closing the findability gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

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Closing the Findability Gap Lou Rosenfeld Rosenfeld Media rosenfeldmedia.com

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Page 1: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Closing the Findability Gap

Lou Rosenfeld •  Rosenfeld Media •  rosenfeldmedia.com

Page 2: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Hello, my name is Lou

www.louisrosenfeld.com | www.rosenfeldmedia.com

Page 3: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 4: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

The state of contemporary

findability

Page 5: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Some questions that you probably can’t answer

• Who are your content’s primary audiences?

• What are the five major tasks and needs each has?

• Are you satisfying those tasks and needs?

• What data support your thinking?

• How do you measure success?

Page 6: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 7: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 8: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 9: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

• We don’t know how to measure

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 10: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

• We don’t know how to measure

• Siloed organizations

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 11: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

• We don’t know how to measure

• Siloed organizations

• Ill-equipped decision-makers

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 12: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

• We don’t know how to measure

• Siloed organizations

• Ill-equipped decision-makers

• Short-term thinking

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 13: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

• We don’t know how to diagnose

• We don’t know how to measure

• Siloed organizations

• Ill-equipped decision-makers

• Short-term thinking

• Semantic illiteracy

Why can’t we get findability right?

Page 14: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 15: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Data is binary

Information isn’t

Page 16: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Data is binary

Information isn’t

Page 17: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Information architecture: 8 better practices for findability

1. Diagnosing the important problems

2. Balancing our evidence

3. Advocating for the long term

4. Measuring engagement

5. Supporting contextual navigation

6. Improving search across silos

7. Combining design approaches effectively

8. Tuning our designs over time

Page 18: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#1Diagnosing the important problems

Page 19: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiences

Page 20: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiencesAll queries

aren’t equally distributed

Page 21: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiences

Page 22: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiences

Nor do they diminish gradually

Page 23: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiences

Page 24: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

A little goes a long wayA handful of queries/tasks/ways to navigate/features/ documents meet the needs of your most important audiences

80/20 rule isn’t quite accurate

Page 25: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)

Page 26: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)

Page 27: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)

Page 28: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)

Page 29: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)

Page 30: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

(and the tail is quite long)The Long Tail is

longer than you’d suspect

Page 31: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Zipf Distribution in text

Page 32: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

It’s Zipf’s World; we just live in it

A little...

• queries

• tasks

• ways to navigate

• features

• documents

...goes a long way

Page 33: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 34: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:

Page 35: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Page 36: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content

Page 37: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

Page 38: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

not even once

Page 39: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

not even once

TAKEAWAY:

Page 40: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

not even once

TAKEAWAY: FOCUS ON

Page 41: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

not even once

TAKEAWAY: FOCUS ON

THE STUFF

Page 42: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

UNVERIFIED RUMOR:90% of

Microsoft.com content has never been accessed...

not even once

TAKEAWAY: FOCUS ON

THE STUFF THAT MATTERS!

Page 43: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#2Balancing our evidence

Page 44: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

from Christian Rohrer: http://is.gd/95HSQ2

Page 45: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

from Christian Rohrer: http://is.gd/95HSQ2

Balanced research leads to true insight, new opportunities

Page 46: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Lou’s TABLE OF OVERGENERALIZED

DICHOTOMIESWeb Analytics User Experience

What they analyze

Users' behaviors (what's happening)

Users' intentions and motives (why those things happen)

What methods they employ

Quantitative methods to determine what's happening

Qualitative methods for explaining why things happen

What they're trying to achieve

Helps the organization meet goals (expressed as KPI)

Helps users achieve goals (expressed as tasks or topics of interest)

How they use data

Measure performance (goal-driven analysis)

Uncover patterns and surprises (emergent analysis)

What kind of data they use

Statistical data ("real" data in large volumes, full of errors)

Descriptive data (in small volumes, generated in lab environment, full of errors)

Page 47: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#3Advocating for the long-term

Page 48: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Steward Brand’s Pace Layering model Typical design

focus

Stuff that gets ignored:mission, vision, charter, goals, KPI, objectives

Page 49: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#4Measuring engagement

Page 50: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 51: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 52: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Measuring conversions? No problem...

Page 53: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 54: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 55: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

..measuring anything else? Good luck!

Page 56: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

The missing metrics of in-betweenness

• Orientation (“What can I do here?”)

• Engagement (“I like this; do you?”)

• Connection/cross-promotion (“What goes with this?”)

• Authority (“I trust this”)

• and many more...

