LIS 7470: Information Architecture

Winter 2012
Online Section

Instructor
Name:

Email:

Paul Gallagher, MLIS

Associate Director
Discovery Services
Wayne State University Libraries
paul.gallagher@wayne.edu

Office Voicemail:

888-4WSU-SLIS x760

Office Hours:

By appointment

Communicating with the Instructor

I want to be accessible to you. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question or run into
a problem. Email is probably the best way to contact me. Email will be answered within 24
hours, but response during weekends may be a bit more sluggish.
During the day (9am 5pm) you can reach me at my office phone. Office hours are by
appointment only but Im very flexible in regards to time. Office hours can be in person or
virtual through Adobe Connect.

Course Description and Course Competencies

Course Description
Information architecture (IA) involves the dissemination of information in a manner that takes
into effect context, content, and user. While typically associated with website development,
information architecture is also key in technical writing, presentation preparation and report
generation. Librarians have been pioneering the practices and developing the core tools of
information architecture (IA) for hundreds of years. While its true that there is no one official
certification process or academic programs for information architects, an ALA-accredited MLIS
degree continues to be one of the key credentials for IA practitioners. The purpose of this course
is to acquaint students with the history and practice of information architecture for the World
Wide Web, and to help students to leverage their skills and knowledge in the field of
librarianship within the broad context and practice of information architecture.

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Course Competencies
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Understand the basics of optimizing websites for search engines

Gain a solid comprehension of the definition and topics of information architecture

Learn the roles for information architecture in web design / redesign teams

Learn the basics of information architecture practice

Gain experience with organization structure, labeling and taxonomies

Understand the basics of optimizing websites for search engines

Understand the issues currently being researched in information architecture

Course Policies
Lectures
All weekly lectures will be available on Blackboard no later than Wednesday during the
scheduled week, and will be linked via Blackboard. For most weekly sessions, the lectures will
be conducted in two parts, one video with brief class announcements, and a second video that
contains the course content. All lectures are in the Adobe Connect system.
Grading Policies
All assignments are due by 11:59 EST on Wednesday of the week the assignment is listed as
due, specific due dates are listed in the Grading Scale below.
Late assignments will be accepted only if you have discussed your situation with the
instructor prior to the due date and an extension is given. Extensions are rarely given and
only in extreme conditions.
Resubmissions: The option to resubmit an assignment requires approval from the
instructor. Assignments that are resubmitted will not receive full credit for that
assignment. In most cases, an average of the original score and the resubmission score
will be used as the final score for a resubmitted assignment. Specific procedures relating
to resubmissions are the prerogative of the instructor.
Assignment Submissions
Assignments should be submitted via the BlackBoard digital drop box, or in the rare case of a
system malfunction, directly to the instructors email address.
Academic Integrity
You are being encouraged to grow intellectually and to become responsible citizens in our
complex society. In order to develop your skills and talents, you will be asked to do research,
write papers, prepare presentations, and work individually as well as in teams. Academic
dishonesty undermines your intellectual growth. Therefore, violations of the code of academic
honesty will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty is defined as the giving, taking, or

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presentation of information or material by a student with the intent of unethically or fraudulently
aiding oneself or another on any work which is to be considered in the determination of a grade
or the completion of academic requirements. A student shall be in violation of the academic
honesty policy if he / she:
1. Represents the work of others as his / her own,
2. Gives assistance to another individual in a situation in which that the individual is expected to
perform individually, or
3. Offers false data in support of required course work.
The act of submitting work for evaluation or to meet a requirement is regarded as assurance that
the work is the result of the students own thought and study, produced without assistance and
stated in that students own words (except where quotation, references, or footnotes acknowledge
the use of other sources). Students who are in doubt regarding any matter related to the standards
of academic integrity in this course should consult with the instructor before presenting work.
Submitting work that is not your own will result, at a minimum, in a zero score for the
assignment and a request to immediately drop the course.
E-Portfolio Requirements
An E-Portfolio is required for graduation by all students who entered the MLIS in Fall 2009 and
thereafter. Details may be found on the SLIS website: http://slis.wayne.edu/current/portfolio.php
Grading Policies
Please refer to the SLIS Academic Progress policy found:
http://www.slis.wayne.edu/about/policies.php#academicprogress
Student Disabilities Services
If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with
Student Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student
Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the
Student Academic Success Services department. SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313577-3365 (TDD only). Once you have your accommodations in place, I will be glad to meet with
you privately during my office hours to discuss your special needs. Student Disability Services
mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with
disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at
Wayne State University.
Please refer to the SDS website for further information about students with disabilities and the
services provided for faculty and students: http://studentdisability.wayne.edu/
Student Privacy and Information Security
SLIS follows all WSU policies and procedures regarding student privacy and security as outlined
by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)--a federal mandate:
http://reg.wayne.edu/students/privacy.php

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Graduate Professional Student Responsibilities
Graduate professional education in LIS is rigorous and substantial. Students have a responsibility
to be prepared for class, participate effectively and interact appropriately with students and
instructors alike. Communication, whether written or oral, should be professional and adhere to
generally acceptable courtesy expectations. Being on time is an integral component of
professional behavior.
Syllabus Modifications
This syllabus is not a contract; the instructor reserves the right to modify any portion of the
syllabus at any time during the semester.

