IA estimate? No problem!

Has it really been over three months already since my last blog post?! Wow! I must apologize to all of you, time REALLY flies by when you're having fun!

Three months ago, I was given my first work opportunity at Information Architecture and User Experience at an exciting digital marketing agency. Having come equipped with over 5 years of experience as a Business Systems Analyst, and about a years worth of self development in the IA/UX field, nothing could have prepared me for the fast-paced and exciting world of agency life! I kind of knew what to expect in terms of the amount of work required, and that every minute was considered billable. However, what I didn't know or realize was how quickly things get done around here, and how quickly YOU are expected to get things done! Sink or swim baby!

Prior to starting at the agency, I had been participating regularly in mentorship sessions conducted voluntarily by IA/UX guru Brad Einarsen. During each session, participants were expected to complete some "homework" to help apply Brad's teachings. The great part about this arrangement was that I could take as much time as I needed to complete the work!

I know how to create wireframes, sitemaps, user flows, prototypes, functional specifications, personas, and for the most part, how to conduct usability tests. However, one of the most unexpected challenges that I encountered during my first week at the agency was to provide an IA estimate. Seems pretty straight forward, right? Actually, no. For someone who's had the luxury of taking the time to just create wireframes during his spare time with no cost or timeline to worry about, it's not that straight forward.

I recall my first request was to provide an estimate on building wireframes, a sitemap, and a prototype of a microsite that consisted of about 10 to 15 pages. Again, having only created deliverables at my own leisure and in the comfort of my own home, I had no idea what would be considered a "reasonable" estimate. So my approach was to break down the tasks into smaller logical parts, estimate how long each part would take, and add a little buffer for my learning curve. Needless to say, my formulated estimate raised a lot of eyebrows! Perhaps a bit too much buffer? =)

The lesson here was simple. Although my IA estimation tool provided a (lot) higher estimate than what the Account Manager expected, it really helped me to understand a couple important things. Not only did I have to do my job correctly, for example, making sure to follow strong usability guidelines, but I also had to do my job quickly and efficiently! My IA estimation tool and thought process has evolved dramatically since then, but the key point here is that it provided me with an excellent starting point. It allowed me to quickly plug in some numbers based on the information provided, add a little complexity multipler, some buffer, and voila!

In my previous post, What is Information Architecture?, I had mentioned that the one thing I absolutely love about this job is the fact that there is a LOT of room for creativity. Three months ago, that side of my brain was locked inside a highly secured vault just screaming to get out! Thanks to all the helpful support and creative minds at my agency, this vault has been destroyed forever!

What is Information Architecture?

In an ongoing effort to help you, my loyal followers, to experience my passion and dedication in the field of IA/UX, I feel that the best way to express my knowledge is to share it...remember, sharing is caring! At this point, you must be wondering, what is Information Architecture (IA)? If not, too bad, I'm going to tell you anyways! =P

I've read many blogs, tutorials, wikis, and best practices published by well-known and experienced individuals. To summarize these thoughts into my own words,

IA is a technique or process of logically organizing, designing, and managing a collection of data for the purpose of serving the needs of select user groups, while supporting their ability to interact with a website and/or software product, and find relevant information efficiently and effectively.

Webmonkey.com has an excellent Information Architecture Tutorial that aims to help IAs follow a more structured process/approach in an attempt to reduce project time and money, and maximize client satisfaction. To provide you with a higher level summary, here are some key steps that you should be thinking about when you are designing a website:

1. Define Your Site's Goals - Ask lots of questions, and document these goals in order of importance. What is the mission or purpose of the organization? What are the short- and long-term goals of the site? Who are the intended audiences? Why will people come to your site? Why are you building this website?
2. Define the User Experience - Identify your audience by creating personas, scenarios, and user stories. These help with visualizing the audience. Why will people come to your site? Are you selling a product? Do you have a unique service? Why will people come to the site the very first time? Will they come back?
3. Identify Content and Functional Requirements - Organize, group, and label your site into pages of content and functions by gathering the pieces for creating the structure and organization of the site. What pieces of content does the site need? What sorts of functionality will be required?
4. Define the Site's Structure and Navigation - Identify how you want the site's content to be organized, and create a navigational site map. How will users use the site? How will they get from one place to another? How do you prevent them from getting lost?
5. Create the Visual Design - Based on the above four steps, create/sketch the visual design by taking the site's structure and mapping the layout. Wireframing is a excellent technique to help mockup the different pages.
   

The great thing that I love about IA is the fact that there is a LOT of room for creativity! Yes there are standards, best practices, tools and techniques that definitely help make your job easier, but these can be taught. However, what differentiates great IAs is their ability to think outside the box, WAY outside. I strongly believe that any idea can become a great idea, and by creating this blog, my hope is that I will be able to channel my energy, and bust open my creative (somewhat dormant) side!

Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image, recently published a blog article called Six Ways To Find Business Inspiration. In his article, he quotes the great Albert Einstein, who said:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

That quote says it all...

Feed your users with a healthy dose of RSS!

It has recently come to my attention that not many people really know, or understand the power of the RSS feed. Have you ever noticed while browsing your favourite newspaper online you noticed an orange icon with "RSS" on it?Or while checking you Gmail, a link called "Reader" along the top-left of your account? Working together, these two great tools should soon become your new best friends!


