subject, title, or audience) 3. Administrative: metadata used to manage the object (e.g., time last saved, review date, owner)
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Metadata: Common sources

Vocabularies from other parts of your organization (e.g., research library) Competitors Commercial sources (see www.taxonomywarehouse.com) Your sites users
Search analytics Folksonomies User studies (e.g., free listing, card sorting)
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Metadata: Value for the Enterprise 1/2

Search: cluster or filter the search by metadata, like title or keyword Browse: create topical indexes by aggregating pages with the same metadata Personalization and customization: show content to an employee based on their role or position in the company, e.g. engineer or manager
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Metadata: Value for the Enterprise 2/2

Contextual linking: create relationships between individual or classes of content objects (e.g., cross-marketing on llbean.com) The purpose is to connect
Content to content Users to content
To provide value, metadata requires consistency (structural and semantic)

Metadata: Enterprise big picture
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Metadata: Scaling problems

Barriers to enterprise metadata development:
Volume of metadata vocabs./silos Complexity of semantic relationships (beyond synonyms)
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Metadata attributes: Easy to difficult 1/2

Level Difficulty Easy Easy Moderate Moderate Difficult of Metadata Attribute Comments Business unit These are typically already names available and standardized to Chronology Variations in formats (e.g., 12/31/07 versus 31/12/07) usually can be addressed by software Although many standards exist (e.g., state abbreviations and postal codes), many enterprises (and their business units) use custom terms for regions (such as sales territories)
to Place names
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Level Difficulty Moderate Difficult of Metadata Attribute to Product names Comments Product granularity can vary greatly; marketing may think in terms of product families; sales in terms of items with SKU numbers, and support in terms of product parts that can be sold individually Audiences, such as customers or types of employees, vary widely from unit to unit The most ambiguous type of metadata; difficult for individuals, much less business units, to come to agreement on topical metadata
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Difficult
Audiences
Difficult
Topics
Metadata: Structural consistency

Standard formats and approaches enable interoperability, which enables sharing of metadata. Examples
RDF (Resource Description Format) Topic Maps Dublin Core OAI (Open Archives Initiative) Academia/scholarly publishing world Little from data management world
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Sources
Metadata: RDF (Resource Description Format)

A syntax for expressing semantic relationships Basic components
1. Resource 3. Value 2. Property type 4. Property 2 4
From Andy Powell: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/presentations/ukolug98/paper/intro.html

Metadata: Topic Maps

Potential syntax for content modeling, semantic webs Most simply, made up of associations topics (e.g., Lucca, Italy), occurrences (e.g., map, book), and associations (e.g., topics is in, written by) Source: Tao of Topic Maps, Steve Pepper
(http://www.ontopia.net/ topicmaps/materials/ tao.html)
occurrences
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Metadata: The Dublin Core

A schema for expressing semantic relationships Can use HTML or RDF syntax Useful tool (or model) for creating document surrogates (e.g., Best Bet records) A standard, but not a religious one
Selecting fewer attributes may be a necessity in enterprise environment Attribute review can be useful as an enterprisewide exercise
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Metadata: Dublin Core elements 1/2

Title: A name given to the resource Creator: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the resource Subject: A topic of the content of the resource Description: An account of the content of the resource Publisher: An entity responsible for making the resource available Contributor: An entity responsible for making contributions to the content of the resource Date: A date of an event in the lifecycle of the resource
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Metadata: Dublin Core elements 2/2

Type: The nature or genre of the content of the resource Format: The physical or digital manifestation of the resource Identifier: An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Source: A Reference to a resource from which the present resource is derived Language: A language of the intellectual content of the resource Relation: A reference to a related resource Coverage: The extent or scope of the content of the resource Rights: Information about rights held in and over the resource
Metadata: Dublin Core in HTML
Dublin Core elements identified with DC prefix

Metadata: Dublin Core and RDF
Syntax and schema combination is useful But where are the metadata values?
Metadata: OAI and metadata harvesting

OAI: Open Archives Initiative
Comes from academic publishing world Provides means for central registration of confederate repositories Repositories use Dublin Core; requests between service and data providers via HTTP; replies (results) encoded in XML
Metadata harvesting
Enables improved searching across compliant distributed repositories Does not address semantic merging of metadata (i.e., vocabulary control)
Metadata: Semantic consistency 1/2

Provided through controlled vocabularies. What is a controlled vocabulary?
A list of preferred and variant terms A subset of natural language
Why control vocabulary?

Language is Ambiguous Synonyms, homonyms, antonyms, contronyms, etc. (e.g., truck, lorry, semi, pickup, UTE)
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Metadata: Semantic consistency 2/2

Users
Example Personal Digital Assistant Synonyms Handheld Computer "Alternate" Spellings Persenal Digitel Asistent Abbreviations / Acronyms PDA Broader Terms Wireless, Computers Narrower Terms PalmPilot, PocketPC Related Terms WindowsCE, Cell Phones
Communication Chasm
Documents and Applications
Control vocabularyso your users dont have to!

