User studies and information architecture. Sponsored by SIG USE, SIG IA
David B. Robins, Gary Marchionini, Louis Rosenfeld, Amanda H. Spink · Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology · 2002
The aim of this panel is to explore the theory and practice involved in user-centered information architecture. Contributors will tell their stories about using user studies to improve the design of, in this case, web-based information architectures. The motivation behind forming this panel is to continue dialog between “user studies” and “information system designers.” It is this group's assumption that user studies and information system design are not mutually exclusive activities. Therefore, it is critical that, in order to design utility into a system, that teams of designers bring complementary expertise to the action of design. In addition, information architecture is, in some ways, the embodiment of what information scientists do. It combines aspects of information science such as system design, user studies, the organization of information, and the visual presentation of information. For that reason, it is pertinent to investigate the state of user studies within the context of information architecture. A panel of experts from information architecture and human information behavior have been assembled to explore questions regarding design for usability and utility. What do information architects need to know about users? In what ways can “human-based research” be more coordinated with “system-based research”? What is an ideal design team? What methodological approaches to understanding user behavior benefit information architects? What would a “user-centered design collaboratory” look like? How do the results of user studies translate into the design of useful web-based architectures? We invite anyone attending the session to consider these questions, and discuss them with panel after the panelists' presentations.