Web Manager University - Fall 2006

Class Title: Basics of Information Architecture - Creating Intuitive Navigation Systems

Course Description

This one-day course will give web managers, information architects, designers, content developers, and programmers an overview of the tools you need to create a usable navigation system for your website visitors. By evaluating eye-tracking studies and research about users' navigation habits, you’ll learn how to structure web pages that meet your users' needs. Learn the latest tools of the trade, including how to create wire frames and page schematics to plan your navigation strategy.

What You'll Learn

• Learn how to implement good website design by developing site maps, wireframes, process diagrams, and page schematics.
• Develop an understanding of basic information architecture principles
• Discover how users read on-line by studying eye-tracking research
• Create usable, useful navigation elements that meet your users’ needs.

Who Should Attend

• Web Managers
• Information Architects
• Content Developers
• Web Designers
• Web Programmers

Class Format

The class will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and hands-on exercises. The emphasis will be on providing practical strategies so you can go back to your organization and improve your website navigation.

About the Instructor

Cari Wolfson, President of Focus on U!, specializes in analyzing, designing, and iteratively testing websites in order to create products that are measurably easier to use, learn and understand. Focus on U! provides a comprehensive range of services to clients including user and task analysis, user research (including interviews, online surveys, and contextual inquiries), usability testing, information architecture, expert / heuristic reviews, on-site user-centered design training, and many others. Clients include Health & Human Services (HHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), General Services Administration (GSA), FirstGov.gov, State Farm Insurance, Small Business Administration (SBA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), two of the President’s E-Government initiatives, among others.

Prior to founding Focus on U!, Cari was a Senior Usability Engineer with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, she aided in the development of HHS’s Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines, www.usability.gov and the U-Group newsletter. While at NCI, Cari managed various parts of the user-centered design process for clients, including HHS, NCI, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), FirstGov.gov, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and many others. She has also authored various user-centered design articles, including a two-part series for IBM’s Ease of Use newsletter. Cari also served as the Lead Information Architect with a large Internet consulting firm based in Herndon, VA., where her clients included AT&T Wireless, Dr. Atkins, M&M Mars and Human Rights Watch.