CHI 2003 Workshop on Designing Personalized User Experiences for eCommerce

April 6, 2003Keith Instone

keith@instone.org http://keith.instone.org/

© 2003 Keith Instone

Information Architecture & Personalized User Experiences

Who am I, where am I from?

• Information Architect, ibm.com User Experience team

• IA Consultant, Argus Associates• Retiree: HCI VL, usableweb.com,

CHI-WEB, CHI volunteer• Computer Science HCI

Hypertext Web usability IA• Ohio

“Traditional” Information Architecture

• Combination of organization, labeling and navigation schemes within an information system

• Structural design of an information space to facilitate task completion and access to content

• Art and science of structuring and classifying web sites/intranets to help people find and manage information

• Emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape

IA & Personalization

• The information architect focuses on how things are structured within the user experience– Looks “up” to the user interface – how the navigation

and page layout convey the structure– Looks “down” to the content management to make

sure it can enable to right UE

User Interface Layer

Information Architecture Layer

Content Management Layer

Library science applied to personalization

IA Framework for PersonalizationBusiness rules map user profiles to content tagging to create individual user experiences

Information Architecture Layer

Example of the Framework: Profile Layer

• “Fashion” rules – If user: style = “hip” then

You_may_also_like = (content: color = “hot pink” or “black”) and (content: watch: type = “imported”) and (content: outerwear: fabric = “gore tex”)

• Do not want to tag everything “hip”

Our business rule personalizes these products for users who

are “hip”

Examples of the Framework: Profile Layer

• One-time rules– If user: past purchases = “Ponte Di

Roma Jumper” then show content: promotion = “PDRJ last chance sale”

• Quick rule, “on sale right now”

Last chance to buy more Ponte Di Roma Jumpers! They have been discontinued

but we still have a few in stock.

As a past purchaser of these soft knit dresses, you have the first chance to buy

these before they are all gone.

Click here to see what is left…

Profile rule: One time promotionsOur business rule personalizes this promo to take advantage of an immediate opportunity

Examples of the Framework: Vocabulary Layer

• Show content: promotion: product that matches user: past purchases– Requires content: promotion: product to be

same vocabulary as user: past purchases– Works for all product promotions

• Show You_may_also_like such that user: style = content: style– Requires content to be tagged “hip” to

match user profile value of “hip”– Works for all styles

Research Issue: Where am I vs. Who am I?

• Lost in hyperspace – “obsession” with telling users where they are

• Personalization is more about “who am I” – what do you know about me, how is it being used

Where am I?Site > Store > Department > Section > Page

Site

Store

Department

Section

Page

Section > Page

Who am I?

Am I logged in?

Are these all of the shirts or are you filtering based on

my profile?

Does this mean you think I like

pink?

Is this a special offer just for me?

Does this order mean anything – like that I hate

short sleeved shirts?

If I buy something for my wife, will it mess everything up?

The Navigation Metaphor

The Subscription Metaphor

The Personalized Navigation Metaphor?

X

Blah blah blah blah

Global Navigation

Lo

cal N

avi

ga

tion

PersonalizedContent

Pe

rs.

Na

v.

Who am I?Where am I?

Questions

• How do we tell users who they are?• Do we throw away “where am I”

conventions and the navigation metaphor?

• How do we mix the metaphors? How do users perceive the differences?

UI / Content Framework for Personalization

User explicitly personalizes the user interfaceCustomize “skin” for the UI

User explicitly personalizes the contentSubscribe to channel

System implicitly personalizes the user interfaceBrowser detection

System implicitly personalizes the contentRecommendations based on prior purchases

What is personalized?

Wh

o p

ers

on

aliz

es?

User Involvement Framework for Personalization

User explicitly sets user profileFill out form with zip code

User explicitly sets content profileBrand popularity assigned

System implicitly sets user profileProduct interest based on browsing pattern

System implicitly content profileProducts purchased at same time

Which profile is set?

Wh

o s

ets

pro

file

?