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Metadata: Semantic relationships

Three types
1. Equivalence: Variant terms with same meaning (e.g., abbreviations and synonyms) 2. Hierarchical: Broader term, narrower term relationships 3. Associative: Related terms that are related to each other
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Metadata: Levels of control

(Vocabularies)
Synonym Rings
Authority Files
Classification Schemes
Thesauri
Simple
Complex
Equivalence
Hierarchical
(Relationships)
Associative
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Metadata semantic relationships: Hard to hardest

Level of Type of Examples Difficulty Relationship Hard Harder Hardest Synonymous Synonym rings and authority lists Hierarchical Associative Classification schemes Thesauri
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Metadata: Synonym rings

Used in many search engines to expand the number of results Words that are similar to each other are linked together Example for a multinational company
Annual leave (Australia), the holidays (US), public holidays (Australia, US), vacation (US), bank holidays (UK), holiday (Australia and UK), personal leave (all)
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Metadata: Authority files

Pick list of the authorized words to use in a field Can have some equivalence relationships Example using authors
Poe, Edgar Allan--USE FOR Poe, E.A. Poe, E.A.--USE Poe, Edgar Allan
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Metadata: Classification schemes

Classification
Systematic arrangement of knowledge, usually hierarchical Placement of objects into a scheme which makes sense to the user and relates them to other objects
Two types of classification schemes

Enumerative classification: hierarchical organization into which objects are placed Faceted classification: organization by facets or attributes that describe the object
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Metadata: Enumerative classification

Really good to classify small numbers of objects or objects that can live in only one place Provides good browsing structure Can be polyhierarchical, where objects live in many places Best known: the taxonomy of life, Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification Most familiar on the Web: Yahoo!, Open Directory
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Metadata: Enumerative classification example
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Metadata: Faceted classification 1/2

Describes the object with numerous facets or attributes Each facet could have a separate controlled vocabulary of its own Can mix and match the facets to create a browsing structure Easier to manage the controlled vocabularies
Metadata: Faceted classification 2/2

Facets for a roast chicken recipe
Preparation: Roast / bake Main ingredient: Chicken Course: Main dish
Drawbacks of faceted classification

Too many facets attached to an object can make indexing hard to do Browsing facets may not be as clear as browsing a hierarchy; many paths to the same object
Metadata: Faceted classification example
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Metadata: Faceted classification example
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Metadata: What is a thesaurus?

Traditional use
Dictionary of synonyms (Rogets) From one word to many words
Information retrieval context

A controlled vocabulary in which equivalence, hierarchical, and associative relationships are identified for purposes of improved retrieval From many words to one word
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Metadata: Thesaurus entry example
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Enterprise Metadata: Challenges

Two barriers to enterprise metadata
1. Interoperability (structural) 2. Merging enables controlled vocabularies to work as a whole (semantic)
Interoperability must come before merging (merging requires knowledge of which vocabularies to merge) Few standards in use
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Enterprise Metadata: Structural approaches

If directly marking up documents, this approach is probably impractical in the enterprise Better uses:
Limited high value documents (e.g., content models) Document surrogates (e.g., Best Bet records)
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Enterprise Metadata: Merging vocabularies

Extremely difficult, and currently rare Mostly found in libraries, academia, scholarly publishing, and other resource-poor environments Examples, hard to hardest
Cross-walking vocabularies Switching vocabularies Meta-thesaurus Single thesaurus
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Merging Vocabularies: Vocabulary cross-walking

Map terms peer-to-peer between individual vocabularies
Primarily handles synonyms, not relationships Can be handled manually or through automated means (pattern-matching)
Doesnt scale well beyond two or three vocabularies
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Merging Vocabularies: Switching vocabulary

A single vocabulary that maps to existing vocabularies (primarily synonyms) Similar to cross-walking, but better at handling translation when there are more than two or three vocabularies to connect
106
Merging Vocabularies: Meta-thesaurus

A switching vocabulary which also includes thesaural relationships (essentially a thesaurus of thesauri) Example: National Library of Medicines UMLS (Unified Medical Language System)
Merges over 100 vocabularies Describes fairly homogeneous domain (medical literature) for fairly homogeneous audience (health science professionals)
Merging Vocabularies: Single unified thesaurus

Highly impractical in enterprise context
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Metadata: What is metadata?

Data about data Information which describes a document, a file or a CD Common metadata
CD information: title, composer, artist, date MS Word document properties: time last saved, company, author
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Metadata: Three types

1. Intrinsic: metadata that an object holds about itself (e.g., file name or size) 2. Descriptive: metadata that describes the object (e.g., subject, title, or audience) 3. Administrative: metadata used to manage the object (e.g., time last saved, review date, owner)
110
Metadata: Common sources

Vocabularies from other parts of your organization (e.g., research library) Competitors Commercial sources (see www.taxonomywarehouse.com) Your sites users
Search analytics Folksonomies User studies (e.g., free listing, card sorting)
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Metadata: Big org, big picture
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Metadata: Scaling problems

Barriers to enterprise metadata development:
Volume of metadata vocabs./silos Complexity of semantic relationships (beyond synonyms)
113
Metadata in the Large Org: Challenges

Two barriers to enterprise metadata
1. Interoperability (structural) 2. Merging enables controlled vocabularies to work as a whole (semantic)
Interoperability must come before merging (which requires knowledge of which vocabularies to merge) Few standards in use
114

Level Difficulty Easy Easy Moderate Moderate Difficult of Metadata Attribute Comments Business unit These are typically already names available and standardized to Chronology Variations in formats (e.g., 12/31/07 versus 31/12/07) usually can be addressed by software Although many standards exist (e.g., state abbreviations and postal codes), many enterprises (and their business units) use custom terms for regions (such as sales territories)
to Place names
115

