#18452
A User-Centered Approach to Selling Information Architecture
One of the most popular topics for discussion among those practicing Information Architecture is “selling IA.” There is a constant struggle to show the value and benefits of including information architecture techniques on a project. The most common approach to selling IA involves introducing the basic concepts, along with explanations and examples of what deliverables are produced, and some discussion of the benefits. At that point, usually the client will comment, or ask about how these procedures can fit in to a specific project. This is antithetical to the mantra of user-centered design, which says that the needs of the user should be understood before the design begins. How can one design a sales approach before understanding the needs of the client? The proper approach should be to figure out what the goals and needs of the client are before ever starting to try and sell Information Architecture as a possible solution.
Lash, Jeff. Digital Web Magazine. Articles>Information Design>User Centered Design
#29907
Using HTML as a Single Source Solution: A Case Study 
This paper presents an overview of the process and toolset developed for maintaining, updating, and generating user documentation for a complex Department of Defense (DoD) vulnerability analysis model. The roles of HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and eXtensible Markup Language (XML) in developing a single source solution are examined. The additional role of the Alchemy toolset, which is a customized solution to address page layout formatting in HTML, is also examined. Finally, practical application of this process/toolset to a generic software project is discussed.
Butkiewicz, Mark and Lisa Garriques. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Document Design>Information Design>HTML
#27248
Using Mocks to Verify Interactions
Continues a conversation with closer look at 'mocks,' utility classes that, for testing purposes, pretend to be some component or service with which your object will interact.
North, Dan. StickyMinds (2006). Articles>Information Design>Programming
#25932
As an information source, the Internet is amazing. No matter what the topic, chances are you can find out all about it on the 'net. However, as the information haystack gets bigger, finding that crucial needle of data can become a frustrating challenge. Here are some simple tips for finding what you want.
Bennaco (2005). Articles>Information Design>Search
#27748
If you're a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) developer, you'll want to preview the SQLXML technology, currently in development. Check out procedures to create an XML document, store an XML document in a relational database, retrieve an XML document from a database, and navigate an XML document with the SQLXML Java data type.
Vohra, Deepak. IBM (2006). Articles>Information Design>Databases>XML
#22750
Using Topic Maps to Extend Relational Databases
Topic Maps provide a very flexible and robust way to add arbitrary data to a relational databases at runtime. Moreover, Topic Maps come with a predefined exchange mechanism (the XML Topic Maps (XTM) interchange syntax) to allow data to be exported to XML.
de Graauw, Marc. XML.com (2003). Articles>Information Design>Databases>XML
#23926
L'ennemi de l'hypertexte, c'est l'hypertexte lui-même... Abusez de l'hypertexte et vous ne tarderez pas à dérouter votre visiteur. Evitez donc l'effet 'labyrinthe' dans la mesure du possible ! Un utilisateur ne devrait jamais avoir à explorer des forêts de boutons pour obtenir de simples informations.
Hardy, Jean-Marc. Redaction (2004). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext
#27041
Validate RSS and Atom Documents
Use an online validator to check your RSS and Atom documents.
O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Information Design>Standards>RSS
#25260
This article will show you how to create a custom DTD that will add custom attributes, and will also show you how to validate documents that use those new attributes.
Eisenberg, J. David. List Apart, A (2005). Articles>Information Design>Standards>XML
#29299
VB.NET Application with SQL Anywhere 10 Database
This article by Jayaram Krishnswamy shows how you can develop a VB.NET 2.0 application using the integration features provided by the SQL Anywhere database. The SQL Anywhere tools are directly accessible without going out of the Visual Studio 2.O IDE. The article describes a window application with two examples developed with this easy to use integration interface.
Krishnaswamy, Jayaram. Packt (2007). Articles>Information Design>Databases>SQL
#29919
This podcast features Char James-Tanney's June 2007 presentation to the Suncoast Florida STC chapter on virtual ways of communicating.
James-Tanny, Char and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Interviews>Information Design>Podcasts
#26565
Spend any time with Visio and you'll find yourself wondering how glue works. In the real world, it's pretty straightforward: put glue between two things and they'll stick. Although glue is used for sticking shapes together in Visio, the metaphor ends there.
Brown, Dan. Boxes and Arrows (2005). Articles>Information Design>Software>Visio
#28356
Visio Replacement? You Be the Judge
In the same way that the Internet took us to the next level of interaction, complete with rich visuals, simulations are doing the same for application definition. McDowell explores the ins and outs of new simulation tools. Will one of them work for you?
