Taming Taxonomy: A Practical Intro

taming taxonomy | @albertatrebla | @undrstndng OCUX Meetup 2013

Taming TaxonomyTips & Tools for Creating Structure with the User in Mind

alberta soranzo | @albertatreblajessicaduverneay | @undrstndng

OCUX Meetup 2013 – Orange County, CA

photo: jessica duverneay/


THE PLAN

•Case Study

•Tool Review

•Peer to peer learning activity


CASE STUDYAmerican Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery


THE CLIENT

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)


Case Study

2!

3!

4!

5!

1!


THE PAPERWORK

Statement of Work (SOW)


THE REAL WORK

• Understanding Taxonomies?!?

• Search Engine Keyword Market?!?

• Comprehensive System?!?

• Polyhierarchy?!? • Synonym

Mapping?!?• Governance Plan?!?

Statement of What?!?

...and I had this much time:

24 Hours


HOT MESS

The ProblemGlossary of Terms!Injectables and Dermal Fillers!•  Amphadase"•  Acquamid"•  Anesthesia"•  Anika CTA"•  Anti-viral"•  Artecoll"•  ArteFill"•  ArteSense"•  Axillary"•  Belotero"•  Betacaine"•  Bio-alchamid"•  Bioplastique"•  Botox"•  Botox Cosmetic"•  Botulinum Toxin"•  Botulinum Toxin Type A"•  Botulinum Toxin Type B"•  Bovine Collagen "•  Calcium hydroxylapitite"•  Captique"•  Carboxytherapy"•  Cellulite"•  Collagen"•  ETC… "


THE BREAST CHOICE

Breast ImplantsBreast Augmentation Breast EnhancementBreast EnlargementBreast SurgeryImplantsSilicon ImplantsSaline ImplantsGel ImplantsSubpectoral Breast SurgeryMammoplastyBreast ReplacementBreast RevisionBreast Reconstruction**Boob Job**Pectoral Implants


WWPBBD?

Polar Bear Book Says:

•Categories should be mutually exclusive, unless they are polyhierarchical.

•Consider the balance breadth and depth, erring on the side of broad and shallow for new sites.

•Taxonomy = a slow layer, while navigation may be slightly faster


SEEMS EASY

Which exact word should be used? Where does it go in relation to the others? What are the exceptions?

That’s all I have to do? NEAT!


SEEMS EASY

Which exact word should be used? Where does it go in relation to the others? What are the exceptions?

That’s all I have to do? NEAT!

NOT SO FAST THERE, BUDDY!


LEBOWSKI JOKE


KEY FACTORS

Strategy: User Centered vs. Business CenteredSize: Scalable vs. FiniteCoverage: Comprehensive vs. Section SpecificApplication: Cross Channel vs. Web CenteredTime Sensitivity: Aspirational vs. CurrentMetaphor: Uniform/Exact vs. Mixed ApproachLanguage Conventions: SEO Preferential vs. Natural Language vs. Branding vs. AuthoritativeStructure: Polyhierarchical vs. Mutually Exclusive

Consider:


CONTINUUMS

STRATEGYUser Centered Business Centered

SIZEScalable Finite

COVERAGEComprehensive Section Specific

APPLICATIONCross-channel Web-centric

TIME SENSITIVITYAspirational Current

METAPHORUniform/Exact Mixed Approach

STRUCTUREPoly-hierarchical Mutually Exclusive

LANGUAGE

SEO Preferential Natural

Branding Authoritative

Concept: Jessica DuVerneayGraphic Representa9on: Alberta Soranzo


CONTINUUMS

STRATEGYUser Centered Business Centered

SIZEScalable Finite

COVERAGEComprehensive Section Specific

APPLICATIONCross-channel Web-centric

TIME SENSITIVITYAspirational Current

METAPHORUniform/Exact Mixed Approach

STRUCTUREPoly-hierarchical Mutually Exclusive

LANGUAGE

SEO Preferential Natural

Branding Authoritative

Concept: Jessica DuVerneayGraphic Representa9on: Alberta Soranzo


REVIEW

Activity 1: Existing Taxonomy ReviewGlossary of Terms!Injectables and Dermal Fillers!•  Amphadase"•  Acquamid"•  Anesthesia"•  Anika CTA"•  Anti-viral"•  Artecoll"•  ArteFill"•  ArteSense"•  Axillary"•  Belotero"•  Betacaine"•  Bio-alchamid"•  Bioplastique"•  Botox"•  Botox Cosmetic"•  Botulinum Toxin"•  Botulinum Toxin Type A"•  Botulinum Toxin Type B"•  Bovine Collagen "•  Calcium hydroxylapitite"•  Captique"•  Carboxytherapy"•  Cellulite"•  Collagen"•  ETC… "