Level Difficulty Moderate Difficult of Metadata Attribute to Product names Comments Product granularity can vary greatly; marketing may think in terms of product families; sales in terms of items with SKU numbers, and support in terms of product parts that can be sold individually Audiences, such as customers or types of employees, vary widely from unit to unit The most ambiguous type of metadata; difficult for individuals, much less business units, to come to agreement on topical metadata
116
Difficult
Audiences
Difficult
Topics
Metadata: Levels of control

(Vocabularies)
Synonym Rings
Authority Files
Classification Schemes
Thesauri
Simple
Complex
Equivalence
Hierarchical
(Relationships)
Associative
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Metadata semantic relationships: Hard to hardest

Level of Type of Examples Difficulty Relationship Hard Harder Hardest Synonymous Synonym rings and authority lists Hierarchical Associative Classification schemes Thesauri
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Metadata: Strategy for large orgs 1/2

Coordinate to ensure:
Structural interoperability from the start Semantic mergability over time Vocabulary control and maintenance through both manual and automated means A workflow model and policies to support:
Decentralized tagging and vocabulary updating (through suggestions of new terms) Centralized review and maintenance
Enterprise Metadata: Strategy for large orgs 2/2

Serious metadata is beyond the means of most enterprises
Encourage local (e.g., departmental) vocabulary development Provides organizational learning and local benefit Enterprise-wide, start with easier vocabularies; work your way to harder ones over time; suggested sequence:
1. Business functions 2. Products 3. Topics
Bottom-Up Navigation Roadmap
Content modeling
Metadata tagging
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Bottom-Up Navigation Takeaways 1/3

Content models
Use to support contextual navigation Apply only to homogenous, high-value content Won't transfer easily across silos and will require significant metadata development
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Distinguish attributes (and structural interoperability) from values (and semantic merging) Costs and value both increase as these increase:
Complexity of relationships between terms (equivalence=>hierarchical=>associative) Level of control (synonym rings=>authority files=>classification schemes=>thesauri)
Think small: facets instead of a single taxonomy


Metadata tagging
Make choices based on actual needs (e.g., content models) rather than exhaustive indexing Consider costs of application and upkeep
Need for professional expertise Metadata is a moving target that matches other moving targets (users and content)
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EIA and Search
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EIA and Search

Search systems are a natural enterprise IA tool
Automated Crawls what you tell it to Doesnt care about politics
Problems with shrink-wrapped search tools

Default settings, IT ownership minimize customization to fit the enterprises needs Results often not relevant, poorly presented
Customization is the answer

Within the realm of your teams abilities and if IT will allow it!
EIA and Search: Visually
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Enterprise Search Design: Potential improvements

Our focus: 1. Clear interface 2. Enhanced queries 3. Improved results (relevance & presentation)
Basic search system components

Enterprise Search Roadmap
Search interface
Search queries
Search results
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Search Interface Design: The Box

The Box unifies IBM.com
Consistent:
Placement Design Labeling Functionality
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Search Interface Design: Combine interfaces when possible

Will users understand?
Two boxes bad, one box good, usually

Search Interface Design: The role of advanced search 1/2

Not a likely starting point for users who are searching
Continued
Search Interface Design: The role of advanced search 2/2

Suggestions
Use for specialized interfaces Reposition as Revise Search Dont bother
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Contextualizing Search Help: Ebay example
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Search Interface and Queries: Functionality and visibility

Hide functionality? Consider the Google Effect, human nature and the LCD Dont hide it?
Not if users expect it
Legacy experience (e.g., Lexis-Nexis users) Specialization (e.g., patent searchers)
Not if content allows/requires it

Specialized content and applications (e.g., staff directory)
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The Query: Query language considerations

Natural language
Usually dont show up in search logs Low priority, but nice to support
Operators (Booleans, proximity, wild cards)

Booleans: use default AND for multi-term queries
Less forgiving than treating as phrase, more selective than OR Most retrieval algorithms will find results for just one term Rely on other approaches (e.g., filtering, clustering, Best Bets) to reduce search results overload
Low priority: Proximity operators (e.g., enterprise (W3) architecture), wild cards (e.g., wom*n)
The Query: Query building considerations

Large potential benefits to improving intelligence behind search queries
Adding semantic richness to queries allows for stronger searches without touching content Overrides enterprise bias embedded in content A centralized (enterprise-wide) process
Query building approaches

Spell checking: can be automated Stemming: can be automated Concept searching: requires manual effort Synonyms (via thesaurus): requires manual effort, but no need to be comprehensive
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Spell Checker: Sur La Table example
A la Google
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Stemming: IBM example
IBM uses Fast Search
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Concept Searching: Social Security Admin. example
SSA uses Convera

Thesaural Search: ERIC example
141
Enterprise Search Interface: Guidelines

Hide functionality on initial enterprise-wide search Cast the net widely: rely on query builders to generate larger, higher quality result sets Use filtering/clustering to narrow Use Best Bets to ensure strong initial results
Individual Search Results: Goals

Enable users to quickly understand something about each document represented That something: confirm that a known-item has been found, or distinguish from other results Align to searching behaviors (determined through user testing, persona/scenario analysis, site search analytics)
Known-item Open-ended/exploratory Comprehensive research
Individual Search Results: Approaches

Basic approaches
Document titling Displaying appropriate elements for each result
These approaches have value in any context, but especially useful in enterprise setting
144
Document Titling: DaimlerChrysler example
What do these document titles tell you? And what do they tell you about DaimlerChrysler?
Document Titling: Ford example

