Manager of UX Strategy Jessie DuVerneay explores the foundation that can make or break a website – information architecture, and more specifically, services taxonomy. DuVerneay combines her love of library science with UX principles to explain the importance of these website building blocks, sharing strategies on how to get started.

1. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
BY DESIGN
Taming Your
Services Taxonomy
Strategic IA for Great UX

2. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Jessie DuVerneay
@jduverneay

3. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Story Time

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CHILDHOOD HOUSEGrand Rapids, MI
1990s

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UX Strategy =
Strategy + IA + UX

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Think of it this way:
Strategy IA UX
Aspirational, Big Picture Concrete, Structure Complete, Interaction
“We want to build a house”
“We need bricks, and we
need to stack the bricks
intelligently, in the right
order”
“We have a house, we plaster
the walls and make sure the
doors are in the right spot”
The “Why” The “What” The “How”

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UX Strategy Asks & Answers Questions
Strategy IA UX
What do we want this to do?
Why?
Who is this for?
What are our constraints?
What does success look like?
How might this differentiate
us from our peers?
How is this related to other
parts of our ecosystem?
Based on what we know about our
strategy, what pieces do we need?
How are they organized?
How will this structure meets the
needs of the org? Of the people
using it?
Now that we have
the pieces and and
a sense of how they
work together, how
can we make this
awesome?

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Information Architecture

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Information Architecture
Information Architecture (IA) is the frame, map, or
blueprint of your information environment, and a
website is only as good at its foundational
structure. IA’s goal is to build durable, stable
structures that help people solve problems. Good
IA can ensure your foundation is stable; that your
website will be durable, will scale well over time,
and will be liked by users.

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What is IA?
Definition May Look Like
The “What”
The creation of intentional structures
that support the extension of strategy
into digital and physical places.
Making places made of information that
allow meaning making, wayfinding,
findability, and understanding.
Taxonomy
Sitemap
Navigation & Wayfinding
Wireframes
Content Model
Metadata & Labels

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Services Taxonomy

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Taxonomy
 Not to be confused with TAXIDERMY 
 Classification into ordered categories:
Using the right words,
in the right order,
In the right context,
For the right reasons.

18. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Services Taxonomy
Your services taxonomy is the backbone of your
website. It impacts not just the listing of what is
offered, but also things like page structure,
search filters, breadcrumbs, and backend file
structure. As much of the clarity (and therefor UX)
of the site is dependent on this taxonomy,
ensuring that it follows best practices and is user
centered will ensure a meaningful and valuable
site experience.

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The Backbone of Great UX

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Navigation
Service Landing Page
Page Structures
Filters
Breadcrumbs
Cross-links (ie: from Bio Detail)
Search Results
Language in Non-digital Assets

24. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
POP QUIZ:
On a scale of
1 (yay!) to Scary Crying
Baby how do you feel
about your current
services taxonomy?

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“It’s not important.
We don’t have time.”
“It’s fine the way it is.
It’s too politically loaded."
“No budget for that step.
That’s not in scope for this effort.”
“That’s not something we know how to do.
We can just add that in when we get to the designs.”

26. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Ignore at Your Own Peril!

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If you skip “X”, expect “Y”
Strategy IA UX
Products that don’t address
a business need
Specific tactics deployed
without the intended results
Something that will not be
valuable or have utility in
the near future
Wasted budget
Products that don’t make sense
& are hard to navigate
Disorienting user experience,
even though design, or UI might
seem fine (or even great)
Issues with findability &
scalability
Difficulty creating great UX
Complications & increased
budget in build
Low user adoption &
opinion of the system
Increased calls to support
Poor Conversion
Odd or lack of integration
with the rest of the
information environment

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Too many options
Important offerings are hard to find
Business opportunities are missed
Visitors feel the language used is not for them
Visitors are overwhelmed
Visitor experiences cognitive overload
Visitor does not understand offerings
Opportunity for continuing the conversation is missed

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One North’s Journey

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The Opportunity

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Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT

33. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
The Process

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SERVICE LINE SERVICE ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES
Digital Strategy
Strategic Planning
Technical Consulting
Performance & Optimization
Cross-channel Strategy
Campaign Strategy
Lead Generation
Experience Design
Brand Design & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Information Architecture (IA)
Visual Design
Interaction Design
Technology & Hosting
Web & Application Development
Managed Systems

39. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
SERVICE LINE SERVICE ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES
Digital Strategy
Strategic Planning
Technical Consulting
Performance & Optimization
Cross-channel Strategy
Campaign Strategy
Lead Generation
Expereince Design
Brand Design & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Information Architecture (IA)
Visual Design
Interaction Design
Technology & Hosting
Web & Application Development
Managed Systems

40. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
The Outcome

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Strategic Planning
Technology Consulting
Data & Optimization Strategy
Web Development
Mobile & Custom App Development
Hosting & Application Management
Data Integration
Brand Research & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Visual & Interaction Design
DIGITAL STRATEGY
BRAND & EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY

42. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT

43. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Strategic Planning
Technology Consulting
Data & Optimization Strategy
Web Development
Mobile & Custom App Development
Hosting & Application Management
Data Integration
Brand Research & Strategy
Content Strategy
UX Strategy & Design
Visual & Interaction Design
DIGITAL STRATEGY
BRAND & EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY

44. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Brand Architecture
Brand Guidelines
Brand Strategy & Platform Development
Content Development & Copywriting
Campaign Strategy
Creative Direction
Digital Design
Identity Development & Design
Visual Expression Systems
Style Guide Documentation
User Research & Persona Development
Digital Marketing & Communications
Planning
Content Strategy
User Experience Design
Analytics & Digital Optimization
Research & Development
Technology Consulting & Strategy
Progressive Web Development
Enterprise & Open Source CMS Development
Fully Managed Hosting Services
BRAND
PLANNING
STRATEGY
CREATIVE
SERVICES
Social PR & Community Management
Content Development
Social & Digital Paid Media
SEO & SEM
Lead Generation & Nurturing
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL &
CONTENT

45. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
Our Next Step: Test & Refine

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For Best Results

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Building a Better Taxonomy: Top Down
 Assess the current state taxonomy – identify
issues and areas for improvement
 Establish and align on strategy for new taxonomy
 Gather synonyms (from content, competitors,
industry taxonomies, and SEO)
 Understand client mental models and preferred
language patterns
 Become and/or extensively interview subject
matter experts (SME)
 Select preferred terms, acceptable synonyms, and
any excluded words/terms
 Sort preferred terms into correct hierarchical
categories
 Suggest appropriate new taxonomy draft
 Test and refine new taxonomy with users and
SMEs to confirm or continue refining
 Provide recommendations on necessary
subsequent updates to navigation

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Building a Better Taxonomy: Bottom Up
 Pick a problem area
 Get the right people involved
 Work through it together
 Come to consensus
 Formally update the taxonomy
 Lather, Rinse, Repeat

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Your Homework

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Go for it!
 Identify the issues & opportunities
 Be able to make the business / user case for improving your taxonomy
 Approach your taxonomy strategically
 Start as soon as you can
 Think about if top down or bottom up will work best for you
 Get the right people in the room
 Test & Iterate!
 Give yourself 3x the amount of time you think you’re going to need

52. Experience Lab 2017 | 11.08 – 11.10 2017
You Can Tame
Your Taxonomy!