KEYWORDS

Activity 2: Lightweight Keyword Research

**Note: Site Search log files would have been nice too but the client didn’t track it and now was not the time to start.


PERSONASActivity 3: Existing User Research & Vernacular

Ashlee: The Lifestyle Patient - "Seeking Perfection"Experienced Consumer / Immediate or Recent

DETAILS: Age 29, Part time dental hygienist, Married, Soon to be mother, Extensive procedure history, Motivated by beauty, Detail oriented, Technology proficient

Representative Activities:Understanding detailed info on procedures, Understanding a procedure lifecycle, Pursing a complex procedure, Finding a doctor near her, Researching the best way to find the best doctor, Keeping up to date on aesthetic news, Participating in online social aspects, account features, and creating user generated content

Tonya: The Potential Patient - "Seeking Comfort"Novice Consumer / Far Future

DETAILS: Age 36, Higher education administrator, Single, No children, No procedure history, Not motivated by beauty, Seeking general information, Technology proficient

Representative Activities:Researching basic procedure information, determining if a procedure is the right option, researching commonly asked questions, investigating a more complicated specific medical concern

Loren: The Occasional Patient - "Seeking Rejuventation"Intermediate Consumer / Future

DETAILS: Age 49, Lawyer, Dating with two college age children, Injectable history but no procedure history, Motivated by appearance, Seeking comparative and specific information, Technology savvy

Representative Activities:Comparing multiple options to solve an aesthetic concern, addressing a post procedure experience, locating male specific procedure information for a male companion


GET IT SORTEDActivity 4: Term Sorting / Affinity Diagramming


COMPETITORS

Activity 5 : Competitor’s Approaches

SOURCES:!www.plasticsurgery.org!

www.realself.com!www.clevelandclinic.org!

!


NICE TRY

First Stab - Word Document


CALL IN THE EXPERTS

Activity 6: SEO / SME Validation & Client Approval

OPTIONS:

•Rhinoplasty, Nose Job, Nose Surgery, Nasal Enhancement

•Chin Lift, Neck Lift, Jowl Lift, Saggy Neck Surgery

•Phalloplasty, Penile Implant, Penis Enlargement, Penile Surgery

WINNERS:

•Rhinoplasty

•Neck Lift

•Penis Enlargement


SYNONYMS

Activity 7: Synonyms & Polyhierarchy

Liposuction =

Lipoplasty, Body Contouring, Fat Reduction, Liposculpture, Fat Removal, Lipo, Ultrasonic Liposuction, Ultrasound Liposuction, Tumescent Liposuction, Power Assisted Liposuction

Eyelid Surgery =

Blepharoplasty, Droopy Eye, Droopy Eye Surgery, Eyelid Lift, Eye Lift


DELIVERABLE

Final Product


NOW WHAT?

Cross Channel Applications

• Sitemap• Content Inventory / Build

Guide• Navigation• Wireframes• Node Tagging

• News Categories• Search Filters• URL Structures• Glossary• Content Creation

Roadmap• Non-web Properties


Case Study

Smart Beauty Guide Logo / Home

"Your Expert Source for Cosmetic Medicine & Surgery" SEARCH Enter Procedure, Keyword, or Question

Hello ASHLEE | My Account | Sign Out

PROCEDURES INJECTABLES FOR MEN PLANNING TOOLKIT SELECT A DOCTORASK A QUESTION

Follow Us on Social Media

PROCEDURES

BODY HEAD & FACE

Breast AugmentationBreast LiftBreast ReductionBreast RevisionRevision Breast Augmentation

Body LiftButtock ImplantsButtock LiftFat TransferLabiaplastyLiposuctionNon-Surgical Fat ReductionSpider Vein TreatmentThigh LiftTummy TuckUpper Arm Lift

Brow LiftEar ReshapingEyelid SurgeryFace LiftFacial ImplantsNeck LiftRhinoplasty

BREAST SKIN & HAIR

Cellulite TreatmentChemical PeelEyelash EnhancerHair TransplantHand RejuvenationIPL / PhotorejuvenationLaser Hair RemovalLaser Skin ResurfacingLaser Tattoo RemovalMicrodermabrasionNon-Surgical Skin TighteningPermanent Makeup

