Calgary Web Designer Jenn Armour | Info Architecture + User Centric Web Design + Online Marketing + Social Media + Ideas

Hockey Calgary Information Architecture Re-Design

About Hockey Calgary

Hockey Calgary is one of the leading minor hockey associations in Canada.

Requirements

The need for HC’s site re-design were 3 fold: incorporate new re-branding, enhance its professional appeal and re-structure the content making for a better user experience.

The Challenges

• Discovering who the primary and secondary user’s were and aligning content structure to meet the user’s goals as well as satisfy the business objectives.
• Overall usability and taxonomy issues needed to be considered
• Duplicate orphaned content that did not make sense
• Current content structure wasn’t supporting the targetted user’s in a way that was delivering a positive user experience
• Revise layout and IA in a way which could successfully meet the needs of a target audience inclusive of both kids, players, coaches and potential sponsors.

My work – Enhancing User Experience “UX is about removing the frustration”

The discovery phase of the project included finding out these key components: details of the project, definitions, goals, methods, processes, and political landscape. From this discovery I was able to create a portion of a strategy definition document which included the website’s mission statement, business objectives, competitive landscape, and design considerations.

The project scope and budget did not include user testing or survey’s. I used Google Analytic stats, trends and click patterns as a model for improvement. The next step was to do a content audit – taking apart the existing site’s content into usable chunks. Each block of content was put into a chart with the headings: CONTENT PIECE, WHAT IT IS ABOUT, WHO THE CONTENT IS FOR, WHAT TYPE OF CONTENT IS IT, WHERE DID IT COME FROM.

Stereotyping several user types into semi-detailed personae is always helpful in bridging the gap in understanding that ‘You’ the client are not the user. In order that an IA to be successful it must meet the needs and expectations of the user. The development of a mental model was the next deliverable. Using task based language that target user’s can identify with typically make up the highest level of the mental model which then correlates to top-level navigation. Organizing information in this way provides a number of benefits that are often overlooked. Many website re-design’s are an attempt to correct this issue. It should be noted here that this process would benefited by task interviews and task analysis. Time, budget and buy in were road blocks. However, useful mental and content models emerged from the process and we were able to tighten up the overall presentation of the information and the different paths to it.

Other project deliverables created by me included:

• A set of wireframes addressing several usability issues
• Detailed navigation structure
• 2 design prototypes
• Series of needs requirement documents

[View with PicLens]

Not my own unique process but common Steps used in creating an Information Architecture that Users Can Understand. AKA user-centric design.

• Figure out what users need: develop a mental model
• Figure out what you have: develop a content model
• Match them up
• Use it to create your IA
• Make a high-level structure based on mental model
• Make the detailed structure based on the content mode