Descriptive document titles provide clear value
146
Displaying Appropriate Elements: 1) Determine common elements

Develop table of available elements (including metadata) for disparate documents and records
Comes after content inventory and analysis
Develop table of common elements

Collapse similar elements (e.g., creator derived from author, artist, source) Consider Dublin Core as model Include bare minimum elements (e.g., title and description)
147
Displaying Appropriate Elements: 2) Select appropriate elements

Choose common elements which match most common searching behaviors
Known-item Open-ended Comprehensive research Etc.
Considerations
Which components are decision or action based? Which components are of informational value only?
Display these elements for each search result
148
Step #1: common content elements Step #2: select elements to display
Step #1 Tech. Report Policy Product Sheet FAQ Step #2 Known-Item Open-Ended Title Y Y Y Y Title Y Y Description Creator Topic Y N Y N Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Date Y Y N N Date Y Y
149
Description Creator Topic N Y Y N N Y
Individual Search Results: Columbia University example

Long display for openended searchers shorter display for known-item searchers
150
Individual Search Results: What happens next?

Augment with next step actions per result
Open in separate window Get more like this Print Save Email
Determine next steps through contextual inquiry

Presenting Search Result Groups: Ranked results

Difficulties with relevance ranking
Depends on consistent elements across documents Term frequency-dependent approaches create an apples and oranges effect on ranking Google effect: benefits of popularity make less sense in enterprise context than in open web
Consider alternatives
Clustering and filtering Manually-derived results (aka Best Bets)
152
Presenting Search Result Groups: Clustering & filtering

Our user studies show that all Category interfaces were more effective than List interfaces even when lists were augmented with category names for each result Dumais, Cutrell & Chen list results clustered results Consider using clustered results rather than list results
153
Presenting Search Result Groups: Methods of clustering and filtering

Use existing metadata and other distinctions (easier)
Document type (via file format or CMS) Source (author, publisher, and business unit) Date (creation date? publication date? last update?) Security setting (via login, cookies)
Use explicit metadata (harder)

Language Product Audience Subject/topic
154
Clustering by Topic: LL Bean example

Category matches displayed rather than individual results
155
Filtering by Source: BBC example

Selecting a tab filters results
156
Clustering by Content Type: c|net example

Mention content modeling
Results clustered in multiple content types

Clustering by Language Example: PeopleSoft Netherlands

Result clusters for Dutch and English
158
Mixed Presentation of Search Results
159
Best Bets: By popular demand

Recommended links
Ensure useful results for top X (50? 100?) most popular search queries Useful resources for each popular query are manually determined (guided by documented logic) Useful resources manually linked to popular queries; automatically displayed in result page
160
Best Bets Example: BBC

Logic for BBC Best Bets
Is query a country name? (yes) Then do we have a country profile? (yes) Then do we have a language service? (yes)
Best Bets: In the enterprise context

Who does the work?
Difficult to assign queries to different business units (e.g., computing means different things to different business units) Can serve as impetus for centralized effort
Operational requirements
Logic based on users needs (e.g., queries) and business rules Policy that assigns responsibilities, negotiates conflicts (e.g., who owns computing)
Opportunity to align Best Bets to user-centric divisions (e.g., by audience: a computing best bet for researchers, another for IT staff)
162
Enterprise Search: Impacts on the enterprise

Designs
Simple query builders (spell checker, stemming) Search-enhancing thesaurus
Policies
Best Bets design and selection Style guide (result titling, search interface implementation)
Staffing needs
Content inventory and analysis Interface design Work with IT on spidering, configuration issues Ongoing site search analytics Editorial (e.g., Best Bets creation)
163
Search Tool Selection: EIA needs 1/2

To basic evaluation criteria (from SearchTools.com)
Price Platform Capacity Ease of installation Maintenance
164
Search Tool Selection: EIA needs 2/2

add:
Ability to crawl deep/invisible web Ability to crawl multiple file formats Ability to crawl secure content API for customizing search results Work with CMS Duplicate result detection/removal Ability to tweak algorithms for results retrieval and presentation Federated search (merge results from multiple search engines/data sources)
165
Enterprise Search Roadmap
Search interface
Search queries
Search results
166
Enterprise Search Takeaways

Search interface and queries
Consistent location and behavior Keep as simple as possible Use "refine search" interface instead of "advanced search" Soup up users queries (e.g., spell checking)
Search results
Feature appropriate elements for individual results Consider clustered results, especially if explicit, topical metadata are available Best bets results for top X common queries
167
EIA Research Methods
168
EIA Research Methods: Learn about these three areas

Content, users and context drive: IA research IA design IA staffing IA education and everything else
EIA Research Methods: Sampling challenges

How do you achieve representative samples in the face of these difficulties?
Awareness: Who and what are out there? Volume: How much is there? Can we cover it all? Costs: Can we afford to investigate at this order of magnitude? Politics: Who will work with us? And who will try to get in the way?
EIA Research Methods: Reliance on alternative techniques

Standard techniques may not work in enterprise settings Alternatives often incorporate traditional methods and new technologies
Web-based surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey) Remote contextual inquiry and task analysis (via WebEx) Web-based card sorting (e.g., WebSort) Log analysis tools (e.g., WebTrends)
171
EIA Research Methods: A closer look