COMPLETE SOLUTIONS

Facial RejuvenationMommy MakeoverPlastic Surgery After Weight Loss

PROCEDURES

INJECTABLES

All InjectablesDermal FillersFat InjectionsLip InjectionsPerspiration ReducerWrinkle FillersWrinkle Reducers

FOR MEN

Body LiftCalf ImplantsHead & FaceGynecomastiaInjectablesLiposuctionNon Surgical Fat ReductionPectoral ImplantsPenis EnlargementSkin & HairThigh LiftTummy TuckUpper Arm Lift

PLANNING TOOLKIT

Getting StartedBeauty at Every AgeAsk a DoctorCostFacts & StatsSafetyPlanning Resources (Checklists)Patient StoriesAftercare & RecoveryComplications

SELECT A DOCTOR

Find a DoctorFind a Skin Care SpecialistHow to Choose a DoctorHow to Choose a ProviderCredentials, Training & CertificationPlanning an Office Visit

ProTip: Taxonomy

isn’t naviga9on


TAXONOMY VS NAVIGATION VS IA

TAXONOMY Metadata(information about information)

NAVIGATION Wayfinding (how visitors move around)

INFORMATION ARCHITECTUREStructural design of information(informed by taxonomy, helps build navigation)


GOVERNANCE

Governance Plan

• How it’s used

• Who uses it

• Why & When it might be updated

• How it’s updated

• Who updates it

• Version tracking & archival considerations

Ensures the Taxonomy remains useful as business needs, content, vendor input, or user expectations change or scale.


FTW!

Value to ASAPS

• User Centered, learnable navigation

• Uniform Language guide for internal

content creators & vendors across

all consumer channels

• Repositioning controlled vocabulary

in alignment with brand –

medically authoritative but

approachable by average

consumer

• Explicit support of business goals (ie: Men, Taxonomy)

• Roadmap for content creation due to holes pointed out by aspirational taxonomy

• Improved Findability – SEO, navigation, site search, tagging

• Created a valuable, living, manageable taxonomy that will be used


LIFECYCLE

ASAPS Taxonomy Project Lifecycle

Understand the Problem

Understand Purpose of Taxonomy

Strategy

Assess Existing Taxonomies

Keyword Research

User Research & Vernacular

Competitor's Approaches

Term Sorting

SEO Validation

Client Approval

Synonym Generation

Polyhierarchical Mapping

Application

Governance


TAKE HOME

Main Point: Doing it Once =

Understand the Problem

Understand Purpose of Taxonomy

Strategy

Assess Existing Taxonomies

Keyword Research

User Research & Vernacular

Competitor's Approaches

Term Sorting

SEO Validation

Client Approval

Synonym Generation

Polyhierarchical Mapping

Application

Governance

TAXONOMY IS

AWESOME!


TAME TAXONOMY

Taxonomy Tamed

• Taxonomy helps consistently and meaningfully organize words

• Be strategic & thoughtful about how you approach your taxonomy creation

• Search analytics, SME, and user research can help you understand how users talk about things

• Taxonomy is NOT navigation

• Branding, culture, & business needs have a place in deciding how to say what you say

• Remember to consider all of the cross channel places your users might see the taxonomy

• Jump in and try it, it’s not scary, it can be fun, and adds tangible value / ROI to a project


CARD SORTING


TAXONOMY

Taxonomies are collections of facets, which are created by organizing concepts into categories.


WHAT IS CARD SORTING?

Card sorting is one of the best ways to identify categories by having controlled tests with groups of users to create categories.

source thetaxonomyblog.com


WHY USE CARD SORTING?

• Input into information design process•Define overall content hierarchy and

structure•Design navigation, menu and taxonomies•Outline users’ mental models

source thetaxonomyblog.com


HOW DO YOU DO CARD SORTING?

Participants organize topics into categories that make sense to them and may also help label these groups.

source flickr.com/photos/nedrichards/


OPEN CARD SORTING

Participants organize topics into groups that make sense to them, then name the groups.



CLOSED CARD SORTING

Participants organize topics into predefined groups.



DESIGN THE TEST

•Create list of content topics. •Prepare the cards.•Email participants a link to the study.•Provide instructions for the sort, including

expected length.•Thank the participant for their time.


