Information Architecture Case Study. Office of Government Relations. Web Site Re-architecture

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1 Office of Government Relations Web Site Re-architecture Presented to the Communicators Forum by: Peter Riemenschneider 10/29/2002

2 Overview This case study is a hypothetically example of the process of re-architecting an existing University of Minnesota Web site. For this example, we focused on the Web site of the Office of Government Relations. This document is written in the style of a tutorial, giving step-by-step examples of the various tools and techniques used. I began the process by evaluating the existing site, creating a page inventory of the entire Government Relations site. The page inventory was organized as a sort of detailed site map, with icons representing single and multiple content pages, external links and redundant links. I also used a series of small icons to reference issues with the page content; broken links, inconsistent design, links, outdated content and PDF files. As I was creating the page inventory map, I compiled a list of functional- and design-related issues, which I include later in this document. The next step was to conduct some background research. I conducted a competitive analysis of eight peer universities, contacting several to ask staff members specific questions about their departments, the types of people who user their services and how they utilize their own Government Relations Web sites. Next, I compiled a list of target audiences identifying primary, secondary and tertiary groups. In order better understand the needs of the user and to experience the site from their perspectives, I created two hypothetical user profiles. From these profiles I was able to create a list of user needs, and from that, a list of user tasks, all to be considered for the updated site. The next step was to create an initial site map, incorporating the list of tasks discovered in the user profiles, the feedback from the peer universities and the recommendations for best practices from my initial site review. I organized content into categories, identified primary and secondary groupings, used icons to identify single and multiple pages, as well as links external to the site. To better visualize the content layout, I created small, hand-drawn sketches of a few site map pages. These sketches outlined primary and secondary navigation, global elements such as header and footer and preliminary page content. For this site, I decided to go a step beyond sketches and create sample wire frames. Wire frames are detailed drawings of a single Web page, defining navigational elements, branding and design elements and technical functionality. Content is also addressed at a high level speaking in general to the type of content needed, not to the content itself. In short, wire frames are to an information architect what blueprints are to an architectural engineer. Finally, after working through the wire frames, it was necessary to revise the site map to incorporate the new ideas that were generated. It is this level of iteration that makes a good site even stronger. Given time and resources, it would have been ideal to test the initial site map and wire frames with a small group of target audience members. This first round of user testing would validate or disprove initial assumptions. The changes made at this phase of the project would be less critical than changes made later, once the project reached the Design or Production phases. 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 2

3 Evaluation of the Existing Government Relations Web Site The first step was to review the Government Relations site as it was. I created a page inventory that lists all the pages of the site (as of 6/26/02) and shows their interdependencies. [See Appendix A: Page Inventory] The following is a list of top-level recommendations based on issues with the Government Relations site. Navigation should be presented in a clear and consistent manner - The primary navigation (gold bar) is not displayed on the home page. This can be a point of confusion for users - The content under Other Useful Links (red bar) only appears on the home page and is not globally accessible throughout the rest of the site. It would be beneficial to make this content available throughout the site - The top horizontal navigation (black bar) does not visually stand out. This area may be overlooked and under utilized - There doesn t seem to be a clear distinction between the multiple navigation areas and their content. Without a clear ordering of tasks (such as primary, secondary and tertiary) it is difficult for the user to know where to look to find a given piece of information Content should be monitored for accuracy and timeliness - Some links to external sites were outdated, resulting in broken links. A user would not able to find the information they were looking for - Media articles seemed out-of-date. Unless the section is specifically labeled as a media archive, articles more than a few days old seem outdated. Another thing to consider is if these articles are hosted on the originating media agency Web site and if the agency removed or archived the article, this would result in a broken link. Consider reproducing the article locally and giving credit to the original agency - The Last Updated date, located in the footer of the page, should be specific to the content on the page where it is displayed. If it is used in a global footer, it will appear that a page has been updated, even if the content really has not. This is misleading to the user Content should be organized taking into account the needs of the audience - Often times, similar types of content are spread across multiple sections. Similar content should be grouped together and labeled clearly so the user can locate it easier - Looking at the content groupings, it isn t apparent who the intended target audience is. Content should be organized with the needs of specific audience groups in mind The user should be able to anticipate where a link will take them. - Throughout the site there are text links, with different labels, that all link to the same content. These multiple labels make it difficult for users to anticipate where the link will take them - Links to external sites should be labeled or grouped in such a way that the user knows that they will be leaving the site before they click on the link 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 3

