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	Announcement - June 6, 2008 Cardsort photos

Course Details

• Class meets: M - F, May 13 - June 13; 11:30 -1:00 in Manning 117
• Credits: 3 hours
• Prerequisite: Solid understanding of basic web technologies and organization of information. This is not a technical course, but if you don't know that web search engines rely databases or what a web page with frames is, you may feel lost at some points.
  If you took INLS 461 Information Tools, you will be prepared for this course.
• Requirements: This course is not required for the Information Science MS.
• Office phone: 919-968-1626
• Office hours: Before or after class - email me in advance

Course objectives

• Develop an understanding of web site design and organization, including information architecture and usability
• Develop an understanding of how design elements can impact the communication process
• Identify and apply design elements in interactive design
• Engage in user testing through card sorting or other usability exercises
• Create a set of information architecture documents analyzing an existing site proposing changes to enhance navigation and usability (as defined by current IA practices)

Course Description
Information architecture (IA) is a rapidly evolving field dealing with the human-centered design of web sites. IA uses knowledge from the diverse fields of design, information science, computer science, and social science to create digital interfaces which are enjoyable, logical and simple to use. This course will cover site analysis, organization of information, web technologies, indexing and abstracting, taxonomies and classification schemes, marketing and graphical design. Activities will include content analysis, competitive analysis, user research, development of personas and scenarios, card sorting heuristics, creation of deliverables such as site blueprints and wireframes.

• The course will include daily lectures and discussion with hands-on group and individual exercises.
• Course projects will include:
1. Creation of a set of information architecture deliverables
2. Oral (group) presentations on a usability design topic or designer

• Findability (Peter Morville) - presents Wednesday, May 28
• Emotional design and branding (Don Norman; Sandra Moriarty - An Interpretive Study Of Visual Cues In Advertising) - presents Wednesday, May 28
• Pattern Language (Christopher Alexander / Jennifer Tidwell ) - presents Wednesday, June 4
• Edward Tufte and the visual display of information - presents Wednesday, June 4
• Summer sessions are short and intense. Please expect to do significant amounts of reading and thinking about the subject matter outside of class.
• To complete the deliverables, you may have to arrange to meet with your group outside of class time.
• The content of this course covers a wide range of materials from graphic design principles to branding to organization of information to usability. Typically, students may have experience in one or more of these areas and bring a richness of backgrounds and abilities to the course. Please plan to share your knowledge!
• Course goal are guided by Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto
  3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

Course Materials

• Required textbook: Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kitrina Holden and Jill Butler
• We are meeting in the SILS computer lab. All required software is available in the lab.

Course Policies and Grading
Grade issues
We are committed toward grades that are fair and appropriate. It is important for students to know that the final grade is an average of several grades that are earned over the semester. Final grades are not negotiable. Doing extra work to improve a final grade is not an option because that would not be fair to other students in the course. If you wish to earn a good grade, work hard from the beginning of the semester.
UNC Honor Code
Remember that as a student of UNC-Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code: "It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity." An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism. If you are uncertain about what is considered plagiarism, please consult your course instructor.
Reading assignments must be done before class so that you can ask questions and participate in discussions in class. I will ask students to explain portions of the readings, or comment on the readings. This course is a primarily a lab course. We will be working hands-on with the information architecture process. Attendance is mandatory. Your grade will be based on three items:

1. Participation, as evidenced by attendance, discussion and completion of the exercises. 25%
2. A group report, which will consist of a 15-20 minute PowerPoint presentation to the class 25%
3. A final set of deliverables, which will be turned into the professor on the last day of class and also presented to the class as an oral presentation. 50%

Grade	Definition
H	Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and displays a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations
P	Good work. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials and meets or exceeds course expectations on all tasks as defined in the course syllabus
L	Unacceptable work. Student performance does not meet designated course expectations. Assignments may be missing or incomplete
F	Failing. Student performance is well below designated course expectations. Student may have had extended or frequent absences. Multiple assignments may be missing or incomplete

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Course changes
The instructor reserves the right to change course content, requirements for assignments, grading procedures and other alterations, as appropriate, to the course. While such changes will be discussed and decided in the course forums, under exceptional circumstances, the instructor may incorporate changes without notice.
Other Policies & Considerations

• Spelling, grammar and punctuation in written assignments
  Please use spell check prior to submitting your assignment. Review for homonyms. (Do you really mean web cite?)
• Computers, cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom
  Cell phones should be turned off prior to the beginning of class and remain off through the class. We will be using computers extensively during class for research and completion of the course exercises and assignments. It is expected that computer use during class time will be only for class purposes. Reading email, IM or browsing the web is not appropriate.
• Inclement weather policy:
  Class will be held unless the campus is closed for inclement weather, such as a hurricane.