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| Spring 2007 |
Room | Time | Instructor: Howard Rosenbaum | Telephone: 855-3250 | Office hours | |||||
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| LI002 | 9:30-12:15 AM M |  hrosenba@indiana.edu |
Office: 005B@SLIS | 12:30-2:00 M 3:30-5:30 PM T |
| Introduction |
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| Background |
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The Internet is in its fourth distinct phase of growth. In the first phase, from its origins in the mid 1960s until the late 1980s, ARPANET was a well-kept secret, used primarily by the knowledge elite: government scientists and researchers in the Departments of Defense and Energy, and the National Science Foundation, and academic researchers, primarily in computer and the hard sciences. The second phase, from 1987 until 1992, saw the opening of the Internet to the general public. During this time, many commercial service providers opened gateways to the net. The third phase, from 1992 to 1996, began with the release of the HTTP protocol and the graphical browsers that allowed people to explore hyperlinked documents on the web.
What characterizes the fourth phase is that the Internet and the web are becoming an important part of a pervasive networked computing environment as we move towards a state where we will have constant access to resources and services from any location. The current phase is marked by four fascinating developments: the rise of electronic business, the spread of connectivity throughout many societies, the integration of networked computing into many parts of our work and social lives, and the attempts by all levels of governments to regulate and control the net.
Estimates of the number of net users vary widely, but the clear trend is that there will be continued growth in Internet and web use for the foreseeable future. According to the ClickZ Network 1 (2005):
There are countless sources for the number of Internet users in any given country. ClickZ Stats tries to maintain an updated list of the latest statistics on Internet users we've seen for countries around the world. Often, there are widely differing counts. We do our best to check on the accuracy of counts by comparing them to regional growth patterns and other projections.
The following table represents ClickZ's2 (2005) best estimate of how Internet users were distributed across the world in 2005 (there is rounding error here for individual country estimates and regional estimates):
| World Total | 1.08 billion |
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| Africa | 7.15 million |
| Asia/Pacific | 317.61 million |
| Europe | 260.77 million |
| Middle East | 10.61 million |
| North America | 206.85 million |
| Latin America | 57.69 million |
| The Challenge |
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There are some fascinating trends in this growth. For example, according to the UCLA Center for Communication Policy3(2003)
Each of the three studies by the UCLA Internet Project shows that Internet access spans every age range - and in some age ranges, access approaches 100 percent.Not surprisingly, Internet use is highest among those age 35 and under, with especially high use among those age 18 and under. However, Internet users in 2002 represented at least two-thirds of respondents in most age ranges
97% of 12-18 year olds responding to this survey are online
The Pew Internet Life Project4 (2005) has a frequently updated table providing demographics of internet users in the US. In December, 2005, 72% of all adults were online. The gender and age demographics are as follows:
| Demographics of Internet users | |
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| Total adults | 73% |
| Gender | Women | 71% |
| Men | 74% |
| Age | |
| 18-29 | 88% |
| 30-49 | 84% |
| 50-64 | 71% |
| 65+ | 32% |
According to Lenhart, Madden, and Hitlin 5 (2005),
The number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online. Compared to four years ago, teens' use of the internet has intensified and broadened as they log on more often and do more things when they are online.Among other things, there has been significant growth over the past four years in the number of teens who play games on the internet, get news, shop online, and get health information.
Not only has the number of users increased, but also the variety of technologies that teens use to support their communication, research, and entertainment desires has grown.
These technologies enable a variety of methods and channels by which youth can communicate with one another as well as with their parents and other authorities. Email, once the cutting edge 'killer app,' is losing its privileged place among many teens as they express preferences for instant messaging (IM) and text messaging as ways to connect with their friends.
In focus groups, teens described their new environment. To them, email is increasingly seen as a tool for communicating with 'adults' such as teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is used for everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to more serious and private exchanges.
At the other end of the spectrum, the UCLA Center for Communication Policy6 (2003), reports that:
Even use among the older respondents is showing steady growth; more than one-third (34 percent) of those over 65 went online in 2002 Ð up from 29 percent when the UCLA Internet Project began in 2000.
As more Internet users gain access to the WWW and discover the ease with which HMTL can be used to create web documents, thousands of new sites come online each day. This in turn means that millions of new personal and/or organizational web pages become part of the interlocked networked information environment.
One important consequence of this activity is that questions of the organization, design, and presentation of digital information have become much more important because of the increasing pervasiveness of the net, and particularly the web, in our work and personal lives. In this fourth phase of the development of the net, as public and private sector organizations increase their reliance on information and communication technologies, more and more of their information is created, stored, and disseminated in digital form across packet switched public networks.
