Taxonomies & Classification for Organizing ContentOverviewWhy do people organize things?Why do IAs organize things?How do IAs organize things?DefinitionsSlide 7Simplified Metataxonomy?CharacteristicsSlide 10Classification DesignClassification Design (cont.)Taxonomy (hierarchy) designConclusionsReferencesReferences (cont.)QuestionsTaxonomies & Classification for Organizing ContentBrian LewisINF 385E - Information ArchitectureNovember 14, 20052Overview•Why organize?•Organization schemes & structures•Definitions of classification & taxonomy•Characteristics of classification & taxonomy•Classification design•Taxonomies design•Conclusions3Why do people organize things?•To understand - create frameworks•To explain - create relationships•To control - create intentionally designed frameworks and relationships4Why do IAs organize things?•All those same reasons•"The way we organize, label, and relate information influences the way people comprehend that information." (Rosenfeld & Morville, 2002, p. 50)•For findability5How do IAs organize things?•Organization schemes - groupings based on characteristics of content items•Organization structures–Defines pathways between content items–Provides navigation6Definitions•Classification–Organization scheme–"Collection of labeled boxes to put information" (vanRees, p. 4)–"Systematic arrangement in groups or categories according to established criteria" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)7Definitions•Taxonomy–Organization structure–"Orderly classification (of plants and animals) according to their presumed natural relationships" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)–"A hierarchical arrangement of categories within the user interface." (Rosenfeld & Morevllle, p. 65)8Simplified Metataxonomy?Finding aidsControlled vocabularyClassificationTaxonomyThesauri9Characteristics•Classification–Implied relationships between items in a group–Can be hierarchical–Navigational aid–Subject to interpretation10Characteristics•Taxonomies–Relationships are inherent in the structure–Is hierarchical by definition*–Navigational aid•Browse•Constrain search•Linking to preferred terms–A form of classification11Classification Design•Exact organization schemes–Well defined –Mutually exclusive•Examples–Alphabetical–Chronological–Geographical12Classification Design (cont.)•Ambiguous–Items don't fit neatly into a group•Examples–Topic–Task–Audience–Metaphor–Hybrids13Taxonomy (hierarchy) design•Simple hierarchy –Top-down - exact content not known–Bottom-up–Breadth / Depth•Polyhierarchy–Allows cross listing–Useful in ambiguous classification schemes•Facets–"focuses on the important, essential or persistent characteristics of content objects" (The Knowledge Management Connection)14Conclusions•Distinctions but some overlap•Useful for organizing information•Make information accessible•Support mental models–Make Web sites more usable–Make Web sites seem smaller•Powerful way to create meaning15References•Garshol, L. (2004). "Metadata? Thesauri? Taxonomies? Topic maps! Making sense of it all." Journal of Information Science, 30 (4), pp. 378-391.•Modjeska, D., & Marsh, A. (1997). "Structure and Memorability of Web Sites." Toronto: Computer Science Research Institute of the University of Toronto.•Rosenfeld, L. & Morville, P. (2002). Information architecture for the World Wide Web. Cambridge; Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly.•Taylor, A. (1999). The organization of information. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.•The Knowledge Managmement Connection. Faceted Classification of Information. Retrieved on November 13, 2005 from http://www.kmconnection.com/DOC100100.htm16References (cont.)•Van Duyne, D. K., Landay, J. A., & Hong, J. I. (2003). The design of sites. Cambridge: Addison-Wesley.•Van Rees, R. (2003). Clarity in the usage of the terms ontology, taxonomy and classification. CIB73 2003 Conference Paper.
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