Deliverables
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Automating Diagrams with Visio
by Michael Angeles | [53 comments]
By doing the demanding intellectual work first and then forcing the tools to succumb to need to produce seemingly speedy deliverables, you can get around the difficulty of choosing between "Good, Fast and Cheap." Here's one approach using Excel and Visio. more...
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Real Wireframes Get Real Results
by Stephen Turbek | [34 comments]
Information architects, afraid to step on designers' toes, may actually render wireframes unusable. Stephen Turbek talks about Verizon, the similarities between wireframes and iPods, and how to get real. more...
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PDF Prototypes: Mistakenly Disregarded and Underutilized
by Kyle Pero Soucy | [32 comments]
Creating clickable PDF prototypes for new designs is a valuable tool that is often overlooked and underutilized. Kyle Pero Soucy demonstrates how we can replicate most interactive design elements without investing a lot of time and effort. more...
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Storyboarding Rich Internet Applications with Visio
by Bill Scott | [29 comments]
The recent rise in more powerful technologies that provide richer user experiences online has presented us with a challenge. As designers, we are moving from from designing for "PIAs" to designing for "RIAs." Does our documentation style change with the technology? Will our standard ways do the job? more...
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Where the Wireframes Are: Special Deliverable #3
by Dan Brown | [26 comments]
A wireframe, as you probably know, describes the contents of a web page by illustrating a mock layout. Usually wireframes are rendered in some kind of drawing program, like Visio or Illustrator, but can also appear as bitmaps or even HTML. In his latest installment, Dan Brown, shows how the wireframe can transcend layout and work for all team members. more...
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Personas and the Role of Design Documentation
by Andrew Hinton | [23 comments]
Andrew Hinton digs into the origins of the persona and reflects on how business uses (or misuses) design documentation. more...
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Site Diagrams: Mapping an Information Space
by Jason Withrow | [23 comments]
Site diagrams can be quite helpful in answering all kinds of hard questions. How to create the right diagram became a personal challenge for Jason Withrow. He shares his story through tips and techniques... more...
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Faceted Feature Analysis
by Adam Polansky | [22 comments]
Adam Polansky tells us about how “Faceted Feature Analysis” takes the subjective needs of stakeholders and blends them with objective constraints in a way that ensures all points of view are fairly considered. more...
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Comics: Not just for laughs!
by Rebekah Sedaca | [21 comments]
Using comics is a novel means of communicating complex design concepts. There is has been a lot of talk about it recently, but it this medium only reserved for artists? Rebekah Sedaca decided to give it a try. It worked and she's outlined her process and tools that you may be able to use. more...
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Interactive Prototypes with PowerPoint
by Maureen Kelly | [18 comments]
Many designers use MS PowerPoint to conceptualize wireframes and get buy-in on project direction. Maureen Kelly shows us how to bring those same artifacts to life as an interactive prototype that allows you to validate the design at many levels. more...
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Wireframe Annotations in Visio : Special Deliverable #11
by Dan Brown | [18 comments]
Few information architects tap the full power of Visio. For the IA, Visio is a means to an end—a mechanism for capturing some ideas on paper before they are transformed into graphics, HTML, and code. more...
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Three Visio Tips: Special Deliverables #4
by Dan Brown | [15 comments]
No column on information architecture deliverables would be complete without at least some mention of tools. Dan Brown offers three tips on using Visio, Microsoft's diagramming application, that should make your life easier and more efficient. more...
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Building a Data-Backed Persona
by Andrea Wiggins | [14 comments]
While the imaginary persona is helpful in the design process, a data-backed persona lends even more depth and focus to the development process. Andrea Wiggins reveals some effective ways to back up your personas with data easily available today. more...
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Practical Plans for Accessible Architectures
by Frances Forman | [13 comments]
Accessible information architecture builds a bridge between planning, design, and development. Frances Forman gives us a place to start thinking more deeply about how information can be structured and transformed to make user interaction more flexible for everyone. more...
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Using Site Evaluations to Communicate with Clients
by Dorelle Rabinowitz | [12 comments]
How do you prove your worth to clients in today's difficult economy? Performed as part of a sales proposal or the discovery phase of a project, a site assessment can uncover opportunities for improvement and help you speak knowledgeably about solutions to your potential client's problems. more...
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Understanding PowerPoint: Special Deliverable #5
by Dan Brown | [12 comments]
PowerPoint: the software we love to hate. Has there been any other software since the dawn of the personal computer that has earned so much criticism? The question at hand is not, “Does PowerPoint suck?” The answer to that, as we all know, is yes. The question is, in fact, “For information architects, does PowerPoint suck?” Or, more to the point, “Even though PowerPoint sucks, should I use it for my deliverables?” more...
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Know Your Place
by Nathan Curtis | [10 comments]
Popular wireframing tools allow for reuse of repeated elements: change a centralized module once and have it update across all your screens. Nathan Curtis offers practical tips for increasing wireframing efficiency in this story. more...
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Representing Content and Data in Wireframes: Special Deliverable #10
by Dan Brown | [10 comments]
Visio practically groaned as I opened the wireframes for my current project, which were in something like the twentieth revision. It was the usual story—poorly defined requirements and business rules—and my project folder was fast becoming the poster child for Feature Creep Flu. more...
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Getting Creative With Specs: Usable Software Specifications
by Brian R. Krause | [10 comments]
Building architects don't have to think much about what the actual deliverables are to contractors and their clients, because their industry has traditions and standards for blueprints, balsa wood models, and computer-generated renderings. As user interface consultants, we have to think about this anew for every project. more...
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Defining Feature Sets Through Prototyping
by Laura S. Quinn | [10 comments]
Defining requirements and features can be a daunting task under the best of circumstances. The Vision Prototype allows the user-centered vision to be seen—and discussed—by all team members and then easily translated into a set of functional requirements. more...