Chris How - Yippee-IA: All You Need To Know About Information Architecture In 10 Minutes

Summary

In this engaging talk, an information architect explains the key principles of organizing information using the 'LATCH' system: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy. The speaker introduces each of these methods with examples ranging from Tokyo's Tube map to the organization of the Vietnam War Memorial. Throughout, the speaker emphasizes how these systems shape the meaning and usability of data. The talk culminates in a fun, interactive thought experiment where the audience helps design a record shop with unconventional organization methods, showcasing the flexibility and creativity that information architecture offers in real-world applications.

Takeaways

• 😀 Information architecture is about organizing things in an intuitive way so they are easy to find and use, both in the digital and physical world.
• 😀 Saul Worman's 'LATCh' method is a key framework in information architecture, consisting of five ways to organize information: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy.
• 😀 Location-based organization works well when there is a spatial element, like maps or car manuals, where information is organized by physical space or position.
• 😀 Organizing things alphabetically (Alphabet) is simple but can lead to confusion or odd categorizations, like deciding where to place an artist like Robbie Williams in a record store.
• 😀 Organizing by time (chronologically) is effective for sequences like recipes, timelines, or music albums, and it can tell stories, like the Vietnam Memorial's chronological layout.
• 😀 Category organization is the most common method, grouping things by similarity, but it can create misleading associations, like mixing food categories in a supermarket.
• 😀 Hierarchical organization is based on a scale or perceived importance, often used in rankings or ordered lists like music charts or football rankings.
• 😀 The periodic table is an example of combining multiple organizing principles—time and category—demonstrating how different methods can overlap.
• 😀 A record shop can be organized in unconventional ways, such as by album length, the number of instruments used, or the number of explicit lyrics, to create a unique shopping experience.
• 😀 Thinking about the 'crazy' or contrary ways to organize information, like sorting records by the studio design or key, can spark creative new ideas for organizing large data sets or spaces.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the speaker's talk?

The main topic of the speaker's talk is information architecture, specifically focusing on the five methods used to organize information: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy, also known as LATCH.

What is the significance of the acronym LATCH?

LATCH stands for the five methods of organizing information: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy. These are the foundational ways to organize information, which the speaker argues are applicable to both digital and physical spaces.

How does location serve as a method of organizing information?

Location organizes information based on space or place. Examples include maps, such as the Tokyo Tube map, and instructions that rely on spatial orientation, like medical diagrams or IKEA manuals.

Why is organizing information alphabetically often problematic?

Alphabetical organization seems intuitive but can create confusion, especially when terms have multiple possible categories or ambiguous meanings. For example, organizing items in a cookbook alphabetically might lead to confusion about where to find certain ingredients or dishes.

What is an example of organizing information by time?

One example of organizing information by time is the Vietnam War Memorial, where names are listed in the order of when the individuals died, reflecting a timeline of events. This contrasts with traditional memorials that organize by rank or alphabet.

How does the speaker demonstrate the challenges of organizing by time using Venice's street numbering system?

In Venice, streets were numbered based on the order in which they were built, which made sense at the time. However, as the city expanded, this system created challenges, showing how an initially logical organizational method can break down over time.

What are the potential problems with organizing information by category?

Organizing by category can lead to artificial relationships between items that don't naturally belong together. For instance, grouping 'Mexican food' and 'dog food' together in a supermarket could lead to confusion and inaccurate categorization.

Can you explain how hierarchy is used in organizing information?

Hierarchy is used to rank information by value or importance, such as in charts, rankings, or lists. For example, the Quran is organized hierarchically by the length of its chapters (surahs), suggesting equal importance across all the surahs.

What is the 'flip it round' technique mentioned by the speaker, and how does it relate to organizing information?

The 'flip it round' technique, suggested by Edward de Bono, encourages thinking about the opposite or a radically different approach to organizing information. This technique helps people break free from traditional methods and potentially discover innovative solutions, such as organizing a record store in a completely unconventional way.

What is the purpose of the record shop thought experiment in the talk?

The purpose of the record shop thought experiment is to engage the audience in a creative exercise where they are asked to think about unconventional ways of categorizing records, inspired by the five methods of information organization (LATCH). This helps demonstrate the flexibility and potential of these organizational methods.