Content-oriented methods
Content inventories Content value tiers
Context-oriented methods
Sampling stakeholders Departmental scorecard
User-oriented methods
2-D scorecard Automated metadata development Freelisting Site search analytics
172
Content Inventory: Enterprise context

Issues
Even greater sampling challenges Content research is even more critical: serves as a cross-departmental exercise
Approaches
Balancing breadth and depth Talking to the right people Value-driven
Multidimensional Inventory: Incomplete yet rich

EIA requires balanced, iterative sampling (where CMS implementation may require exhaustive inventory) Balance scope (breadth) with granularity (depth) Extend inventory to all discernible areas of content, functionality:
Portals and subsites Application (including search systems) Supplemental navigation (site maps, indices, guides) Major taxonomies Structured databases Existing content models Stakeholders
174
Content Migration Strategy: Value Tier Approach

Determine value tiers of content quality that make sense given your users/content/context
Answer what content is important to the enterprise? Help determine what to add, maintain, delete
How to do it?
1.Prioritize and weight quality criteria 2.Rate content areas 3.Cluster into tiers 4.Score content areas while performing content analysis
175
Value Tier Approach: Potential quality criteria

Select appropriate criteria for your business context, users, and content
Authority Strategic value Currency Usability Popularity/usage Feasibility (i.e., enlightened content owners) Presence of quality existing metadata
Value Tier Approach: Weighting and scoring
177
Value Tier Approach: Prioritization
178
Assessing Stakeholders: What to learn from them

Strategic
Understanding of business mission and goals, and fit with larger enterprise mission and goals
Theory Practice
Culture: tilt toward centralization or autonomy Political entanglements
Practical
Staff: IT, IA, design, authoring, editorial, usability, other UX (user experience) Resources: budget, content, captive audiences Technologies: search, portal, CMS
Stakeholder Interviews: Triangulate your sample

Org chart: business unit representatives
Will provide strategic overview of content and whom it serves May have some knowledge of content More importantly, they know people who do in their units Additionally, political value in talking with unit reps
Functional/audience-centered
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): represent power users; valuable for pointing out content that addresses major information needs Audience advocates (e.g., switchboard operators): can describe content with high volume usage
Stakeholder Interviews: Finding the low-hanging fruit

Assessment should reveal degree of enlightenment
Early adopters Successful track records visible within the enterprise Understand/have experience with enterprise-wide initiatives Willingness to benefit the enterprise as a whole They just plain get it
Youve got to play to win: lack of interest and availability mean loss of influence
Stakeholder Interviews: Indicators of enlightenment

Technology assessment: who has/uses the classic 3?
Portal Search engine CMS
Staff review: who has relevant skills/expertise on their staff? IA review: what areas of enterprise site have strong architectures? These areas may indicate redundant costs, targets for centralization
Involving Stakeholders: Departmental Report Card

Information Architecture Heuristic
Supports orientation Supports known-item searching Supports associative learning Supports comprehensive research Passes navigation stress test
Dept. Dept. Dept. 1 2 3 BB B A B A C
C+ C B+ F
C C B C+
183
Safe User Sampling: The 2D Scorecard

Combines alternative, apolitical methods for determining segments to sample, e.g.:
Role-based segmentation Demographic segmentation
Distracts stakeholders from org chartitis, to purify sampling Enables evaluation methods (e.g., task analysis, card sorting)
The 2D Scorecard: Role-based segmentation

Roles cut across political boundaries
Profile core enterprise-wide business functions
Why does the enterprise exist? Examples: Sell products, B2B or B2C activities, manufacture products, inform opinion, etc.
Determine major actors in each process
185
The 2D Scorecard: Demographic segmentation

Standard, familiar measure; also cuts across political boundaries
Gender Geography Age Income level Education level
Your marketing department probably has this data already

The 2D Scorecard: Combining roles & demographics

TEST SAMPLE SIZE
Demo. Profile A
Demo. Profile B
Demo. Profile C
Demo. Profile D
TOTAL
Role 1 Role 2 Role 3 Role 4 TOTAL
1 2 3 0 6
3 2 4 3 12
3 1 2 4 10
2 1 1 0 4
9 6 10 7 32
187
The 2D Scorecard: Incorporating contextual bias

Role/demographic scorecard is pure
Serves as a structure that doesnt have to change substantially But how to incorporate stakeholder bias?
Stakeholder bias can be accommodated

Poll/interview stakeholders to determine how cell values should change Axes and totals stay mostly the same Distraction is our friend
The 2D Scorecard: After stakeholder input

TEST SAMPLE SIZE
Demo. Profile A
Demo. Profile B
Demo. Profile C
Demo. Profile D
TOTAL
Role 1 Role 2 Role 3 Role 4 TOTAL
1 1 3 0 5
2 1 4 3 10
5 3 2 3 13
1 1 1 1 4
9 6 10 7 32
189
Maintaining a User Pool: Build your own for fun and power
Through automated surveys, lower level information architect built an enterprisewide pool of 1,500 users
Prescreened by demographics and skills Provided him with substantial leverage with others who wanted access to users He just got there first and did the obvious More information: http://louisrosenfeld.com/ home/bloug_archive/000408.html
190
Metadata Development: Conventional techniques

Techniques
Open card-sorting to gather terms Closed card-sorting to validate terms Can be difficult to carry out in enterprise environment (scope of vocabulary, subject sampling)
Modifications for enterprise setting

Use remote tools (e.g. IBMs EZsort) Apply in stepped mode: test subsections of taxonomy separately Drawback: lack of physical cards may diminish value of data
191
Metadata Development: Classification scheme analysis

