1h 57m – Beginner
Improving the way the information in your site or application is organized and presented is one of the most cost-effective ways of increasing user satisfaction and engagement. Information architecture can help you find out how your users think about the world, and transition those lessons to your product. In this course, Chris Nodder teaches you how to perform card sort research to get information about user interactions, analyze the results, and create a validated information architecture plan. Then translate your plan into refined menus, content classification, and page layouts. Finally, test the success of your new structure with reverse card sorting and by monitoring feedback from server logs, site searches, and help desk calls.
Topics include:
What is information architecture?
Why do research?
Creating and running a paper card sort
Recruiting test participants
Analyzing paper card sort results
Running a computer-based card sort
Creating abstract information architecture
Validating your plan with a reverse card sort
Translating information architecture to navigation and layout
Watching the server after you go live
Introduction – 1m 35s
Welcome – 1m 9s
Using the exercise files – 26s
1. What Is Information Architecture? – 3m 10s
What is information architecture? – 1m 47s
Creating good information architecture – 1m 23s
2. Research to Determine Information Architecture – 4m 55s
Why do information architecture research? – 2m 26s
Card sorting to determine information architecture – 2m 29s
3. Creating and Running a Paper Card Sort – 18m 19s
Finding the information to use in a card sort – 3m 13s
Deciding what goes on the cards – 3m 8s
Making the cards – 2m 51s
Recruiting participants – 1m 44s
Running the session – 5m 47s
Recording participants’ answers – 1m 36s
4. Analyzing a Paper Card Sort – 9m 30s
Getting from cards to knowledge – 5m 6s
Eyeball analysis of your data – 4m 24s
5. Running and Analyzing a Computer-Based Card Sort – 24m 25s
Accessing remote users with online sorts – 3m 51s
Setting up a card sort using OptimalSort – 6m 58s
Running an online OptimalSort card sort – 2m 59s
Reviewing what participants see – 1m 52s
Checking your data – 3m 11s
Using the built-in analysis tools – 5m 34s
6. Creating an Information Architecture from Your Analysis – 11m 33s
Starting with an abstract structure – 2m 5s
Creating abstract information architecture – 4m 15s
Knowing the problems you might face – 3m 5s
Understanding that card sorting isn’t a precise technique – 2m 8s
7. Validating the Information Architecture with Reverse Sorting – 9m 6s
Making sure your hierarchical structure is correct – 1m 46s
Creating and running a paper-based reverse sort – 3m 5s
Analyzing a paper-based reverse sort – 1m 49s
Interpreting the results – 2m 26s
8. Computer-Based Reverse Sorting – 15m 25s
Exploring computer-based reverse sorting – 1m 56s
Using Treejack for reverse sorting – 5m 11s
Running an online reverse sort with Treejack – 3m 26s
Reviewing what the participants see – 1m 18s
Analyzing a Treejack reverse sort – 3m 34s
9. From Information Architecture to Navigation Structure – 10m 58s
Getting to navigation – 1m 45s
Standard page elements – 2m 57s
Content-based navigation – 3m 27s
Going from information architecture to site layout – 2m 49s
10. Testing That You’ve Got It Right – 2m 47s
There’s no substitute for usability testing – 1m 12s
Watch your server logs after you go live – 1m 35s
Conclusion – 5m 36s
The right information architecture is crucial to your site – 3m 17s
Next steps – 2m 19s