Previous Grant Recipients

2007

Marc L. Resnick and Amir Abou Baker, Miami, FL, USA
"The Effect of Scent on User Recall of Website Navigation"

When designing navigation menus there are some key factors usability professionals struggle with to ensure an easy to use navigation system. In the short term, the menu should support effective user wayfinding and confidence to accomplish the current task. Menus can also achieve longer term benefits by intimating the information architecture of the site, providing support for future tasks. The effectiveness of menu design hinges on whether these objectives are achieved. The focus of this study was the impact of label scent on user performance in navigation tasks. Labels of high and low scent were placed at two menu positions to measure the impact on the short term goal of finding a known item and the long term goal of developing an awareness of the information architecture. The results provide insights that can be used in the design of navigation menus.

Download Mark's paper on The Effect of Scent on User Recall of Website Navigation.


Andrea Resmini, Bologna, Italy
"Information Architecture Education in Europe"

Andrea Resmini from the University of Bologna, is researching educational opportunities in the field of IA in Europe. To this end, Andrea and his multi-national team have arranged a retreat in Sweden, scheduled for early August. Here, educators from across Europe will gather for two days to discuss how to improved educational offerings and coordinate curricula.


2006

Celeste Lyn Paul, Maryland, USA
"A Delphi Approach To Card Sorting"

Card sorting is a common IA activity which aids in information design. It can be a valuable tool in discovering important information patterns and testing the suitability of category organization labels. Although a widely used method, it has disadvantages which potentially effect how difficult results are to obtain as well as how reliable.

This presentation will introduce the Delphi method and how it can be applied to card sorting, as well as discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages. It is suitable for practitioners of all levels, however familiarity with card sorting and testing methods is recommended.

Download Celeste's paper on the Delphi Approach.

Jason Hobbs, Johannesburg, South Africa
"Communal computing and shared spaces of usage"

We are investigating Internet and Web usage in Internet Cafes in Johannesburg. The key hypothesis is that, unlike in developed contexts where the perceived use of Internet cafes is by travelers and those 'passing through', Internet cafes in developing contexts are the primary means of Internet connection for many people. They may travel some distance to use these cafes on a regular basis.

Research in Africa has shown that Internet cafes are often used by locals for business purposes or as a secondary venue for connecting when connections go down in private business locations.

Download Jason's report on Communal Computing.

Read our Press Release on the 2006 Grant Winners.

2005

Step Two Designs, Chippendale NSW, Australia
"Intranet Review Toolkit"

The Intranet Review Toolkit provides practitioners with a set of best practice guidelines to help evaluate the effectiveness of their intranet. Developed by Step Two Designs, the toolkit itself includes a comprehensive set of heuristics which allow detailed intranet reviews to be undertaken in the areas of functionality, design and strategy. The toolkit can be used in a number of ways and covers a range of intranet facets including home page design, site structure and navigation, search, page layout, and content strategy.

Download the Intranet Review Toolkit (200K Microsoft Word file)

Read our Press Release about the Intranet Review Toolkit

Matthew Milan, Toronto, Canada
"Tools for Information Environments"

Tools for Information Environments: Exploring Environmental Assessment Tools for use in Strategic Information Architecture, is a research paper exploring the use of mature environmental assessment tools in the context of strategic information architecture activities. The paper explores the nature of information environments and investigates the suitability of a pair of robust environmental tools, Backcasting and Cumulative Effects Assessment. A pair of short case studies is used to explore the value of these tools for use in discovery activities and strategic information architecture practice.

Download Matthew's paper on the Tools for Information Environments (130K Acrobat PDF file)

Read our Press Release about Tools for Information Environments

This page was last modified on July 7, 2008 03:35 PM.