4 The Federal Relations section should be further developed - There should be an effort to provide the same level of resources in the Federal Relations area as there is in the State Relations area. The content does not have to be as deep but the sections should be similar Site sections should have a consistent look and feel - In many instances, sub sections had a different design than the primary site sections. Users associate drastic changed in design and branding with leaving one site and entering another. If a site has many different designs, it may confuse the user it may make them feel lost 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 4

5 Competitive Analysis of Peer Universities University Web Sites Studied - University of Arizona - University of Connecticut - University of Florida - University of Iowa - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - University of Wisconsin - University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee - Washington State University I reviewed the content of the government relations web sites from each of the above listed universities and compiled a list of observations. The majority of the universities selected are peer institutions to the University of Minnesota (as defined by promotional material on peer universities from the University of Arizona). My findings include the following: - Most all sites had a clear navigation choice between State and Federal related content - Most all sites had links to various state and federal agency web sites. Many included links to the home pages of all 50 states - Most sites included a clear means of contacting the government relations staff - Most sites included either links to information about state and federal representatives or posted the information directly on their web sites - Some sites effectively used introduction copy to explain the mission of the government relations web site, as well describing it s sub sections - Most sites made reference to the Vice President who oversaw the government relations department. They included biographical information or general contact information - Most all sites had a section dedicated to community relations - According to interview with university staff, most staffers admitted that the federal relations portions of the sites were under supported and had desire to improve the sections. This was due to the fact that as a University, their office primarily deals with state-related legislative issues - Some sites posted commonly asked questions to reduce the number of office calls 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 5

6 Target Audience In the process of gathering my background research, I spoke with government relations representatives from the University of Connecticut and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, as well as University of Minnesota staff members. I asked questions regarding the operation of their departments, the purpose of their government relations web sites, the sites intended audience and the reasons behind the sites content and organization. These are my some of my findings: - All agreed that the government relations web site was primarily an internal communications tool for Faculty, Staff and Students - Some indicated that in the future, the target audience could expand to include the general public and possibly staff of state and federal representatives - Some indicated that they do not have a strong understanding of the needs of their target audience and are looking for research Based on the information gathered from these interviews, as well as the from various peer university sites, the following is a list of key target audiences: Primary Audience - Faculty - Staff - Students Secondary Audience - U of M Legislative Network - Student Legislative Coalition - Other university organizations Tertiary Audience - State and Federal Legislators and Staff - General Public - Media The primary audience consists of university faculty, staff and students. The secondary audience is similar to the first, comprised of the U of M Legislative Network and the Student Legislative Coalition, a grassroots student organization. The tertiary audience is comprised of people who will gradually gain in significance in the Government Relations site in future iterations. 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 6

7 User Profiles To better understand the user, I created two user profiles. These profiles provide insight into the motivation behind why a user would want to come to the Government Relations site. They also provide a personal look into the personality and potential technical ability of the target audience. John Andersen John Andersen is a director in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota. He is 48 years old and will be celebrating his 14th year in the university system. That is, of course, not counting the 8 years it took him to get his masters and doctorate degrees from the U. He is a consummate bird lover and has an active interest in the Avian Research Center. Even though John uses a computer on a daily basis, doesn t consider himself a computer whiz by any means. He uses the department s meeting management software to check his appointments and set up his own meetings. He uses Word to type up reports, and usually checks his once a day. He uses the University web site on an occasional basis. He finds it very useful for looking up names and phone numbers of fellow staff members. He s even checked out his picture and bio on the Dept. of Animal Science s web site. Recently, a person in the Government Relations office notified John that a piece of legislation is being proposed to increase logging operations in northern Minnesota. This proposal would effect the natural habitat of dozens of animal and bird species indigenous to that area. This proposal would also affect a long-term study the University is in the process of conducting on the migrating patterns of Canadian Geese, who annually stop in that area of Minnesota to breed. John called the Government Relations office for further information on the progress of the legislation. The office administrative aide directed John to the Government Relations web site, where he was told future updates would be posted. John s Potential Questions: - How can I find information on a specific legislative issue? - How do I locate and write to my legislative representative? - How will I know when the status of a piece of legislature is updated? - How can I contribute to the support or defense of a piece of legislature? - Who can I contact for more information about my legislative concerns? 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 7