Review existing schemes, looking for:
Duplication of domain Overlapping domains Consistency or lack thereof
Can some vocabularies be reused? Improved? Eliminated?
192
Automated Metadata Development: Two classes of tools

Auto-categorization tools
Can leverage pattern-matching and clusteranalysis algorithms to automatically generate categories (e.g., Autonomy, Interwoven) Can also use rules (i.e., concepts) to generate categories (e.g., Inktomi, Verity, Entrieva/Semio)
Auto-classification tools
Apply indexing to existing categories Require controlled vocabularies (generally manually-created) to index content
Automated Metadata Development: Pros and cons

Benefits
Apolitical applications that disregard org chart May be a necessary evil in a large enterprise environment
Drawbacks
Limited value in heterogeneous, multidomain environment Perform better with rich text, not so good with database records and other brief documents
Automated Metadata Development: Semio example

E-commerce: A human would collapse many of these categories
At best, an 80% solution; none truly automated

Significant manual proofing of the 80% of content indexed Significant manual indexing of the 20% not indexed
195
Finding Metadata: Free listing

Simple technique:
List all of the terms you associate with ______ Perform pair analysis (co-occurrence) on results
Benefits
Harvests terms associated with a concept or domain Can be done in survey form with many subjects, multiple audiences Supports card sorting Less useful for structuring relationships between terms Possible alternative to site search analytics
The Zipf Curve: Consistent and telling

Zipf distribution from Michigan State University search logs (derived from site search analytics)
From http://netfact.com/rww/write/searcher/rww-searcher-msukeywords-searchdist-apr-jul2002.gif
Common Search Queries: What they tell us
198
Site Search Analytics: What does this data tell us?

Keywords: focis; 0; 11/26/01 12:57 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.2 Keywords: focus; 167; 11/26/01 12:59 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.2 Keywords: focus pricing; 12; 11/26/01 1:02 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.2 Keywords: discounts for college students; 0; 11/26/01 3:35 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.59 Keywords: student discounts; 3; 11/26/01 3:35 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.59 Keywords: ford or mercury; 500; 11/26/01 3:35 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX. 126 Keywords: (ford or mercury) and dealers; 73; 11/26/01 3:36 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.126 Keywords: lorry; 0; 11/26/01 3:36 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.36 Keywords: safety ratings; 3; 11/26/01 3:36 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.55 Keywords: safety; 389; 11/26/01 3:36 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.55 Keywords: seatbelts; 2; 11/26/01 3:37 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.55 Keywords: seat belts; 33; 11/26/01 3:37 PM; XXX.XXX.XXX.55
199
Site Search Analytics: Instructions

Sort and count queries Identify and group similar queries (e.g., cell phones and mobile phones) Understand users query syntax (e.g., use of single or multiple terms, Boolean operators) and semantics (e.g., use of lay or professional terms) Determine most common queries
Identify content gaps through 0 result queries Build Best Bets for common queries Map common queries to audiences through IP or login analysis
Site Search Analytics: Benefits for interface development

Identifies dead end points (e.g., 0 hits, 2000 hits) where assistance could be added (e.g., revise search, browsing alternative) Syntax of queries informs selection of search features to expose (e.g., use of Boolean operators, fielded searching)
OR
201
Site Search Analytics: Benefits for metadata development

Provides a source of terms for the creation of vocabularies Provides a sense of how needs are expressed
Jargon (e.g., lorry vs. truck) Syntax (e.g., Boolean, natural language, keyword)
Informs decisions on which vocabularies to develop/implement (e.g., thesaurus, spellchecker)
202
Site Search Analytics: Benefits for content analysis

Identifies content that cant be found Identifies content gaps Creation of Best Bets to address common queries
203
Site Search Analytics: Pros and cons

Benefits
Data is real, comprehensive, available (usually) High volume Can track sessions Non-intrusive
Drawbacks
Lack of good commercial analysis tools Lack of standards makes it difficult to merge multiple search logs (not to mention server logs) More difficult to merge with other logs (e.g. server) Doesnt tell you why users did what they did
Site Search Analytics: Enterprise context

Makes case for EIA; usually demonstrates that users are requesting things that arent tied to departmental divisions (e.g., policies, products) Informs Best Bets Informs synonym creation Limited value if not analyzing merged logs
205
EIA Research Methods Takeaways

Challenges
Many traditional methods can be adapted to the enterprise environment But sampling, geography, volume and politics force a less scientific, more pragmatic approach Also force greater reliance on automated tools
We need new methods

Focus on minimizing politics and geographic distribution Most are untested Information architects need to be willing to experiment, innovate, and live with mistakes
EIA Framework
207
EIA and the Enterprise: Phased, modular model

Phasing is not just about roll-out and timing Should be overarching philosophy for EIA initiatives
We can phase in whom we work with We can phase in whom we hire to do EIA work We can modularize what types of EIA we do We can phase in what degree of centralization we can support
Why a Phased Model? Because mandates dont work

Just do it!
all (e.g., all subsites) now (e.g., in 3-6 months) with few resources and people (e.g., one sad webmaster) in a way that minimizes organizational learning (e.g., hire an outside consultant or agency)
Results of the mandated solution: completely cosmetic, top-down information architecture
209
The EIA Framework Seven issues