Page 57: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#5Supporting contextual navigation

Page 58: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Contextual navigation: your site’s desire lines

Page 59: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Contextual navigation: your site’s desire lines

Determine through content modeling, site

search analytics

Page 60: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Contextual navigation: your site’s desire lines

Deep navigation requires content modeling:

a better approach to deep IA and content structuring

Determine through content modeling, site

search analytics

Page 61: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

artist descriptions

album reviews

album pages

artist bios discography

concert calendar

TV listings

Important content objects emerge from content modeling (example: BBC)

Page 62: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

artist descriptions

album reviews

album pages

artist bios discography

concert calendar

TV listings

Important content objects emerge from content modeling (example: BBC)

Content that matters most

Page 63: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Important metadata attributes emerge from content modeling

Page 64: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Important metadata attributes emerge from content modeling

Metadata that matters mostMetadata that matters most

Page 65: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#6Improving search across silos

Page 66: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Reconsidering the search UI...

Page 67: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

Page 68: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

search session patterns1. solar energy2. how solar energy works

Page 69: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

search session patterns1. solar energy2. how solar energy works

search session patterns1. solar energy2. energy

Page 70: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

search session patterns1. solar energy2. how solar energy works

search session patterns1. solar energy2. energy

search session patterns1. solar energy2. solar energy charts

Page 71: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

search session patterns1. solar energy2. how solar energy works

search session patterns1. solar energy2. energy

search session patterns1. solar energy2. solar energy charts

search session patterns1. solar energy2. explain solar energy

Page 72: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

...by contextualizing “advanced” features, focusing on revision

search session patterns1. solar energy2. how solar energy works

search session patterns1. solar energy2. energy

search session patterns1. solar energy2. solar energy charts

search session patterns1. solar energy2. explain solar energy

search session patterns1. solar energy2. solar energy news

Page 73: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Recognizing specialized queries(e.g., proper nouns, dates, unique ID#s)

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!

...and designing specialized search results

Page 75: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

!

...and designing specialized search results

Page 76: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

!

...and designing specialized search results

Page 77: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

!

...and designing specialized search results

Content objects from product content model

Page 78: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

!

...and designing specialized search results

Content objects from product content model

Poor search results returned by search engine

Page 79: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#7Combining design approaches effectively

Page 80: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Yes, manual effort is still as important as tools

Page 81: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Yes, manual effort is still as important as tools

Narrow, deep content access

Page 82: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Vanguard’s Tax Center is a simple, low-tech, editorial

Page 83: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Vanguard’s Tax Center is a simple, low-tech, editorial

...to editorially rich content

Page 84: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture
Page 85: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Manually selected results

Page 86: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Manually selected results

...complement raw results

Page 87: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Treat your content like an onion

layer information architecture

usability content strategy

0

1

2

3

4

indexed by search engine

leave it alone leave it alone

tagged by users squeaky wheel issues addressed

refresh annually

tagged by experts (non-topical tags)

test with a service (e.g., UserTesting.com)

refresh monthly

tagged by experts (topical tags)

“traditional” lab-based user testing

titled according to guidelines

content models for contextual navigation

A/B testing structured according to schema

Each layer is cumulative;

most importantcontent is at

the core

Page 88: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

#8Tuning designs over time

Page 89: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Your site is a moving target built on moving targets

Page 90: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Impact of change on design (queries)

Page 91: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

IRS before Tax Day

Page 92: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

IRS before Tax DayBefore

Tax Day

Page 93: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

IRS after Tax Day

Page 94: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

IRS after Tax DayAfter

Tax Day

Page 95: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Summary:8 IA better practices

1. Diagnosing the important problems

2. Balancing our evidence

3. Advocating for the long term

4. Measuring engagement

5. Supporting contextual navigation

6. Improving search across silos

7. Combining design approaches effectively

8. Tuning our designs over time

Page 96: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Summary:8 IA better practices

1. Diagnosing the important problems

2. Balancing our evidence

3. Advocating for the long term

4. Measuring engagement

5. Supporting contextual navigation

6. Improving search across silos

7. Combining design approaches effectively

8. Tuning our designs over timeLet’s stop boiling the ocean

Page 97: Closing the Findability Gap: 8 better practices from information architecture

Say hello

Lou Rosenfeld

[email protected]

Rosenfeld Media 

www.louisrosenfeld.com | @louisrosenfeldwww.rosenfeldmedia.com | @rosenfeldmedia