Making Things Be Good
This mantra of ours is borrowed from the founding father of Information Architecture, Richard Saul Wurman. It reminds us that it’s not enough to have an attractive surface layer; we need to grasp deeper truths to determine what good really is. We start with seeking to understand and then pursuing order. The results are enduring.
As part of TUG’s sponsorship of World IA Day this year, we printed a few hundred of Richard Saul Wurman’s Olympic Access Swimming mini-posters and provided them to North American WIAD attendees as a gift. We think this poster is a beautiful example of something that not only looks good, but IS good—40 years after it was first designed.
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TUG THOUGHTS
How Did Your Last Redesign Work Out?
What makes the difference between an enduring website redesign and one that never really satisfies? Grant describes how TUG develops user models to ensure that your website reflects your business goals AND delivers what your users really need.
KPIs for Measuring Highly Functional Websites
Can we measure “functional”? We sure can! And knowing what a website does as measured by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reflect the values of the organization is half the battle. The key thing to remember about website KPIs is that they tell you what you need to improve—but not how to do it.
Learn to Fish: Practicing Information Architecture with TUG
TUG places a lot of value on being able to work with a client and bring them into our process as a partner, so that together we can learn about the user and business needs that underpin the new information architecture we create. It’s not enough to leave a pile of deliverables (or fish) behind—we teach our clients how to catch those fish using the same tools that we use.
Pursuing a Natural Order for the Digital Space
by Dan Klyn and Lou Rosenfeld
Dan and Lou Rosenfeld talk about carrying ideas and practices from their originators to a broader community of practice, discussing Wurman, Alexander, and the elusive dream of an ordered, life-affirming digital information landscape.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Ford’s Quest To Remake Itself Into A Master Of UX
Making vehicles be good for customers: After decades as an engineering-led company, Ford is now trying to see its cars through customers’ eyes. It has a long road ahead.
Navigation: You Are Here
You-are-here navigation consists of signs that help orient website visitors as they explore the site. Many websites need stronger location indicators.
IA and the Internet of Things
In this interview with O’Reilly’s Jenn Webb at the 2016 O’Reilly Design Conference, Peter Morville and and Jorge Arango discuss IA in today’s context, and in particular its relevance to the Internet of Things.
INTERESTED IN WHAT WE DO?
Find out how you can put the what before the how on your next website redesign or e-commerce optimization project.
