IMD200 Information Architecture

1. Recruit 5 representative users and conduct a live 5-10 minute usability test based on the in-class example.  Type up your results for each user in a one-page usability test report.  Print the reports out and bring them to class next week.  Email the reports to me before class.
2. Compare the new and old Facebook in a short analysis using the principles you have learned in class.  Speak from an Information Architecture perspective and evaluate the interface and design changes.
3. Read Chapters 5 and 6.  There will be a pop quiz at the beginning of class.

Observe  your teammate perform the previous exercise and answer the following questions as if you were conducting a usability test with them:

1. What did you observe about how they interacted with the site?
2. What competitors’ sites did they visit and why did they leave this one?
3. What search terms did they use and did they yield the expected results?

Reply to this post with your analysis.

Exercise 1

Jimmy is looking for a simple recipe to make pulled pork BBQ in the slow cooker he just received as a gift.  Put yourself in his shoes as he visits http://www.food.com to start his quest by answering the following 3 questions from the Chapter 5 reading:

1. Am I in the right place?
2. Do they have what I am looking for?
3. Do they have anything better?

Discuss how the Food Network site organizes their information in relation to Jimmy’s objective, specifically through organization systems, labels, and navigation design.

Reply to this post with your findings.

1. Read chapter 5 and 6 and prepare to discuss them in class.
2. Review the A List Apart’s 2007 Survey for People Who Make Websites (download on the right) and write a short (at least 100 words) reply to this post about what you learned.
3. Finish the in-class exercises. Mail/email your letters. Once you get written permission from the owner, post your ads. Come to class next week with names and contact information for 5 participants recruited using these methods.
4. Last, but not least, turn in any late assignments by Friday at midnight if you want to receive credit for them before I turn in grades on Monday. You will not receive credit for them at a later date.

Today, we are going to do the following:

1. Take the midterm exam
2. Review the midterm exam
3. Conduct the following in-class exercises:
   • Write a letter (to be both mailed and emailed) to the owner of the restaurant asking permission to conduct onsite interviews and usability testing as well as post advertisements to recruit participants.
   • Write an advertisement to recruit participants for interviews and usability testing. Then, reply to this post with your advertisement. Once approved, place the advertisement at your restaurant (make flyers) and anywhere you think participants might be found (the restaurant’s Web site, craigslist, City Paper, etc.)
   • Refine your three (3) user groups, five (5) most important tasks, and five (5) interview questions, then post them in a reply to this post. The questions will be reviewed by the other group and approved only if the questions are neutral, probing, and accurate.

1. Midterm is next week, use this blogabus as a study guide. Anything covered as homework or in-class is fair game.
2. Finish your site maps and content inventory. You will turn these in for a grade before your midterm.
3. Visit your restaurant and interview people (staff, customers, etc.) using the questions you crafted in class. We will continue working on this in class after finishing the midterm.

You should have completed the following activities by now:

• User research
• Competitive analysis
• User Groups
• User Tasks (target one user group)
• Interview Questions (target one user group)

Now, with your partner, conduct the following exercises for the user group you selected:

• Concept models – Draw 5 models (one per task) using pen/pencil and paper
• Site map – Submit in Word, Excel, or HTML
• Content inventory – Submit in Word or HTML

You learned about these during the lecture last week and through reading homework, but if you still have difficulty just ask me questions.

With your partner, write up a one-page quick reference with the following information:

1. Client
   • Name
   • Web Site Address
   • Location/Contact Information
2. Users
   • 3 groups
3. Tasks
   • 5 tasks
4. Questions
   • 5 questions for target user group

When you are done, paste the information into a reply to this post and print out a copy for you and me.

Today, we are going to:

1. Take a quiz
2. Discuss the reading homework (chapters 3 and 4)
3. Review restaurant research and discuss findings from visits
4. Discuss the S.W.O.T analysis homework (both blog replies and restaurant reviews)
5. Evaluate user groups, tasks, and interview questions
6. Conduct an in-class exercise (concept models, site map, and conduct inventory)
7. Review midterm
8. Assign homework (study for midterm, revisit restaurants to conduct user interviews)

1. Create up to 3 user groups and 5 tasks (who goes there and why…for example, “college students for cheap drinks and live music”)
2. Conduct a S.W.O.T. analysis comparing each restaurant (focus on Web site, but consider physical restaurant as it is the customer’s ultimate destination)
3. Write at least 5 directional/prompting survey questions to ask customers during on-site interviews during class next week.