Textbook
Textbook/s
Rosenfeld, L. &, Morville, P. (2006). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web:
Designing Large-Scale Web Sites (3nd ed.). O'Reilly & Associates. [ISBN: 0596527349]

Graded Course Assignments

Class Participation
10pts
DUE: Ongoing
Well be doing a few short BlackBoard posts, where you will be required to both post and
respond to other posts. Details will be discussed during the weekly class lecture and in the
BlackBoard content area.
Exam
20pts
DUE: Feb 1
An open book exam that evaluates high-level concepts addressed in the early readings which
are critical to developing a basic understanding of the tenets of information architecture. The
exam will be delivered via BlackBoard, and will contain a mixture of multiple choice and essay
questions.
Website Site Plan/Map
15pts
DUE: Feb 22
This assignment entails one of the most important elements in website architecture, the design of
a large website structure. The use of labeling and exploring the connections between sections
and how the architecture would fulfill the needs presented in a few use cases. The project also
entails a brief justification of how the site map would fulfill the needs expressed in the use cases.
Wireframe Assignment
DUE: Mar 7

15pts

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Wireframes are the second component to any basic site design, and provide a framework for
designers and clients to gain insight and ownership with the overall design. This project will
have you designing a basic site mockup based on the website plan assignment that will
provide some insight into the overall design of the site.
Usability Testing Plan
20pts
DUE: Mar 28
This entails creating a formal usability-testing plan for a large website, including establishing
baselines of user performance, identifying areas of concern, and ensuring accessibility for both
general users and those with special needs. Note: this may change due to a proposed project with
a major vendor. Stay tuned for details.
Final Group Project
30pts
DUE: Apr 25
For the final project, the class will be split into groups and the teams will have to prepare a
substantive response to an RFP (request for proposal) such as would be found in a real world
situation. The final group documents will have all the sections typically delivered as part of the
planning phase of a large website redesign, including a site map, taxonomy, wireframe, usabilitytesting plan, and a short analysis of competing sites. Team members will be partially evaluated
by each other as to their individual contributions to the final deliverable.

Grading Scale
Assignment

Points/Percentage
Exam
15 pts
Sitemap IA Assignment
15 pts
Wireframe Assignment
15 pts
Usability Testing Plan
15 pts
Final Group Project
30 pts
Class Participation
10 pts
Total: 100 pts / %
A
AB+
B
BC

Due Date
Feb 8
Feb 22
Mar 7
Mar 28
Apr 25
N/A

94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
81-83
80 or fewer points

NOTE: B- or lower is not considered a passing grade for graduate courses.

Course Calendar
NOTE: The weekly readings are still under revision, and may change from the items listed
below. Listen to weekly class announcement lectures for updates.
Week/Dates

Content/Objectives

Week #1
Jan 11

Course Introduction
What is Information
Architecture?

Required Readings
Chapter 1, Defining Information
Architecture
Chapter 2, Practicing Information
Architecture
Latham, D. (2002), Information
architecture: Notes toward a new
curriculum. Journal of the American
Society for Information Science and
Technology, 53: 824830.
doi: 10.1002/asi.10097

Week #2
Jan 18

Principles of
Information
Architecture

Chapter 3, User Needs and Behaviors

Chapter 4, The Anatomy of an
Information Architecture
Chapter 5, Organization Systems

Week #3
Jan 25

Labeling &
Navigation Systems
Chapter 6, Labeling Systems
Chapter 7, Navigation Systems
http://www.translationdirectory.com/artic
les/article1387.php
http://www.translationdirectory.com/artic
les/article1391.php

Assignments
Due

Week #4
Feb 1

IA Strategy:
User Centered
Design
User Personas
Use Cases
Task Analysis

Chapter 11, Strategy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_center
ed_design
Doyle, Bob. "Personas and Scenarios."
EContentMag, June 06, 2006. Available
online:
http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Ar
ticlePrint.aspx?ArticleID=15876
http://www.hceye.org/HCInsightNielsen.htm

http://www.mathcs.gordon.edu/courses/cs211/ATMExamp
le/UseCases.html#Session
http://breathingtech.com/2009/writinguse-cases-for-agile-scrum-projects/
http://iqcontent.com/publications/features
/article_75/
http://www.usability.gov/methods/design
_site/usecases.html

http://www.usability.gov/method
s/analyze_current/analysis.html

http://www.usability.gov/method
s/analyze_current/scenarios.html
Week #5
Feb 8

Sitemaps:
Assignment Review

Chapter 12, Design and Documentation

Exam Due

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IA Blueprints & Card
Sorting

