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November 21, 2002
IA is not usability?
Hmmm...Jeff Lash has done a piece for Digital Web to let us know that IA is not usability (thanks Peter). Maybe it's me, but I guess I didn't realize that folks were confusing IA or usability. Or maybe at least little IA and usability. For the record, let me say that while I'm very interested in what my IA and usability friends are doing, I don't place myself in the center of either circle. I'm predominantly interested in how words and pictures go together to help people make use of the data/information they are viewing. So my perspective is a bit peripheral. That said, I was a bit surprised at some of Jeff's comments. For example, he writes: Usability is a detailed subject, taking into account things like font size, colors, visual proximity, usage context, search, error messages, navigation, form design, and labeling. Huh? I think my usability friends, while interested in things like these, are also interested in many more big picture items. In fact, UPA's recent effort to determine if they wanted to go forward with certification was far more about the entire user-centered design process than it was about "little" usability issues (like font size) that users might get tripped up by. Then again, a hard-core usability guy like John Rhodes didn't seem to find fault with this (instead, he simply linked to Adam Greenfield's what lies beneath (i.e., IA and the business model) and did very little commentary. For my money, I don't think most people have issues with the differences between IA, ID, usability, graphic design, etc., at the "little" (or tactical) level. The IA doesn't want to specify fonts, the usability specialist doesn't want to specify taxonomies, and the ID doesn't want to do any ethnographic studies. Unless they are paid big bucks to do so :). To me, it seems that those who want to play at the macro/strategic/big level are the ones whose interests or scope may well overlap. If you're talking "big picture," I think it's far harder to differentiate the IA from the usability specialist. Fodder for another column, methinks!
Comments
Thanks for the link and the comments! To address your question: Maybe it's me, but I guess I didn't realize that folks were confusing IA or usability. Well, maybe it is just you. I've run into it a bit recently, and hence why I thought it would be a good column topic. Some people think that having an IA on a project can eliminate the need for usability testing. Some people think that doing usability testing before launch can substitute for information architecture. Some people think that usability is just testing, and information architecture is just wireframes. Some people think that all IAs are expert facilitators, and that all usability people can create a well-structured site map. As I said in the article, sure, there is some overlap, but not necessarily in all cases. Remember, Digital Web Magazine -- and my column -- is/are geared towards a general "web designer / developer" audience, not really to people who are well versed in IA/ID/UX/etc. It's great that more advanced practitioners can get something out of it, but I'm directing my thoughts more towards designers, developers, or project managers who also do some IA as part of their job. You're absolutely right -- on a grand scale, usability is much more than colors, font size, error messages, and interface-specific issues. However, in the context that most readers probably encounter it, it's related to a Heuristic Review or Usability Test. Big picture IA and big picture usability are much more similar, but I'd argue that little IA and "little" usability (observation, reviews, testing, etc.) are seen much more often than their blue-sky counterparts. -- Posted by jefflash on November 22, 2002 01:34 PM
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IDblog is Beth Mazur tilting at power law windmills. A little bit Internet, a little bit technology, a little bit society, and a lot about designing useful information products. Send your cards and letters to .
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