This presents us with a challenge: what are we to make of the trend of moving more and more of our personal and work activities into the networked digital environment, including commerce, organizational business processes, banking, investing, education, entertainment and communication?
One thing is clear: these activities are going to take place on the web. Each will require a different type of web-based digital information space that can "do work" - that can do one or more specific and complex tasks efficiently, quickly, and simply for a wide range of people who will be accessing and using these sites with a variety of devices and interfaces from a wide variety of locations. Bad design, in many of these cases, cannot be an option and good design should be transparent and ultimately invisible.
Information architecture is one key that we can use to manage this challenge.
| The Course |
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Information Architecture for the Web is a course about web site development and design. We will have three main tasks this semester. First, we will learn about web design, covering basic markup, page layout, navigation schemes, information organization, and site structure. Second, we will learn about project management as it is used in the team-based development of complex web sites. From these two main themes, we will arrive at an initial understanding of information architecture for the web.
We will then pursue our third task by focusing on the conceptual, technical, organizational, and social contexts that surround the development and maintenance of large-scale and complex web sites. When we are through, we will have a deeper understanding for the concept of information architecture and an appreciation for its use in the design of web-based information spaces.
Where can we begin this exploration?
For a start, we can think about what is included in the term. Dillon 7(2000), argues persuasively that "information architecture currently represents a collective process more accurately than it describes what any individual does." Although the term can be used to describe work with a wide variety of information spaces, in this class, we will focus on the web as a specific case of an information space. Accordingly, we can begin with definitions that focus on our first task: web site design, but which begin to clarify the distinction between an information architect and a web designer. According to Withers, Casson, Shrimplin, and Adams,8(2000),
The core of information architecture is Web site navigation, labeling/naming schemes, and Web site structure. Information architects determine the functional and conceptual building blocks of a site. Unlike Web designers who are concerned with typeface, graphics, and other particulars of constructing an interface, information architects create organizational and navigational structures that help people access information.
Rosenfeld and Moreville 9(2002; 11) define information architecture in broader terms, coming closer to the approach we will take in this class. The information architect:
Clarifies the mission and vision for the site, balancing the needs of its sponsoring organization and the needs of its audiences.Determines what content and functionality the site will contain
Specifies how users will find information in the site by defining its organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems.
Maps out how the site will accommodate change and growth over time.
Schiple10 (2000) agrees:
Information architecture (also known as IA) is the foundation for great Web design. It is the blueprint of the site upon which all other aspects are built - form, function, metaphor, navigation and interface, interaction, and visual design. Initiating the IA process is the first thing you should do when designing a site.
Why should information architecture be of concern to information professionals? Internet connections in the public and private sectors, in the form of intranets and extranets, are increasing at an increasing rate. The government is moving more and more of its information to the web. Most academic libraries are on the Internet, more than two thirds of public libraries have connections to the Internet, and primary and secondary schools are connecting to the Internet every day. For information managers and brokers, the Internet is becoming an important source of research. Furthermore, as costs come down, a greater percentage of the general public is purchasing accounts from commercial service providers which allow them to access the Internet.
In this course, we will investigate information architecture as a social and technological phenomenon, focusing on the ways in which information-based organizations are making use of the web, and the impacts that the web is having on communication activities, productivity, and information seeking behavior. With this background, you have an opportunity to play an active role in defining what an "information architect" will be and the role that information architecture will play in determining the structure and functions of information spaces, such as intranets, portals, and digital libraries in the electronic, networked, information environment. You will be in a position to evaluate the role you and your organization will play in the development of the Web; whether it is envisioned as a "superhighway," a "cloud," or territory to be "mined." In doing so, you will help move the information professions into the next decade.
The purpose of this course is to explore information architecture for the web in two ways. First, there will be an emphasis on developing a knowledge base and set of skills that will enable you to efficiently and effectively design and build complex web sites in support of your professional and personal goals.
This facet of the course will include explorations of:
Second, we will explore information architecture as a complex socio-technical process. This facet of the course will include explorations of:
Notes:
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| Return to Table of Contents or go to: |
Introduction | Course Objectives | Course Requirements | Other Information | Assignments |
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| Grading | Required Texts | Topic Outline | Assignments/Due Dates (short) |
| Page by Howard Rosenbaum | |
| Find me at |
http://www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/L571/syll/intro.html |