McDowell, Scott. Boxes and Arrows (2006). Articles>Information Design>Methods
#26840
Visio: The Interaction Designer's Nail Gun (2nd Edition)
This is a second edition of the article on using Visio for rapid prototyping for the web. The new edition includes a new and improved version of the GUUUI Prototyping Tool for Visio 2003.
Olsen, Henrik. GUUUI (2006). Articles>Information Design>Interaction Design>Visio
#20877
We Are All Connected: The Path from Architecture to Information Architecture
Information architecture has a great deal to do with traditional architecture—especially in the ability of each discipline to plan and connect various important elements together.
Chiou, Fu-Tien. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design>Professionalism
#29986
Microformats is a term used to describe the storage of information using simple markup variations within existing markup languages. To a certain extent, microformats describes a methodology or philosophy, and comprises a set of design principles. Microformats is not a new language. It is usually a permutation of XHTML. The philosophy of microformats involves storing data in human-readable formats which are also machine-readable, but the emphasis is on the humans! Information tends to be visible, rather than hidden metadata.
Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2004). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>XHTML
#20740
Web Application Maps Business Opportunities
A technical writer develops a way to help a government contractor uncover procurement opportunities -- and in the process discovers a new opportunity for himself as an information profit center.
Montague Institute Review (1998). Articles>Knowledge Management>Information Design>Technical Writing
#10676
Web Rings as Computer-Mediated Communication
As recently as 1994, academic journals such as Communication Education were continuing to define 'computer-mediated communication' as a decidedly dialogic or conversational phenomenon. Focusing on such technologies as electronic bulletin boards, the Usenet and email, the journal's articles attempted to come to grips with the 'virtual' dimension of text-based, computerized communication. Four short years later, the Internet has become a much more complex, commercialized, politicized and increasingly networked environment, to the extent that web-based resources--particularly home page addresses-- have become fully integrated and hypertextually linked into 'traditional' CMC dialogic technologies. The widespread use of email and usenet interfaces from Netscape and Microsoft, for instance, have enabled the linking of web addresses within the body of posts. In addition to conversing one-on one, users now increasingly refer, via an automated link, to web-based resources. Granted, users don't communicate with each o
Elmer, Greg. Computer-Mediated Communication (1999). Articles>Information Design>Web Design
#21603
Hace casi tres años comentábamos que la promesa de la web semántica era convertir la red en 'un espacio auto-navegable y auto-comprensible.' ¿Dónde estamos hoy en día?.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Articles>Information Design>Web Design>Metadata
#23258
The Web Category Analysis Tool (WebCAT) is a variation on traditional card sorting techniques that allows a web designer/usability engineer to test a proposed or existing categorization scheme of a website to determine how well the categories and items are understood by users.
NIST. Articles>User Centered Design>Information Design>Card Sorting
#21362
What an Information Architect Should Know About Prototypes for User Testing
There are several important factors to consider when you are planning to do prototyping for user testing. You will want to make careful choices about fidelity, level of interactivity and the medium of your prototype. Chris Farnum offers descriptions and best use scenarios to help you make the best prototype decision for your tests.
Farnum, Chris. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Articles>Information Design>Usability
#29548
RSS, also known as rich site summary or real simply syndication, arrived on the scene a number of years ago, but was only recently embraced by webmasters as a means to effectively syndicate content. RSS Feeds provide webmasters and content providers an avenue to provide concise summaries to prospective readers. Thousands of commercial web sites and blogs now publish content summaries in an RSS feed. Each item in the feed typically contains a headline; article summary and link back to the online article.
Small Business Software (2007). Articles>Information Design>XML>RSS
#26793
Libraries and librarians can create the kinds of compelling services that will bring our users back. We can't expect a brighter future unless we work hard for it.
Tennant, Roy. Library Journal (2006). Articles>Information Design>Web Design
#23983
What is an Information Architect?
Examines the role of the information architect and provides a broad definition.
Downes, Stephen. NewsTrolls (1999). Articles>Information Design
#27996
RDF was originally created in 1999 as a standard on top of XML for encoding metadata--literally, data about data. Metadata is, of course, things like who authored a web page, what date a blog entry was published, etc., information that is in some sense secondary to some other content already on the regular web. Since then, and perhaps especially after the updated RDF spec in 2004, the scope of RDF has really evolved into something greater. The most exciting uses of RDF aren't in encoding information about web resources, but information about and relations between things in the real world: people, places, concepts, etc.
Tauberer, Joshua. XML.com (2006). Articles>Information Design>XML>Metadata