1. EIA governance: how the work and staff are structured 2. EIA services: how work gets done in an enterprise environment 3. EIA staffing: who handles strategic and tactical efforts 4. EIA funding model: how it gets paid for 5. EIA marketing and communications: how it gets adopted by the enterprise 6. EIA workflow: how it gets maintained 7. EIA design and timing: what gets created and when
The EIA Framework Critical goals

Re-balance the enterprises in-house IA expertise to support an appropriate degree of centralization Enable slow, scaleable, sustainable growth of internal EIA expertise Create ownership/maintenance mechanism for enterprise-wide aspects of IA (currently orphaned) Ensure institutional knowledge is retained
EIA Governance: Questions

What sort of individuals or group should be responsible for the EIA? Where should they be located within the organization? How should they address strategic issues? Tactical issues? Can they get their work done with carrots, sticks, or both as they try to work with somewhat autonomous business units?
212
EIA Governance: A separate business unit 1/2

Logical outgrowth of
Web or portal team Design or branding group E-services, e-business or e-commerce unit
Goals
Ensure that IA is primary goal of the unit Retain organizational learning Avoid political baggage Maintain independence
213
EIA Governance: A separate business unit 2/2

Ambitious, fool-hardy, unrealistic? Necessary!
Models of successful new organizational efforts often start as separate entities Alternatives (none especially attractive) Be a part of IT or information services Be a part of marketing and communications Be a part of each business unit
214
EIA Governance: Balancing strategic and tactical

Strategic: Model on Board of Directors
Represent key constituencies Track record with successes, mistakes with organizations prior centralization efforts Mix of visionaries, people who understand money
Tactical: Start with staff who do stuff

Extend as necessary by outsourcing Enables logical planning of hiring and use of consultants and contractors
EIA Governance: Board of directors 1/2

Goals
Understand the strategic role of information architecture within the enterprise Promote information architecture services as a permanent part of the enterprises infrastructure Align the group and its services with those goals Ensure the groups financial and political viability Help develop the groups policies Support the groups management
Makeup
1.Draw first from effective leaders 2.Then from major units that would be strategic partners
EIA Governance: Board of directors 2/2

Qualities
Experience and duration in the enterprise Wide visibility and extensive network Can draw on institutional memories and experiences Track record of involvement with successful initiatives Entrepreneurial (can read and write a business plan) Experienced with centralization efforts Does not shy away from political situations Can sell a new concept and find internal funding Is like the people you need to sell to Has experience with consulting operations Has experience negotiating with vendors
217
EIA Governance: Caterpillars boards

Strategic board (quarterly; @10 members)
Owners of enterprise site Decide on major policies Settle conflicts
Stakeholder board (monthly; 15-20)

Ensure broad participation Ensure two-way communication Make recommendations re: policy to strategic board
User advocacy board (meets as needed; 5-10)

Represent major user groups Maintain pool of sample users
EIA Services: Questions

What should a team responsible for EIA actually do? How do their services fit with work that happens within business units? Or with outside contractors and consultants? What kind of people should manage these efforts? How do IA generalists and specialists fit together?
EIA Services: Modular service plan

Avoid monolithic approach: Hi, were the EIA team and were here to help and were going to centralize all of your information Break IA and CM into digestible, non-threatening tasks and sell those
Allows you to divide and conquer clients and helps you understand IA challenges better (e.g., applying metadata in a centralized environment)
220
EIA Services: Potential service offerings 1/3

Client workflow-oriented (map to content publication process)
Content authoring and acquisition Metadata development Content titling Content tagging Content review (voice, accuracy, etc.) Content formatting Formatting review Optimization for search engine optimization Publication
221

User-oriented
Persona and scenario development User testing and task analysis Search and server log analysis
Content-oriented
Content inventory and analysis Content evaluation and assessment Content model design Content development policy (creation, maintenance) Content weeding, ROT removal, and archiving Content management tool (acquisition, maintenance) Metadata development Metadata maintenance Manual tagging Automated categorization and classification
222

Context-oriented
Business metrics development and analysis Internal marketing strategy and implementation Stakeholder and decision-maker interviews Business rules development (for best bets, content models, etc.) Template design and application Training Policy/procedure/standards development and acceptance Publicity of new/changed content Tool analysis/acquisition (CMS, search, portal) Quality control and editing Link checking HTML validation Liaison with visual design staff, IT staff, vendors
223
Production/Maintenance
EIA Services: Assessing departmental IA needs
224
EIA Services: Basic & premium levels
Free services can lead to fee services

EIA Services: Phased demand for IA services
226
EIA Staffing: Questions

Who should be involved: in-house, consultant, contractor? What type of specialization should the staff have? Should they be centralized or located within business units or both?
227
EIA Staffing: Tactical team basics 1/2

Goals
Delivers IA services to the enterprise in content, users, and context areas Implements the strategic teams policies Works directly with clients to understand their needs and develop new services to meet those needs
228
EIA Staffing: Tactical team basics 2/2

Make-up driven by market demand, existing resources Vertical IA generalists: split between EIA project enterprise business units Horizontal IA specialists: consultants for both groups of generalists
Tools (e.g., search, portal, CMS) Metrics Evaluation Metadata development XML and other markup languages
229
EIA Staffing: Tactical team qualities

Entrepreneurial mindset Ability to consult (i.e., do work and justify IA and navigate difficult political environments) Willingness to acknowledge ignorance and seek help Ability to communicate with people from other fields Sensitivity to users needs and know about IA and related fields
230
EIA Staffing: Tactical team backgrounds/skills

