Category
Organization by the similarity of characteristics or relatedness of the items.
- Used when things of importance are of equal or unpredictable importance
- Retail stores are usually organized in this way
- Well reinforced by color rather than numbers
- Large categories can be broken down into sub-categories
- Not everyone groups things the same way
Example #1: Wikipedia
- The main Wikipedia page is categorized into 10 initial portals
- These portals feature 10 common languages that can be used to display site information
- These languages are organized in a circle around a puzzle looking sphere displaying letters from various languages
- The languages used are the specific terms used in each culture to refer to the language (not all from an English speaking perspective)
- The initial Wikipedia homepage is organized like this
- This organizational strategy works well for the Wikipedia homepage because it does not list the languages in list which may suggest varied importance of the languages, they are all equally spread out, wrapping around the centralized sphere image.
Example #2: 2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog
- Site uses areas of study to categorize courses
- The areas of study are organized in list form
- Items are named based on the programs/majors offered at BSU
- Additionally a table of contents is visible on the right hand side of the screen
- Table of contents is organized into two sections: Areas and Programs and Adademic Information
- Similar lists and tables of contents can be found throughout most BSU webpages
- This organization method works very well hear as most students utilizing this page are looking for information about a specific degree program and most likely have little interest in other degree programs. This method of organization makes it fast and easy to find the information students are looking for without sifting through info that is useless to them.
Part 2: Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog
Who is this site for?
- Students or future students interested in seeing the requirements for their major or that of another major
- Ideal user is someone who knows what broad section their major, minor, or emphasis falls under
- The users are on this site to find links that bring them to the specific information about their area of study that they are looking for
Who is left out?
- Students who do not attend or are not planning on attending BSU-Even though the areas of study are universal, the specific classes and class descriptions are not universal to all colleges/universities
- People who have no idea what are of study their major/minor/emphasis falls under
- People who are looking for information about their areas of study beyond the required classes
What is left out?
- A key telling which majors/minors are included within each area of study
- Professors within that area of study
- Student input about the particular area of study at BSU, such as major/minor reviews or reviews on the professors
What could be added?
- Pictures that correlate with each area of study/major
- Student reviews about the courses and professors who teach them
- A key at the top or a popup when you hover over the areas of study telling which majors/minors are included within each area of study
Why isn't it there?
- BSU is assuming student know what area of study their major/minor/emphasis falls under
- The point of the catelog is to get students to the info the desire in a quick and easy way
- There are other sites available for rating professors, and if a professor or a major got a negative review they wouldn't want to share that comment with prospective students as it may deter them from the program
Alternate System of Organization: Continuum
Add statistics about each area of study, including number of students in each major, their cumulative GPA, grade level, minor, rating of the program and professorsWho are the ideal users?
- All BSU students, throughout the year instead of just prospective students
- Purpose is to raise attendance in successful programs and to help students make the right choice for them- also allows students to see where they stand in the program throughout the year
What content could be added now that was missing?
- Student input in the form of program/professor reviews
- Updated statistics about the specific areas of study
What purposes can be addressed that were missing?
- Creates a better source for prospective students to choose an area of study and know what they're getting into
- Site can include unbiased opinions rather than just the general requirements for each major/course
Time
Organization by timeline or history, where elements are presented in a sequential step-by-step manner.
- Approach commonly used in training
- Best for organizing events that happened over a fixed duration
- Time is an easily understood framework
- Sorting in chronological order
- Can be used with time based order of events, like cooking
Example #1: Wikipedia Articles
- The article organization shows up right after the general introduction to the topic
- The organization is in the form of a list, seperated from the content by a box entitled "Contents"
- The list is ordered in a chronological manor, telling about the topic (World War II) in a way that makes the most sense to the reader, using topics like background, Pre-war events, course of the war, aftermath, etc.
- These topics are followed by sub-topics that dive deeper into the specific sections of that category
- The topics/items listed are named based on the major happenings within the event focused on within the specific Wiki page
- The organization is clearly visible within the contents table near the beginning of the page, and visible throughout the page as each new topic differentiates itself using larger, bold font and a separation line
- This organization method works well for individual Wiki articles because time plays a key role in the events of World War II, and makes learning about historic events much easier by learning about them chronologically.
- Most recipe pages include two types of organized lists: an ingredient list and a directions list
- Ingredient lists vary with their organization, as it is not as important when you are simply collecting the ingredients in preparation of following the directions
- The directions list is organized by time, as each step of the cooking process must be completed in a timely fashion, one before the other to ensure you will be able to cook the dish properly, without burning or under cooking it.
- The items under directions are named simply as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.
- Using numbers ensures you are completing the steps in order
- Most recipes on most cooking websites organize each of their recipes like this
- This method of organization in relation to time works well for this site. The steps required to cook the dish need to be completed in order, usually by which step will take the longest, in order to ensure your dish ingredients are prepared for the next step of the directions.
