FindabilityEileen Quam | Meredith Anderson

What are people looking for?JobsHelp with mortgage foreclosureEducation informationHow do I …

What are people doing?EmailShoppingNewsWeatherHealth information…Employment search

In www.state.mn.us?Main topics hit in the last month:

EducationHealthPopulation

What are they finding?Sections of state websites on those topicsSome linking to sites outside of www.state.mn.usSome empty topic categories (eek)

What do we know about citizens?Some people browse and some people searchMany people can’t spell or can’t type or bothAsk a Librarian shows users don’t know the difference between: federal / state / local governmentMost Ask a Librarian queries are for help on business and work

Problem: They Need InformationWhat is driving the citizen’s information need now?

Task or transactionInformation or dataSimply a question

Where does the citizen want to wind up?Why is the citizen going there?Who is seeking this information?How do we generalize this?

Information architectureto help citizens find stuff

Purpose: Organizing information on a web siteDesigning structure, content, labeling and categories of informationDesigning navigation and search systemsGoal: To organize information that is findable, manageable and usable

InspirationLook at similar sites for ideas – or not so similarRemember what you are looking for:

Appropriate themesTaxonomies that fitGood terminologyNavigational easeDesign ideas

Citizen-Centered DesignIt’s the core of findabilityTools: Needs assessment studies, card sorts, surveys, response solicitation and usability studiesRate this page responsesAnalytics like WebTrends dataIntuition about other people (Blink)See www.usability.gov

Getting ready to design for findability

Business case specific to the web site, including its contextCategorize/characterize usersInventory your site’s content and tasksDefine the tasks that bring users to your site to connect users and contentNow we know what, where, why and who - but not how - yet

Designing for FindabilityTo design navigation, get lots of people into a room with post-it notes, or do a card sortIs navigation design based on:

TopicsUser-typeTasksOther group like services or forms? (Remember your users)

Pare it down

Simplify, simplify, simplifyToo many choices are confusing

3-click rule – debunked!

Design Principles for FindabilityBe consistent: in concepts, labels, order, and placement on pageKeep terms and links short, with keyword firstChoose browseable topics that match

Subject-orientedUser-orientedTask, etc.

ExamplesAudience orientation

www.usa.gov

Topic orientationwww.renewable.state.mn.us

Task orientationwww.careeronestop.org

More Design PrinciplesProvide multiple approaches to same informationCorporate underpants

Know-it-allsWe don’t want to go here:

“I know exactly who my audience is.”“I know what my audience needs.”“They’re finding everything they need.”“We don’t have time for a needs assessment.”

Designs that don’t workEveryone’s favorite – the bad stuffHow can we fix these?

MinnesotaWorks.netLeft-hand Navigation:

ApprenticeshipsBest PicksEdit Account InformationInternshipsJobs Applied for OnlineLinks to Other Sites[more…]

Left nav continuedResumesSaved SearchSearch by Job IDSearch for JobsVolunteer OpportunitiesWho Recruited Me?

Article Health and Fitnesswww.articlehealthandfitness.com

Left-hand listing of 71 topicsPretty good A-Z Index of topicsNot so easy to navigateClick to Diseases leads to undifferentiated listing of articles on variety of diseases –no organizationOrganize at all levels, not just home page

Hot trends for successCitizen-centered designIdentify and involve all stakeholdersDesign structure, content, labeling, navigation and categories of informationBest sites are clear, concise, and consistentSimplify, simplify, simplify

Accessibility Key for Screen Shots• USA.gov http://www.usa.gov• Renewable Minnesota http://www.renewable.state.mn.us• CareerOneStop http://www.careeronestop.org• MinnesotaWorks http://www.minnesotaworks.net• No navigation:

http://www.tradeshop.com/master/custom.shtml• Millions hate the new Facebook profile:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=27233634858

• Meredith’s Facebook profile• Where do I start? http://egov.ocgov.com/portal/site/ocgov/• Bad site from site of bad sites:

http://www.planetofthegeeks.com/trek/beertrek/rules.php• Bad site of the day: http://www.jeffersonmillwork.com/• Web site of bad sites: http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/