Designing Information Architecture for a Mobile Interface: How to design and integrate information architecture into an information ecology
Author
Penuel, Grace Selah
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2010
Submitted on
2010-08-02
Pages
77
Abstract
Mit faglige udgangspunkt i landbrugsvidenskab og informationsteknologi motiverede denne afhandling med et mål om at hjælpe mennesker under fattigdomsgrænsen i Afrika. Det centrale spørgsmål er, hvordan man designer og integrerer interaktiv informationsarkitektur i sin sociale og organisatoriske kontekst—en “informationsøkologi”—så teknologien faktisk bliver brugt. Med afsæt i Nardi og O’Days metafor om informationsøkologi undersøger arbejdet rollen for menneskelige mediatorer, eller “nøglearter” (keystone species), som tilpasser værktøjer til lokale behov. Davenport og Prusak fremhæver, at klar informationsarkitektur forbedrer findbarhed og brugervenlighed: man kan ikke bruge det, man ikke kan finde. Ny teknologi kan få en spektakulær start gennem markedsføring, men går ofte i stå, hvis den er for kompleks, for dyr eller blot gentager noget, der allerede findes. I tråd med Moville og Rosenfeld sigter afhandlingen mod en holistisk informationsarkitektur, der passer til den givne økologi. For at designe informationsarkitekturen til M-Mkulima—et beredskabssystem for landmænd til håndtering af den udbredte plantesygdom Maize Streak Virus—brugte jeg interviews, benchmarking, baggrundsundersøgelse, heuristisk evaluering, personas, brugsscenarier (use cases) og prototypetest. Interviews kortlagde aktuelle informationspraksisser, barrierer, informationsudbydere og mulige nøglearter. Benchmarking og baggrundsundersøgelse guidede teknologivalg. Heuristisk evaluering identificerede eksisterende strukturer at bygge videre på, mens personas og brugsscenarier fokuserede designet på brugerbehov og systemkrav. Prototypetests afdækkede styrker og svagheder i brugervenlighed og informationsarkitektur, hvilket muliggjorde forbedringer, der reducerer tid og omkostninger ved at finde information. Integrationen viste, at landbrugsrådgiveren fungerer som nøglearte—en menneskelig mediator som, i overensstemmelse med Nardi og O’Day samt Schema-teori, kan forankre M-Mkulima i det lokale organisatoriske miljø via særlige kompetencer og ressourcer. Dermed besvarer afhandlingen sit hovedspørgsmål: omhyggeligt design kombineret med mediation understøtter vellykket integration af informationsarkitektur i en økologi. Arbejdet støtter og udvider Nardi og O’Days argument for mediatorers rolle ved introduktion af nye teknologiske værktøjer. Det inkluderer også formativ evaluering og koncepttest udført af fagfolk inden for landbrugsvidenskab og informationsteknologi i Kenya og Danmark. Endelig henviser det til en relateret prototype, “Saidia Mtoto”, hvis koncept dannede grundlag for M-Mkulima og blev accepteret på 3rd Workshop on Innovative Mobile Technology and Services for Developing Countries (IMTS-DC’10) i forbindelse med ICCIR10 ved Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
My background in agricultural science and information technology motivated this thesis with the aim of helping people living below the poverty line in Africa. The core question is how to design and integrate interactive information architecture into its social and organizational context—an “information ecology”—so that technology is actually used. Drawing on Nardi and O’Day’s metaphor of information ecology, the work examines the role of human mediators, or “keystone species,” who adapt tools to local needs. Davenport and Prusak emphasize that clear information architecture improves findability and usability: people cannot use what they cannot find. New technologies may enter an ecology with hype, but often fail if they are too complex, too costly, or simply duplicate what already exists. Following Moville and Rosenfeld, the thesis aims for a holistic information architecture that fits the given ecology. To design the information architecture for M-Mkulima—an emergency system for farmers managing the endemic plant disease Maize Streak Virus—I used interviews, benchmarking, background research, heuristic evaluation, personas, use cases, and prototype testing. Interviews mapped current information practices, barriers, providers, and potential keystone species. Benchmarking and background research guided technology choices. Heuristic evaluation identified existing structures to build on, while personas and use cases kept design decisions focused on user needs and system requirements. Prototype tests revealed strengths and weaknesses in usability and information architecture, enabling improvements that reduce the time and cost of finding information. Integration studies identified the agricultural officer as the keystone species—a human mediator who, consistent with Nardi and O’Day and Schema theory, can anchor M-Mkulima in the local organizational environment through specific skills and resources. In this way, the thesis answers its main question: careful design plus mediation supports successful integration of information architecture into an ecology. The work supports and extends Nardi and O’Day’s argument for mediators when introducing new technological tools. It also includes formative evaluations and concept testing by professionals in agricultural science and information technology in Kenya and Denmark. Finally, it references a related prototype, “Saidia Mtoto,” whose concept informed M-Mkulima and was accepted at the 3rd Workshop on Innovative Mobile Technology and Services for Developing Countries (IMTS-DC’10) alongside ICCIR10 at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
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