Stop after section on blueprints

Card sorting: a definitive guide by
Donna Maurer and Todd Warfe
http://www.usability.gov/methods/design
_site/define.html
Card Sorting, Category Validity, and
Contextual Navigation
http://journalofia.org/volume1/issue2/

Week #6
Feb 15

Web Analytics
http://www.google.com/analytics/tour.ht
ml
Google Conversion University
First Steps
Interpreting Reports
Using Google Analytics for Improving
Library Website Content and Design: A Case
Study
http://piwik.org/
(play with online demo)

Week #7
Feb 22

Wireframe:
Assignment Review
Graphical User
Interface

http://emediavitals.com/blog/8/howwrite-website-creative-brief
http://www.aipmm.com/html/newsletter/
archives/000052.php
Chapter 12, Design and Documentation
Section on wireframes
Usability.gov wireframes
http://www.usability.gov/templates/wiref

Sitemap IA
assignment

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rames.pdf
Medero, Shawn. Paper Prototyping, A
List Apart, available
athttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/pape
rprototyping
The Paper Version of the Web,
Deeplinking, available at
http://deeplinking.net/paper-web/
http://webdesignledger.com/tips/theprinciple-of-contrast-in-web-design
http://www.alistapart.com/topics/design/
graphicdesign/
Week #8
Feb 29

Metadata /
Taxonomies

Website meta tags

http://searchenginewatch.com/2167931
Chapter 9, Thesauri, Controlled
Vocabularies, and Metadata
Alan Gilchrist. Thesaui, Taxonomies and
Ontologies An Etymological Note.
Journal of Documentation, 59(1):7-18.
Semantic Web Tutorial W3C Schools

Week #9
Mar 7

Usability Testing /
508 Compliance

Usability.gov sections about usability

testing available at:
http://www.usability.gov/refine/learnusa.
html
Usability.gov website on Usability
Testing
http://www.usability.gov/methods/test_re
fine/learnusa/index.html
Usability.gov templates
http://www.usability.gov/templates/index
.html

Wireframe
Assignment

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ALA Usability Report available at
http://wikis.ala.org/webplanning/images/
b/b1/Usability_assessment_report.
pdf
Web accessibility guidelines* (Read
me!)
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
http://www.northtemple.com/2008/10/07/
javascript-and-screen-readers
Reynolds, Erica. The Secrets of PatronCentered Web Design: Cheap,
Easy, and Powerful Usability. Computers
in Libraries, June 2008.
Week #10
Mar 14

Spring Break no
class

Week #11
Mar 21

CMS

3-part series on content management

systems at TechSoup:
Part 1 available at
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/
webbuilding/page4896.cfm
Part II available at
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/
webbuilding/page5062.cfm
Part III available at
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/
webbuilding/page5127.cfm
Byrne, Tony. "Content Management and
Information Architecture" Interview with
Lou Rosenfeld, CMS Watch,
23-May-2003. Available online:
http://www.cmswatch.com/Feature/90
Yan Han, (2004) "Digital content
management: the search for a content
management system", Library Hi Tech,
Vol. 22 Iss: 4, pp.355 3652008
Better Content Management through
Information Architecture

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http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/be
tter-content
Week #12
Mar 28

Project Management
a hands on
approach

Wikipedia: Project Management

Getting Started in Project
Management Video Series:
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmcpro99#
grid/user/8A42019E3CE78C55
http://www.librarybytes.com/2007/01/ex
plaining-napkin-aka-project.html
Thomas, M., Jacques, P.H., Adams, J.R.
and Kihneman-Wooten, J. (2008).
Developing an effective project:
Planning and team building combined.
Project Management Journal, 39(4), 105113.

Week #13
Apr 4

Information Retrieval
Chapter 8, Search Systems
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information
_retrieval
Singhal, Amit (2001). "Modern
Information Retrieval: A Brief
Overview". Bulletin of the IEEE
Computer Society Technical Committee
on Data Engineering 24 (4): 3543.

Week #14
Apr 11

Search Engine
Optimization (SEO)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/busi
ness/13search.html
Google search architecture
http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/goo
gle.html
http://www.google.com/support/webmast
ers/bin/answer.py?answer=35291
(Long, but well worth it)
http://www.google.com/webmasters/docs
/search-engine-optimization-starter-

Usability
Testing Plan

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guide.pdf
Week #15
Apr 18

IA: The Future &

Academic Research

Chapter 10, Research

Chapter 10, Research

Final Due
Apr 25

Chapter 11, Strategy

Final Project Submission Due