Technically speaking, RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". An RSS feed is basically a way for websites, blogs, forums, etc. to distribute new content to its users or subscribers as it becomes available. So now that you've identified which websites you want to follow, how do you collect all of this content in an efficient and manageable way? Introducing Google Reader. By the way, did I mention that I love Google products? =P

Again, technically speaking, Google Reader is web-based aggregator. Think of it as your own personal assistant automatically going to all your favourite websites, collecting their new content, and presenting your subscriptions in one simple list, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Real simple? Absolutely! By subscribing to a website's RSS feed in Google Reader, you will automatically receive new blog posts, newspaper articles, and great shopping deals from all your favourite websites!

Try it now by subscribing your bestest, mostest, favouritest blog in the whole wide world! =D

Persuasion 101: Getting Users to Click...I did!

Andrew Chak, author of "Submit Now - Designing Persuasive Web Sites" writes about how users go about making purchasing decisions, i.e. getting users to click. He identifies four types of users:

1. Browsers - the user recognizes they have a need, but needs to understand what they should be looking for.
2. Evaluators - the user needs help making a choice, compare alternatives, and decide whether to make a transaction.
3. Transactors - the user has made a decision what item(s) to buy and where, and needs guidance to help them get through the call to action before motivation is lost.
4. Customers - transaction is complete. The user wants to ensure they are taken care of, and looking for a reason why to transact again.

Recently, I purchased a new Canon 40D DSLR camera from FutureShop.ca, and I started thinking to myself, what were the steps that got me to make this BIG $1400 purchase? Was it an impulse buy? Probably. Was it because of a forum post submitted by a member of RedFlagDeals.com that convinced me that I was getting a great deal? Possibly. Or was is something on Future Shop's website that persuaded me to click "BUY NOW!"? Perhaps. In all honesty, looking back at the types of users defined above, as well as my own online experience, I would have to say "All of the above".

Let's start from the beginning...Prior to making this purchase, I owned the Canon DSLR Rebel XT, which is an entry level DSLR camera. One day, waiting for the wife, I stopped into a Future Shop brick and mortar store, and started playing around with the 40D...WOW! What a difference! Right away, I recognized how much more powerful this camera was in comparison to the Rebel XT...but is the 40D really what I need? What about the 50D, or the 5D? Which one provides best value for my money? I had no clue, and I needed to do more research...and wait for a sale!

Browsing through my Google Reader RSS subscription to RFD's Hot Deals Forum, I came across a post about the Canon 40D camera on sale at FutureShop.ca! Just my luck! Immediately, I was motivated to click, identify how much time I have before the sale ends, search other e-tailers who sell the same camera for price comparison, and search for reviews. Using my final "phone a friend" lifeline, I consulted with my photography guru friend, Benjamin Wong, who helped provide me with some great insight...I've made my final decision...

After evaluating all my options, e.g. searching for the best price, lowest and quickest shipping cost, e-tailer reputation, camera reviews, and a friendly recommendation, it was only a matter of signing into my FutureShop.ca account, adding the camera to my virtual shopping cart, enter some personal details, and clicking on "Complete Order" to finish the online transaction.

However, keep in mind that the process doesn't stop here. The process ends when I physically receive the product in a timely manner, and in perfect working condition. FutureShop.ca ensured that I, the customer, was well taken care of by sending frequent email updates of my current purchase, and illustrating the efficiency of their order processing system. From a user experience perpective, users expect (not want) to be notified every step of the way. They want their purchasing experience to be just as satisfying as a purchase in a brick and mortar store. In my opinion, FutureShop.ca successfully satisfied my user experience by sending three very important emails:

1. Your order has been received
2. Your order has been processed
3. Your order has been shipped, here's the tracking number, and your official invoice.

Ding Dong! Delivery for Mr. Julian Lising? That's me! Enjoy! Thanks Mr. Postman, have a nice day! CLICK! Well done FutureShop.ca, I now have a reason to transact with you again! Shoutout to you, Mr. Chak, you hit the nail right on the head!

Sharing is caring with AddThis

As a user of my own blog, I'm always looking for compelling ways to make it more inviting, more "user friendly", and more caring...and by caring, I mean sharing! Introducing my next little gadget, AddThis...What a great tool!

Just signup, select a button type/style, choose where to add the gadget (e.g. blog), and GO! From a user experience perspective, it allows for instant sharing with the world at the click of a single button, making it so easy for visitors to bookmark and share your content with other people. Choose to share to del.icio.us, Facebook, MySpace, or by E-mail. In addition, it provides valuable Analytics about the bookmarking and sharing activity of your users...did I mention it's FREE? WoOt!

Try it now by hovering your mouse cursor over the "SHARE" button at the top-right of my blog, and select your most favourite bookmark sharing tool!

EDIT: You can now find the "SHARE" button directly at the END of each post, which allows you to share specific topics easier!

My 1st Post! Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

Welcome to my blog!

In a serious effort to dive head-first into the exciting world of IA and UX, a career field that I've become increasingly obsessed with over the past 6-8 months, I've decided to start my own blog/portfolio. The overall objective of this blog will not only be to share interesting articles/blogs/guides/books about IA and UX, but also to help others learn about a field that I find extremely fascinating (and maybe, showcase some of my own "just-because-I-like-to" work)!

So, to start things off with the user's experience in mind, I've just installed a great little tool called Snap Shots (inspired by Noesium's Blog!) that enhances links with visual previews of a destination site by simply hovering over the link! I think this adds a compelling experience for the user as it can bring you the information you need, without ever having to leave my blog, while other times it lets you "look ahead" before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

However, should you decide this is not for you, just click the "Options" icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and you may choose to opt-out. Enjoy!