The strategy proposed will focus around the experience of the user and how we can build a site that is familiar to culture and lhistory of your users.  With a strong focus on user experience, the proposed updated site will be centered on conforming to today's web browsers standards and the diverse types of media available to be displayed on.  We will work with your staff to review and analysis the user traffic patterns to determine the focal point of the taxonomy of the site. We will also look at customer feedback from both residential and commercial users to focus on the key driving factors for visiting the site.  We will also work with the you and come up with a comprehensive plan to drive more user traffic and make content easier to find with the least amount of effort.

The user experience is important to the overall reception of the the new site.  The development team will use its experience in Analytics and User Interface Experience to provide a comprehensive report on where users are focusing their attention and work with you to provide a better marketing of initiatives you are focused on.  The SSAI Team has experience in developing strategies around campaigns and analysis of web sites. The development team has experience in providing feedback for many high-profile websites, both on the consumer level and government level.

Our information architecture process is as follows:

Establish Website Goals
 

Our information architecture process begins with identifying the business objectives of the website. The team will meet with the key stakeholders to determine the goals and central purpose of website to devise an effective user-centric solution.  We'll discuss the current features and limitations of the current website to determine the desired user experience objectives and recommended website design elements/functions. We'll work with your staff to identify customer experience objectives and establish a project timeline.

Deliverables: Business Objectives Summary that outlines the the top level goals and objectives.

Define User Intent
 

Good information architecture greatly influences the user experience. Knowing the users and their intent on the website will guide the IA team on how to structure the website to satisfy the needs of the customer and insure a rewarding experience.  To identify the various users of the website and their information-retrieval behavior, the AI team will conduct user-interviews, create personas and develop user scenarios or stories to establish the ‘big picture' of who the users are and their key site objectives.

Deliverables: Personas / User Profiles of each site user type

Assess the Content
 

The IA team will do a full analysis of the existing site content to gain a thorough understanding of the current website's purpose and structure. The AI team will review and familiarize him/herself with the layout and organization of the current website focusing on accessibility, content presentation, navigation structures, organizational architecture, content placement, etc. Using a content analysis tool, all content is stored in an inventory documentation system and used for content assessment, categorization and migration.

Deliverables: Inventory Documentation System

Organize the Content

Based on the user analysis, site analytics and business goals, the IA team will conduct a card sorting session and other taxonomy technics with key stakeholders and users to define section labels and key metadata to group the content into appropriate categories.  Content prioritization and hierarchies are established. The final product is a complete site map that identifies the entire structure and organization of the website.
 

Deliverables: Site Map

Define Navigation and Site Flow

Once the site structure is established, how users navigate the website needs to be determined. Some users want to find content quickly with minimal clicks, others may want to do exploration. The key is to provide methods of navigating the site that users can quickly understand. Using the priorities and hierarchies established in the content organization session, the IA team creates a navigation system using interactive wireframes. Wireframes allow a customer to understand how a site or tool will interact before it is built, and helps further capture, refine and confirm requirements. We use a wireframing tool called Axure RP which creates clickable/interactive wireframes that can be exported as system specification which provide information to developers and further define system interactions. These wireframes serve as the visual blueprint for how a user will navigate and find important content. Only layout and content placement is determined, design elements such as color and graphics are not considered.
 

Deliverables: Interactive Wireframes

Conduct Usability Testing
 

Key stakeholder and users provide feedback on the functionality and navigation of the new website by doing usability testing. Using test plans, users will complete typical tasks using the wireframes while the IA team observes and take notes. The goal is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitative and quantitative data and determine the participant's satisfaction with the site layout and navigation. A usability report summarizing the results is produced.
 

Deliverables: Usability Report

Our partners produce websites from local to regional to international scales, so we are well-suited to fulfill the need for a rich and intricate identity.  We excel at working large amounts of content into spaces that are open and inviting -- that utilize intelligent responsive design to clearly communicate ideas on mobile devices as easily as on large screens.  The result is a positive user experience, instilling a sense of dependability that is reinforced with each visit.

We particularly excel in our role when working collaboratively with our customer to plan their site.  This will allow us to best understand the ways that different types of users will be interacting with it, and how to easily route them to the areas that are most helpful to them.  To achieve these key goals, we use a phased approach.

The creative team will begin with an initial discovery phase for your website design. During this stage, we will further explore the site's current issues and the customer's requirements to establish the best UI, UX, and eventual design to represent you.  The experience will need to be modern but also reflect your heritage to establish its identity -- so past, present, and unique assets will be studied to accurately reflect its character in what will become the design model.

Sitemap production and dynamic wireframing happens in tandem with the discovery phase, with the resulting UI decisions becoming incorporated into functional mobile and desktop wireframes. These will be user-tested and then iteratively modified before each is approved -- examining site usability for a wide range of target users.  The goal is that each visitor to the site be able to easily navigate their way to an intended area with a minimal, productive interaction.

As key areas of the wireframe are approved, the design implementation phase begins.  The site's style and user experience will be a unique intersection of elements such as color tones, visual imagery, typography and layout – while incorporating the interface guidelines set in the approved wireframes.  The end result will not only be efficient and functional, but also visually compelling.

Our designers and UI experts form a part of the project team from the earliest stages of the project to help ensure the site looks and interacts as beautifully as it functions. The art staff is tightly integrated with the development staff to bring an integrated approach to web development for CMS and state-of-the-art toolsets.  Our focus on quality user experience has garnered the trust of various high-profile NASA websites such as the GLOBE and GLOBE Observer programs (which engage students and the public as citizen scientists, working alongside the greater scientific community – via web tools and simple yet powerful phone applications), and the My NASA Data website (which brings vast amounts of science data into the hands of students and teachers, but with ease and accessibility).