(no subject)

[figment]

Dear librarian and/or information architecture type friends,

Anyone willing to help me think about how I should arrange navigation for my website? It's currently like this, but I'm doing some redesign in the process of moving it to a new CMS and server, and am also hoping to improve the way the information is organized. And although I've thought about it a fair amount... I could use help. Help!!

Comments

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

I wish I were further along in my IA class. This is Week 2. We're learning about navigation and labeling in the next couple of weeks, though. So if it's not urgent, I'd be happy to take a look.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Let's think about that. It's not blindingly urgent, and it might be fun for you to have a case study to look at. I think I have some not-awful ideas, but I'm in need of someone else's perspective. Anyway, let me know when you've learned enough to look, if you don't mind!

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

Totally. I'll keep you posted. I know a little bit about IA because I had to do the info architecture schema for the web site I created from scratch for my web design class In this class, we don't do the actual design work, but we will basically have to pick a website and redesign the architecture of it for our main project; it gets broken into several pieces, though, including usability testing & stuff like that. So, fascinating :) We will be looking at a lot of case studies (because my professor is apparently THE GUY for organization of information), and I will happily add your site into that.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

How funny - my response was similar, that I'm two weeks into my LIS indexing class!

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

I'm also taking Cataloging & Classification this semester! Where are you going to school, and how far along are you? I'm in my third semester at UW-Milwaukee via Distance Learning.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

I'm at Syracuse, also doing distance learning. I started last summer, so I guess this is technically my fourth semester, although I only did internship credit this summer.

I've got Telecommunications & Information Policy and cataloging this semester and the former is going to be a CHORE.

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

How do you like distance learning? I'm not much of a fan, myself, but there are no MLIS programs in West Virginia AT ALL. Alas.

Best of luck with your semester! Sorry for the late reply, but I'm rather inundated with IA and Cataloguing & Classification.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

I'd have preferred an in-person option but I work full-time, so distance learning was really the only possibility. It's taken some adjustment but, for the most part, I like it because I *can* set my own hours for studying and check in as and when I can. I also have a good community of friends in the program through Facebook and Gchat, so we can stay in touch that way fairly effectively.

So, it works. I still prefer in-person discussions but I do like being able to think on someone else's comment for a few hours (days) before I formulate a response!

[toadnae.livejournal.com]

I adore IA stuff. If we can manage synch up schedules, I'd love to sit down with you. I'm available during the day, since this is work-related, too. I can even bring the books I've found helpful.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Oh, very exciting! I emailed you from gmail to try to set a time.

Useful resource

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

I came across this in my course readings, and thought it might be useful for you to check out:

http://user-experience.org/uefiles/navstress/

thoughts on how to evaluate some of your IA