Information Design – Week 6

Topics: Midterm Presentations, Organization
Lab / Activity: Presentations, Organizing Large Data Structures
Work due this week: HW#4 – Complex Data Poster
Homework for next week: HW#5 – Company Data Documentation, Reading #4: Chapter 5.

Homework #5: Company Data Documentation & Reading: Chapter 5

I) Invent your “Company”: For the rest of the quarter, you will be given assignments that relate to a larger project: designing the information architecture for an online retailer. This week, develop the following items:

COMPANY DATA (10 points total)
__ (2) A Name for your Company
__ (3) A list of 100 products that they will offer through their online store
__ (2) Find 2 similar companies with websites – (bring in URLs and Screenshots)
__ (3) Taxonomy / Organization system (see reading Ch. 5)

II) Reading, CH.5: Organization
1 ) How can a site’s design help assure users that they have reached the right place?

2 ) How can you make it clear to the user whether or not the site has what they are looking for?

3 ) How can you encourage for the user to browse further once they have found what they are looking for?

4 ) What is a Faceted Classification System, and when would you use it?

5 ) What should be considered when naming Navigation Labels?

6 ) What does the author mean by “categorization provides context” and “categorization is shaped by context”?

7 ) What is a Card Sort? Why is it useful to conduct a Card Sort?

8 ) Develop a Taxonomy (organization system) for your Company’s Site based on your card sorting results. Create an outline of the categories and sub-categories your site will use to organize the products.

GRADING: READING QUESTIONS (4 points total)
__ (1) Use complete sentences.
__ (1) Answers demonstrate knowledge of the assigned reading.
__ (1) Answers are in your own words, not copied from the book.
__ (1) All questions are answered.