Part 2: Apple Pie Recipe
Who is this site for?
- People who want to make pie but don't know how
- The ideal user knows how to properly follow a recipe and has the required ingredients, time and skill level to make the recipe
- Ideal purpose of the structure of this site is to make the recipe easy to follow so people won't over or under cook their pie, and to help people who don't know what they're doing make delicious pie
Who is left out?
- Expert chefs
- People who can't read or don't have internet access
- People who don't know how to properly measure ingredients
- Children who can't use the appliances needed for the recipe
What is left out?
- Significant purposes left out- options to add your own recipe to the page or update the existing one, and the option to easily compare this recipe to other similar recipes
What could be added?
- A picture map showing the step by step process, similar to the one visible within the wiki-how-to pages
Why isn't it there?
- There is no pictures depicting the step by step process because the site creators are assuming the users know cooking basics and don't want to patronize them or make the recipe seem like it is primarily to help children learn to cook
Alternate System of Organization: Category
The option to chunk the direction list into a picture by picture outline of each step involvedWho are the ideal users?
- Visual learners
- People who may not understand cooking terms (cooking utensils or certain foods/spices)
- Younger children who want to help cook the recipe (pictures will keep them engaged and make the process more enjoyable for them)
- Ideal purpose the users bring to the site is to create a pie that matches the end result picture of the finished product
What content could be added now that was missing?
- Pictures either real life or clip art
- Captions that go further into depth about each step
What purposes can be addressed that were missing?
- This new website structure ensures that no one will accidentally skip over a step because a large picture is easier to miss than a small line of text
- The structure grants cooking opportunities for a larger range of people and makes it more universal
Location
Organization by spatial or geographic location, most often used for orientation and direction.
- Most often used for orientation and direction
- Most graphic of the categories, usually depicts a map
- Used in instances where information is tied to a place
- Doctors use locations in your body as groupings to study medicine
Example #1: CVS Store Locator
Organized in order of closest location to the person conducting the search, labeled by numbers (1 closest to current location and on). In addition to the list of locations, a map is visible with correlating numbers depicting which numbered location is where. This is effective because location is most likely the deciding factor in which store location the person will chose.
Example #2: Knee Injury Diagnosis
This site is organized both by location of pain and by how the pain started in an attempt to diagnose specific knee injuries. Location of pain is the most important part of the diagnosis, which is why this is the first variation of organization structure. Since pain can be hard to diagnose using just location, a cause of pain section follows the first. Even though location is the most important aspect to focus on here, cause of pain is important too so it is rightfully included in this knee injury diagnosis page.
Part 2: Knee injury Diagnosis
Who is this site for?
- People who have a knee injury
- People who are learning about knee injuries or are simply interested about them
- Ideal users know basic medical terminology and where the location of their pain is based on the medical terminology
- User makes info useful by diagnosing themselves to see if they should seek additional medical attention- makes doctors jobs easier if the patient has more information about the injury, and saves doctors time by helping people determine actual injuries from the people who are just nervous about a minor injury and do not need additional medical information
Who is left out?
- Younger people who do not know medical terminology
- Healthy people who are not interested in specifics about knee injuries
- Educated/knowledgeable doctors
- Significant purpose left out- A definite diagnosis from a medical professional
What is left out?
- Clear picture maps of the location of the injuries
- Doctor recomendations
- A definite professional diagnosis
What could be added?
- Visual representations to show the specific location of the injuries including the outside and inside of the knee (Not actual pictures)
Why isn't it there?
- All the injuries listed on this page are centered on the knee. The knee is a relatively small area so pinpointing the specific location of the pain using a picture map may be difficult
Alternate System of Organization: Category
Separate pain areas into sections based on how painful/serious the symptoms areWho are the ideal users?
- People who are having difficulty pinpointing the specific location of the pain within their knee- pain in terms of amount is easier to assess and determine how quickly they should seek medical attention if they need it
What content could be added now that was missing?
- A pain chart like in the doctors office of smiles to frowns- This would make the site more universal- symbols are easier to understand across cultures and for most age groups
What purposes can be addressed that were missing?
- How much pain the person is in and how quickly they should seek medical attention
Alphabetic
Organization based on the initial letter of the names of items.
Example #1: BSU Faculty and Staff Directory
This site is organized in list form, with an alphabetical structure. Above the long list of names is a navigation bar containing each letter of the alphabet that carries you to that section of the long list. This method of organization works well because people interested in this information are more likely to know the faculty's name rather than their office or phone number. With such a long list of names, the navigation bar specifically does a great job of creating an easy, fast user experience.
