sitemap |
bibliography |
mnemosyne home |
|
|
>>
|
||
|
>>
|
||
Almost all arrangements of information are actually nested, multiple and hybrid. Such heterogeneity arises from the nature of the problem -- giving access to large or complex information sets. More than just a response to a complex problem, this hybridity and redundancy actually increases user efficiency and comfort.
Most data sets can be organised in a variety of meaningful ways. A natural science collection, for example, could be organised by location -- their geographical origins; found in an index in alphabetical order; by time -- in order of their discovery; by category -- grouping like objects with like such as reptiles, mammals, invertebrates etc. A list of students, for example, can be organised alphabetically, ranked by mark (or age or height), ordered by proximity to school, etc.
 It
has been proven that people like to click, and when users are confused,
they start scanning pages for whatever clickable links they can find.
This is why sites such as Amazon.com have so much redundancy. In some
cases, there are as many as three different links on one page to a
single book or article somewhere else on the site. Some of these links
are graphic, some are text, some are mixed into content areas, and
others are highlighted on the side. No matter how perfect a site architecture
may seem, because we all interpret information in different ways,
it is important to be as inclusive as possible and provide as many
points of entry into content that will fit on a screen without cluttering
it. 10 questions about information architecture Shel Kime |
Each form of LATCH organisation can be displayed in various ways; for example, the same information organised by time may be displayed as a matrix in a calendar or chart, sequentially in a slideshow or book, in parallel in a chronological museum display, using spatial zoom in an interactive multimedia timeline, etc.
Most complex sets of information may require different organisational presentations depending on the depth of detail users want to access. An online shopping site might be organised by categories interfaced through a matrix arrangement (e.g food, clothing, furnishings, toiletries, etc. represented by thumbnail icons and category name); when one enters a category, clothing for example, available goods may be further organised by category (e.g. mens, womens, boys, girls, infants), then individual items organised by style, function, price or colour...
Information is easiest to find if there are several possible ways of finding it. A personnel index is most effective if there are multiple ways in which users can find the same information: e.g by department, by job title, alphabetically by first or last name, by location, etc.
Information design theorist, Nathan Shadrock, comments:
All people learn differently and have varying skills. Some may be comfortable with maps while others prefer lists. Some may not understand an alphabetical listing while others can't relate to a continuum. Multiple organizations help everyone find things easier. In addition, even if people understand the organization, they may not have the correct information. For example, they may know the street they need to go to, but not where to find it on a map (this is where street indexes come in handy).
|
See PreFab (Online exhibition curated by Shiralee Saul and Helen Stuckey). This exhibition presented some 60 VRML constructions organised as a 'virtual suburb'. The core organisational structure was the matrix but this was supplemented at the top level by parallel information presentation giving access to essays, help and alternative navigation such as an index of contributors organised alphabetically. Users seeking to access the individual VRML buildings could locate them on an overview map of the suburb, then zooming in to higher levels of detail down to individual buildings. |
|
|
organise by location