Elements of UX

Study Notes

The structure plane is where site elements are organized to fit together, turning abstract ideas into concrete plans.
Decisions made in this phase are largely conceptual, but crucial for the overall user experience.

Interaction design involves creating conceptual models that influence the system's behavior and user interface.
A conceptual model in interaction design is the user's mental model of how a system works, and it influences the design and language used in the interface.
Examples of conceptual models include:
- E-commerce shopping carts using the physical container metaphor, with functions and phrases like "add to cart," "remove from cart," and "check out."
- Desktop metaphor in operating systems.
- Digital libraries and virtual assistants as people.

Information architecture involves arranging content elements to facilitate human understanding.
This includes:
- Creating categorization schemes using top-down or bottom-up approaches.
- Balancing both approaches for optimal results.
- Organizing categories into structures like hierarchical, matrix, organic, and sequential.
- Choosing appropriate organizing principles for different levels of the architecture.

Consistency is crucial in conceptual models and information architecture.
Developing consistent language and metadata through controlled vocabularies and thesauri is essential.
Thesauri document preferred terms, synonyms, and relationships between terms.
Metadata provides flexibility in structuring and finding content.
Clear documentation of structure is necessary, using tools like diagrams, text outlines, spreadsheets, and databases.

Responsibility for structure often falls to content development, editorial, marketing, or technical staff.
Having a dedicated user experience designer (or information architect/interaction designer) can be beneficial for ongoing development work.
Regardless of the team structure, someone must address structural concerns to ensure a well-organized and effective site.