Human Computer interaction Cognitive Psychology Librarianship (reference) Marketing Branding Merchandising Librarianship (tech. services) Information Science Journalism Technical Communication Computer Science Graphic design Organizational Psychology Business Management Operations Engineering Social Network Analysis Ethnography Economics
EIA Staffing: Shoot for this org chart
232
EIA Staffing & Governance
233
EIA Funding Model: Questions

How should this group be funded? How should other expenses (e.g., software licenses) be covered? Charge-back fees for individual services? Flat tax paid by business units? Covered by general administration's tab? Some hybrid thereof? Should certain services be performed gratis, while others require payment?
EIA Funding Model: Looking for inspiration

Study the successes/failures of the enterprises other centrally funded services Possible plan
Initially: tax on business units and/or seed capital from senior management Ultimately: self-funding (models: IT, HR, special projects)
Key: funding should be from central group (e.g., senior management) or self-funded; else too much dependency on business units
235
EIA Funding Model: Ensuring independence

Potential models already in existence in the enterprise
Charge-back Tax on business units Money from general fund Hybrids
Charge-back model is attractive

Increasing perceived value of IA by charging fees Compares well with duplicated expenses incurred by business units
236
EIA Funding Model: Diversify revenue streams
237
EIA Marketing & Communications: Questions

How to position this work and the group that supports it: IA? User Experience? Web Design? How do these terms affect the scope of the work/charter of the group? How does a plan like this get sold, and to whom? Whose support is needed, and what tactics are useful in convincing them to support EIA work? How to prioritize which business units around the enterprise to work with?
EIA Marketing & Communications: Positioning the EIA initiative

Approaching clients
No carrot or stick Offer services and consulting that save money, reduce tedium
Branding: choose the term that is

Hottest Has least baggage Steps on fewest toes
EIA Marketing & Communications: Selling IA

Concrete
We can make work easier and save money for individual business units We can improve the user experience and build brand loyalty among customers, organizational loyalty among employees We can minimize the enterprises habit of purchasing redundant licenses and services
EIA Marketing & Communications: One unit at a time

Start with low-hanging fruit
Killer content Plentiful or influential users Strategic value (business context)
Determine current status of the client

What are they doing now? What expertise is in-house? What relevant tools do they own (extend licenses)? Are they enlightened?
EIA Marketing & Communications: Illustrating the concept

Select an initial model for centralized approach thats familiar, accessible Staff directory often the best
Serves all enterprise users Useful, highly structured content which may have significant metadata, searching and browsing capabilities Has high value in context of the enterprises daily operations
EIA Design/Timing: Questions

An EIA design is an overwhelmingly large undertaking; how might it be broken into more digestible pieces? How should they be sequence: what makes sense to take on now, later, or perhaps not at all?
243
EIA Design/Timing: Modular, phased
244
EIA Design/Timing: 3-6 years, not months

Use early successes as models Anticipate greater centralization among and within business units over time Support different levels of centralization concurrently (Neanderthals coexist with Space Agers)
245
EIA Workflow: Questions

How does the content authoring and publishing process work now? Who and how many are involved? How can the group support that work, and determine the best mix of centralized and autonomous responsibilities within that workflow?
246
EIA Workflow: Supporting variation, evolution

Build around business units demand Use as driver for CMS selection
247
EIA Framework Takeaways

Be entrepreneurial
Market and sell services to internal clients Become self-sustaining by diversifying revenue streams
Offer modular services

Specific services, not full package Logical migration path accommodates all stages of evolution along centralization/autonomy axis for customers
Do what can be done in baby steps

Start with projects that are low hanging fruit Selective roll-out
Discussion
249
Contact Information
Louis Rosenfeld, LLC 457 Third Street, #4R Brooklyn, NY 11215 USA lou@louisrosenfeld.com www.louisrosenfeld.com @louisrosenfeld +1.718.306.9396 voice +1.734.661.1655 fax

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Enterprise Information Architecture

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

Introduction: IA in one slide

Introduction: Only one IA rule

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

Introduction: IA is about priorities

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

IA and EIA: The differences

The Challenge of EIA: Competing trends

Trend toward centralization

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Indicators of Problematic EIA: Intranet glitches

Indicators of Problematic EIA: External-facing site glitches

The Holy Grail: Cutting against the political grain

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

Example: Expense Reporting

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So How Do We Get There?

This seminar provides straw men for

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Top-Down Navigation Roadmap

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2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

Top-Down Evolution: Univ. Michigan example 1/2

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Top-Down Evolution: Univ. Michigan example 2/2

2010 Louis Rosenfeld LLC (www.louisrosenfeld.com). All rights reserved.

Portal Solutions: Why they fail 1/2

Information architecture challenges

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Portal Solutions: Why they fail 2/2

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Top-Down Navigation: Design approaches

Taxonomies for browsing

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Top-Down Navigation: Main pages

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Top-Down Navigation: Supplementary navigation

Top-Down Navigation: Site maps

Site Map: Visually

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Site Map: State of Nebraska

Majority of links reflect org chart

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Site Map: State of Kentucky

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Top-Down Navigation: Site indices

Specialized indices may be preferable (shorter, narrower domain, focused audience)

Site Index: Visually

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Site Index: Am. Society of Indexers example

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Specialized Site Index: CDC example

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Specialized Site Index: PeopleSoft example

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Mature Site Index: Informed by search analytics