TOPICS

• Individual pages•Functionality •Small groups of pages•Whole sections of the site


WHAT USERS SEE - CARDS


WHAT USERS DO - PUT CARDS IN GROUPS


WHAT USERS DO - NAME GROUPS


WHAT YOU SEE - CARDS


WHAT YOU SEE - CATEGORIES


WHAT YOU SEE - SIMILARITY MATRIX


WHAT YOU SEE - STANDARDIZATION GRID


WHAT YOU SEE - DENDOGRAM


WHAT YOU SEE - DENDOGRAM


WHAT YOU SEE - PARTICIPANT CENTRIC ANALYSIS


THE FUTUREPredictive Cognitive Semantic Analysis


PCSA

Seamus O’Leary, PhDQueen’s UniversityInstitute of Cognition and CultureBelfast

“Predictive Cognitive Semantic Analysis: An Algorithm for Place-Making in Cross-Channel Experiences” (2010)

source gerard1972.deviantart.com

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=MspjsU03bz5ycM&tbnid=j3jdZkgD5tL9zM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgerard1972.deviantart.com%2Fart%2FQueen-s-University-Belfast-119270052&ei=okGVUb6tNqWqigKPmYCwCA&bvm=bv.46471029,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNEcgs6qPZRWbFeplYer6424X9roog&ust=1368822416847774



PCSA

Predictive Cognitive Semantic Analysis





PCSA



“I had an intuition that by interpolating results of best merge dendograms with anti-pattern libraries and text readability scores, my algorithm would accurately predict the boundaries of cognitive and semantic mapping.”




PCSA






PCSA



• Parallax Theory of Brain Modeling (Johnston, Neil et al.)




PCSA




• Cognitive Disenthropy Theory (Blake, McGuinn)




PCSA




• Cognitive Disenthropy Theory (Blake, McGuinn)• Systemic Distribution of Neural Pathways Model (Mould?)




PCSA





• Fibonacci Sequence




PCSA






• Limit of Consecutive Quotients Paradox (Kepler)




PCSA






• Limit of Consecutive Quotients Paradox (Kepler)• Structural Malta Approach to Card Sorting (Mann, Pallot)




PCSA





PCSA


NDA




PCSA TOOL AND API

Predictive Cognitive Semantic Analysis(exp. release 2014)





PCSA TOOL AND API



• Solid taxonomy




PCSA TOOL AND API



• Solid taxonomy

• Comparable sitemaps (CI 97.2%-99.71)




PCSA TOOL AND API



• Solid taxonomy

• Comparable sitemaps (CI 97.2%-99.71)• Increased findability, better SEO



THE FUTURE?Predictive Cognitive Semantic Analysis



NOT HAPPENING!


WHAT YOU DO - ANALYSIS

• look for patterns and similarities•cheap method of testing labels and structure•user-centered taxonomy


WHAT CARD SORTING HELPS WITH

•Vetting navigation schemes•Defining information architecture• Improving findability


CARD SORTING GIVES YOU

•Data to support decisions•Cheap method of testing labels and structure•User-centered taxonomy


PEER TO PEER LEARNING(it’s everybody’s turn)


CARD SORTING & TAXONOMY RESOURCES

BooksCard Sorting - Designing Usable CategoriesDonna SpencerRosenfeld Media, 2009

Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human BehaviorIndy YoungRosenfeld Media, 2008

The Accidental Taxonomist Heather HeddenInformation Today, Inc. 2010

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites Peter Morville and Louis RosenfeldO’Reilly, 2008

Pervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User ExperiencesAndrea Resmini and Luca RosatiMorgan Kaufmann, 2011


CARD SORTING & TAXONOMY RESOURCES

Card sorting toolsOnline

conceptcodify.comoptimalworkshop.com/optimalsort.htmsimplecardsort.comusabilitest.com/CardSortinguxpunk.com/websort/

Offline (spreadsheets)Joe Lamantia – boxesandarrows.com/?p=2803Donna Spencer – maadmob.com.au/?p=45Mike Rice – www.informoire.com/?p=162

How-tosoptimalworkshop.com/help/kboptimalworkshop.com/blog/how-to-pick-cards-for-card-sorting

Illustration: Dan Willis


THANK YOU!alberta soranzo @albertatrebla

albertasoranzo.com

jessica duverneay@undrstndng

understandinggroup.com

Taming Taxonomy: A Practical Intro

Technology

neural pathways

consecutive

fibonacci

botulinum

cognitive

problem understand

botulinum

parallax theory