Information Architecture - Theory and Practice
| Cost: | NZ$750 excluding GST. |
|---|---|
| When: | Thursday August 21, 2008 from 9am - 5pm. |
| Where: | Willeston Conference Center, Level 7, 22-28 Willeston Street, Wellington. |
| RSVP: | Simply email Michelle if you'd like to attend, or have any questions. |
Description
This full day workshop will provide you with a thorough overview and understanding of information architecture theory & practice. It will cover a wide range of information architecture issues, including an understanding of how it fits into a project, fundamental skills & knowledge required for information architecture work and current information architecture issues. It will be theoretical and practical and allow you to immediately apply ideas to your projects.
This workshop will cover:
- What information architecture is and how it relates to other user experience disciplines
- Core IA techniques - analysing content, conducting user research, card sorting and more
- Core IA theories - classification, categorisation, metadata & labeling
- IA structures - hierarchies, database and other structures
- Designing navigation & page layouts
- Putting it together in an IA project
- Current issues in IA
The workshop will be at the level of an advanced intro, covering the basics and also allowing exploration of key challenges and issues. The format will be a combination of short lectures, group discussion and hands-on activities. Resources will also be provided for further personal exploration.
Learning objectives
After the workshop, the participants will have:
- An understanding of fundamental IA concepts and issues
- An understanding of processes and techniques often used in an IA project
- Hands-on experience with key techniques
- Shared skills with other practitioners
Who should attend?
IA practitioners, designers of information-rich systems such as websites and intranets, HCI researchers and practitioners interested in the relationship between IA and their field, usability specialists, business analysts for information-rich environments.
It would be most beneficial if participants have previously worked on a complex website or intranet (or other information-rich environment).
RSVP
Email Michelle if you'd like to attend.
About the presenter - Donna (Maurer) Spencer
Donna (Maurer) Spencer is a freelance information architect and interaction designer, a mentor, writer and trainer. She has 8 years experience working in-house and as a consultant doing both strategic and tactical design. She has designed large intranets & websites, e-commerce & search systems, complex business applications, a set of design patterns and a content management system. She believes deeply in the value of user-centred design and uses a range of user-centred approaches on her projects - from quick analysis of existing research to deep ethnography. She also believes deeply in team-based and iterative design - continually surprising her colleagues by talking to people rather than computers and designing the old-fashioned way with pencil, sticky notes and much coloured paper.
Donna is an experienced speaker who has taught full-day workshops and presented sessions at many local and international conferences, on the topics of information architecture, interaction design and whatever else crosses her mind. She spends her remaining spare time weaving, gardening, working on the board of the IA Institute, and writing a book on card sorting to be published soon by Rosenfeld Media.
What to wear
For your enjoyment all our workshops are designed to be as interactive and relaxed as possible, so please wear comfortable clothing. We are not always able to completely control air conditioning and room temperature, so wearing layers will be handy in case you are too hot or too cold.
Course cancellation
- A course may be cancelled or postponed by Optimal Usability either due to exceptional circumstances beyond our control (e.g. presenter illness) or should the minimum number of participants not be reached.
- It is recommended that if you are travelling from outside Wellington that refundable travel tickets and accommodation are booked. We cannot accept liability for non-refundable travel and accommodation in the case of cancellation or postponement.
- If a course is cancelled or postponed you will be advised and, on your instruction, the fee will either be refunded or transferred to an alternative workshop.
Participant withdrawals
- While you may send a substitution at any stage at no extra charge, we do ask that you notify of us of this within 48 hours of the workshop commencing.
- A 20% withdrawal fee will be charged if you withdraw between 15 and 5 working days before the start of the workshop.
- A 50% withdrawal fee will be charged if you withdraw between 5 working days and 48 hours before the start of the workshop.
- A 100% withdrawal fee will be charged if you withdraw less than 48 hours before the start of the workshop.
