Organization: The Architecture of Information

Chapter 17, Questions 4-6 and website analysis

4. The two phases in this example are not parallel because Phase 1 is in paragraph format, while Phase 2 is broken up into three sentences. Phase 2 includes the cost last instead of time. If those items were reversed, then the phrases would be parallel.

Revised order:

Phase 1: 2, 4, 3, 5

Phase 2: 6, 7, 8

Some other options for Table 1 and 2 might be to switch the vertical and horizontal labels. The total should be more visible and easy to identify at the bottom of each.

5. If readers are first time users in the library, then this is not following the "readers needs rule." Things may be illogically out of order, and do not make the process quicker and more efficient. Patterns that might work: content based order. It may work well if readers are experienced users. 

Most important things: Reserve materials, book returns, computer study areas, hours of the main library, borrowing books, library cards, etc.

Not so important: water fountains and stairs, lounge areas.

6. The Amazon seller’s FAQ page is organized with the customer in mind. The questions are grouped together in response to potential user questions. The search bar is easy to find.

FAQ page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200365260

Website Organization Assignment Memo

By: Alyssa Glazener and Marissa Kozma

Overall, it is apparent that the website is designed to showcase the diverse range of projects in the Center for Advanced Visual Studies and be visually creative, however, our first impression was that the website is lacking in style consistency, and that certain elements of it may be confusing to potential viewers attempting to quickly locate information.

It is important to balance creatively displaying multiple artworks with the users need for organization. It needs to be clear where each section of information is located, so that the user knows how to find it. Since this webpage may most likely be used by students of MIT Design and the rest of the MIT community whose academic interests intersect with art, information about upcoming events and current projects that might be of academic interest to them should be easy to find. The intended purpose of this website is to showcase the diverse art projects, and the website should be reflective of this on the homepage, which is momentarily mostly white space.

Currently, the website attempts to organize by matching structure to meaning and grouping related topics. The homepage connects to information by clicking on different artworks, however, it’s not organized by importance or has any sort of consistency in structure (such as being arranged from general to specific). On a macro level, while it is great that the user can tell that there is a broad range of projects, it is very difficult for the user to find the content he or she is looking for and the website does not anticipate reader’s needs. It is struggle to find all available information on the website due to small links and confusing typefaces. While information seems to be grouped according to common topics, the headings and subheadings are incoherent. The information on the links is at times sporadic, and the information does not seem to be currently updated. The visuals and text are inconsistent and scattered across too much white space. On a micro level, here are some suggestions:we would suggest shrinking the current visual and adding tabs to the left hand side or beneath it. Headings and subheadings should be much bigger, and we suggest getting rid of the lined background because it does not follow the rule of thirds. The animated visuals, while interesting, are a little distracting and we suggest limiting the amount of them used on the homepage. A better use of white space would be to display pictures and headlines that are bold and eye-catching. More color in addition to the bright blue would be more appealing to the eye and would better grab viewers’ attention. The informative and introductory paragraph at the front should be much bigger, and we suggest using a different font for the quote as well. The IAP Center Sponge visual should be either much bigger or transferred to another link since it is not large enough to be informational.

Some other things to think about changing:

-The title seems to be stuck on every web page. It is on every single thing you click on.

-The webpage does not alter with the change of laptop screen size.

-The graphics, while interesting, are sporadically located and too small to make much significance.

-There are pictures overlapping pictures, which is visual overcrowding.

Overall, while this website has much potential, there are still various design/information errors that must be addressed in order for this information to be effective for viewers.