Example #2: 100 Incredibly Useful and Interesting Web Sites
This page is an additional resource that was provided at the end of a 15+ page blog article about useful and interesting websites. Although there is some form of organization present in the article (seemingly by website function) the article itself is very cluttered with pictures, blurbs, paragraphs and few blank space. There is a navigation bar at the bottom, depicting the 15+ pages, but the navigation bar was not clear enough to see what section each page would bring you to. The additional alphabetical list of all 100 sites (linked) is a great addition that allows interested parties to travel to these websites easily, without having to dig through page after page to see if a specific website is mentioned. Alphabetizing the list makes it easy to find a site you were interested in, but may have forgotten where in the 15+ pages that site/link was mentioned.
Part 2: 100 Useful Sites
Who is this site for?
- People who are bored/looking for interesting sited to entertain them
- People who are looking to learn something useful
- Ideal users have a lot of free time on their hands (many sites listed), can learn well through reading, and is looking to learn something new
Who is left out?
- People looking to acquire a specific skill
- People in a rush
What is left out?
- Significant purpose left out- descriptions of the sites, links that bring you to the initial article blurb about that specific site
What could be added?
- A navigation bar at the top
- Sections to divide sites based on content
Why isn't it there?
- This page is an add on linked to the original article of the same name, the main article separates the sites into categories, but they fail to follow this same structure in the add on site list, instead choosing to simply format it alphabetically, hoping that you made it all the way through the 15+ page article and remember which specific sites interested you and what they entailed
Alternate System of Organization: Category
Following the initial article structure by sectioning the site links by the nature of their contentWho are the ideal users?
- People who do not like guessing games or clicking through lots of links to find what interests them (People in a rush/looking for quick results, or who do not want to learn additional information beyond what they came looking for)
- People who are interested in a specific content category (such as entertainment, interesting facts, life hacks, etc.)
- People who did not read through the entire initial article about the sites
What content could be added now that was missing?
- Section titles that separate the categories
- Links that bring you from the section title to that place in the article
- A navigation bar that takes you right to the section of links/sites you are interested in
What purposes can be addressed that were missing?
- Finding the info the seek without having to read the entire lengthy (and jumbled) article
- Finding specific information quicker without having to use a trial and error method to determine the nature of the site content
Continuum
Organization by the quantity of a measured variable over a range, such as price, score, size, or weight.Example #1: Baseball Statistics
Most types of statistics will fall into this category of organization because it allows a multitude of important information to not only be visible but to be able to be compared as well. The baseball statistics on this site offer option to organize the information in almost all of the categories, but the initial statistics shows fall into the continuum structure of organization by being initially ordered by batting average. This is a great method of organization for this content because all of the statistics for each player are measured the same way and are ordered from highest batting average to lowest. This allows the players to be easily compared to one another, by seeing how much of a difference there may be in the list between certain targeted players.
Example #2: Rotten Tomatoes
This movie review website falls into the continuum structure of websites because it displays reviews that are all measured based on the same rating system. It uses percentages along with pictures to show how good or bad a movie was, such as a gold circled tomato for the best rated movies, and a green splatter for the lowest rated movies. This organizational structure is very effective because it highlights one of the most important aspect of a movie you may be considering seeing, how great it was, rather than slightly less concerning aspects like the genre, actors, release date, etc. Since all of the reviewers are using the same set scale to rate the movies, people interested in their reviews can be sure the are fairly accurate, and can get the information they seek in a fast, reliable fashion.
Part 2: Rotten Tomatoes
Who is this site for?
- People interested in movie reviews
- Movie critics
- Actors/crew interested in professional comments about their work
- Ideal user trusts the opinions of professional movie critics and their movies' overall rating
Who is left out?
- People who don't listen to the advice of others
- People who want to leave a review but are not a professional movie critics
- People who just want general information about the movie, or movie fun facts
What is left out?
- Comments from actors/crew about the movie
- Navigation options like searching movies by genre or year of release
What could be added?
- A navigation bar/key that takes you right to movie reviews by genre
Why isn't it there?
- There is a navigation bar with lots of options to take you to other sections of the website, however categorizing the movies by genre is not an option I could find- I'm not sure why they wouldn't include this option
Alternate System of Organization: Time
An option to order the movies by release dateWho are the ideal users?
- People who are only interested in reviews of movies from specific time periods (ex: new releases and movies from various decades)
- People who want a nostalgioc movie experience
- People who cannot remember a specific title but know the decade the movie was released in
- People who do not know what movie they are looking for but have a specific year/decade in mind
What content could be added now that was missing?
- A timeline at the top of the screen to scroll through the years and see movie releases and progress throughout time
What purposes can be addressed that were missing?
- People can find movies from specific release years faster
- People who are interesting in reviews of older movies (largely older folks that want to reminisce) can recall movies they like but may have forgot about from certain eras/time periods
