[thelist] information architecture & visio

[font9a (RR)]

Amanda,

I'm going to make the assumption that you want to show the client the site
architecture (as just one component of the information archtecture), i.e.,
the site map. Site maps are good tools for helping people visualize and
construct a mental model of your site. (See Don Norman's (et. al. books on
mental models and conceptual models)

Usually the client wants to see some of your fancy UI, too, with their big
blue and green logo in the upper left corner and all the screen real estate
reserved for doubleclick advertisements -- i.e., the big stacks of paper
with all the layouts (or screen details, or wireframes, or graypages, or
whatever the lingo your company uses).

The relationship between your site map and your screen details is like
showing the 30,000 foot view along with supporting details of every square
foot of the city below (distances and resolutions may vary :)

You should also be aware that there is a process that must occur (every IA
has a variation on the process, so we won't go there) to get from version 1
of site map to screen details to final site map and final .html pages.
Depending on where you are in the state of site development it may not be
appropriate to show the screen details (layouts, whatever) to the client,
yet. You may not have figured out how all that information is going to come
together and bubble up to the display level.

If you do have wireframes (layouts, screen details, graypages) you can make
a presentation to the client that shows the site map "mapped" to the
layouts. This can be done with a labeling scheme or by artfully and
skillfully creating some print or online display.

You may think about creating small multiples on the same page(s) as your
site map to show this relationship. (See Edward Tufte, et. al. on
information graphics and information display). There are a million ways to
do it. But the best ones are concise, yet complete.

-- Font9a




----- Original Message -----
From: A. Erickson
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 11:55 AM
Subject: [thelist] information architecture & visio


Any info architects on the list?

I'm looking for some thoughts on ways to present information architecture to
clients in an attractive and easily-understood manner.

I've seen people use visio and then I've also seen large stacks of paper
where nearly every page in the site is "layed out" with an indication of the
number of links that need to go on the page and the things that *must* be
there (logo, tagline, photo of the pres, etc.)

Any thoughts on this? Anyone have a method that works for them?

- amanda

--
http://gawow.com


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