8 Amy Schweizer Amy Schweizer is 22 and a political science major at the University of Minnesota. She is a junior, in year four of the five-year plan. As a freshman, Amy was accepted into the Institute of Technology for classes in computer science. She worked part-time in the computer labs helping students with their accounts and troubleshooting Windows problems. Amy was, and still is, active in many grassroots student organizations. She s attended a few protests but prefers rallies and fundraisers. It was the people she met at these events who ultimately influenced her decision to switch to a poli-sci major. Amy s professor assigned an end of semester paper, for her class Power and Choice: Who Gets What, When, and Why. The paper is worth 25% of her final grade and Amy was able to choose her own topic: The State of Minnesota s Impact on the Policies and Programs of the University of Minnesota: Who s Really in Charge? Not sure where to start her research, Amy decided to search the U of M web site. She keyed State Representative into the search field and pressed the enter key. After the search results page loaded, Amy skimmed the descriptions until the phrase To schedule a meeting with your state representative and state senator caught her attention. She followed the link to the Government Relations web site. In order to get a better feel for the type of content the site had to offer, she quickly read through several sections. Pleased, she bookmarked the page and went back to skimming the search results, making a mental note to come back later. Amy s Potential Questions: - How can I learn more about the mission Government Relations office and how it s various departments work? - How can I find information on various state (and federal) agencies? - How can I find information about legislation from past years? - I d like to discuss my problems with a representative from Government Relations in person. Who can I contact to make an appointment? - How can I become more involved in university related legislation? 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 8

9 Task List Based on the user profiles, I compiled a list of tasks users are likely to complete during their visit to the Government Relations site. - View current legislative summaries/updates - Find legislator / senator / representative - Find the last modified date of an article - Request to contribute to the support/defense of a piece of legislation - Contact Gov. Relations representative - Find info about Gov. Relations staff - Find info about the Gov. Relations department - Link out to other legislative resources - View past legislative summaries/updates - View pending legislation - View current/past legislative topics of interest - Request an appointment with a Gov. Relations staff member - Become a legislative advocate - View current / past / future budgets - Learn about the current legislative hearing schedule - View related media coverage of the topic - Submit information - Links to university government organizations 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 9

10 Site Map The site map is the first attempt at organizing content into intuitive and usable categories. It is a highlevel representation and is not meant to identify every content page. When creating it, I had to consider many factors including the list of user tasks, the peer university examples and the issues I uncovered during my initial site review. [See Appendix B: Site Map] Wire Frame Sketches Primarily used as a brainstorming tool, wire frame sketches are quick hand drawings that assist in visualizing the page content and flow. I created them, initially, to help with my creative process, but I found that they also can serve as a visual aid when reviewing site maps in a group. The quick sketches are easy to understand and area a great tool for achieving consensus. [See Appendix C: Wire Frame Sketches] Wire Frames An advance document, wire frames must address a number of audiences, in order to be effective. For designers, the wire frames must detail all the elements that they will need to design. They must show content and navigation groupings, as well as the priority of elements. For engineers, the wire frames need to call out functionality that is outside the scope of normal HTML development. They must adequately describe the functionality so that the engineer can identify any problematic issues specifically in regards to project scope, technical limitations, or compatibility with other functional elements. Wire frames must also inform content managers and creators. They must provide adequate descriptions for content that draws a user from section to section. The wire frames must also be accessible to the client or approval person. They must get a sense of the user flow, as well as the functional elements and the organization of the content. [See Appendix D: Wire Frames] 10/29/2002 Prepared by Peter Riemenschneider Page 10