The new CNN.com launched today. I’m disappointed. My largest complaint with my favorite site was that they created a disjointed user experience by designing disparate UI for every facet of the content: Sports, Money and recently FanNation and Golf were added to the list. It’s much like the frustration I felt surfing between different pieces of the former Amazon design.

At issue are the silos of design and navigation that have very little to do with one another. The SICNN.com site can’t possibly have the same navigation as the CNN parent, but there are much better ways to piece together the bits to make the experience less jarring.

I use CNN.com as it was originally intended: as a portal. It’s my gateway to a ton of useful and, mostly, verified information. A portal doesn’t mean that the designs have to match or that the navigation has to remain in tact as you move from one piece to another, but it should let the user know in some way that the content being presented in each area can be easily reached. I’ve had this discussion with a great many people over the years to see how the average person feels about it. There’s an unsurprising split between generations.

I’m not against the use of clever design to separate content as it pertains to brand; that’s a great idea. However, the degree to which the sites vary is amazing. Thoughts?

In almost every project we do, a client reads our proposal and asks the same question: What is this “Information Architecture thing” and why are you charging me for it?

The answer, of course, is because without it, the project will have no foundation. A house without a foundation is only going to last until the next natural disaster. The disaster in this case is unintentional human error.

It’s Not Skin Deep

I like to tell our clients (and anyone else who’s willing to listen) that information architecture is about building the right foundation for the right house. Not every house will require the same footprint, size, materials or wiring. Each project, whether it involves a Web site or Web application, has a different set of requirements that start with the strategy and go right through to the end of construction (including testing and bug fixes). Without capturing these up front in a proven method, how can we expect not to miss the finer details? I’ll give you a great example: A member of the QA team needs to care about your overall site architecture. Why? Because how else would they know what the expected result is if you didn’t set the standard in the first place? The IA and the Designer have a great deal of influence in the project success rate.

The deeper you go into finding the right architecture, the better prepared you’ll be in offering solutions that make sense for all moving parts, not just the client-facing ones. It’s a pretty common thing when you’re halfway through a project to have a client walk over and say something like “hey… we were talking and we’d love to have the whoozit talk to the goobit once a user finishes filling out that form…” and you’re prepared with the right level of detail to give them a resounding “Yes!”, not only because it’ll make them happy they hired you, but because you didn’t waste any of your own time trying to figure out something that you should have already known.

Note: If it’s a less technical project, bring a designer into the discussion. If it’s more technical, bring a developer. Tell them why. Ask them to be engaged to make the meetings more productive.

Prepare Your Client

It’s always important (and I really do mean always) to inform the client (and your project team) just how much information you’ll need to get the job done. A high-level site map immediately following the creative brief is a great place to start. Put it on the wall, have the client and your team drill down a path and see if you can’t find your own pitfalls.

Preparing your client for what they’re about to experience is half the battle. My take: I need them in the room with the presence of mind to knock something down or increase the priority. If they’re not doing one of these things, they’re not engaged. Don’t bore them to death. Give them a task. Encourage them to tell you their business. They should know it a heck of a lot better than you do. Give them a list of things they need to think about before they arrive at your kickoff meeting. While you won’t be able to force them to complete it, they’ll at least know it’s coming.

Iterations, Iterations, Iterations…

Keep a running tab on those hours (not to charge back the client, of course, but to keep tabs on how long you’re taking on each section of the project). Don’t forget that an informed client is a happy client. I would never worry about “bugging” the client with “too much”. If they don’t want it, they’ll “recycle” it. Chances are, if they’re already engaged, they’ll keep up to speed since at the end of the day I’m sure they’d like to see a return on that investment.

• Do a fair amount of iterations to ensure that you haven’t forgotten anything.
• Go as deep on each level as required so that the client gets all their questions answered before they come up.
• Don’t get in the habit of waiting for the client to ask you how something should go.
• Do offer suggestions at every turn; you’re the expert.

Share your experiences with the team. Follow up and ask their opinions. Communication, as always, is key.

There’s a great article on A List Apart today by Sharon Lee that touches on communications through proper media types and being cognizant of your audience and their essential requirements as they view your site/service.

As we move into Web 3.0/4.0/1145.001, we’re going to struggle to keep up with ourselves. I believe that larger entertainment sites are doing a better job now than most when it comes to serving their audience (It should be noted that I’m excluding accessibility when I state that they’re doing a “good job”).

Probably, some of this comes from knowing that the audience is there for a specific reason: to view a schedule, get a photo or clip, check out who’s winning on a reality show or read a blog from a ghost writer… I mean, celebrity.

The point that Sharon makes is quite valid in that we need to be very aware of our audience and how they interact with your brand. Have a read and make sure you weigh in on the ALA site. Personally, I hope there’s a follow-up article with examples of sites/services which she thinks are hitting the target.

This morning I read an article by Regina Lynn on Wired about how Second Life members could soon be in jeopardy of losing their opportunity to explore themselves in any way they see fit. Linden Labs has most certainly come under fire for pushing the limits of internet law in allowing certain activities to go unnoticed (e.g. age-play relations).

Second Life, to me, is a marketer’s dream and a parent’s nightmare: open up the flood gates, give people as close to an online euphoria without many rules as possible and let the people self-govern ’til the cows come home. (Oh, and by the way, if you want to be a cow, it’s probably just 2,000 Lindens and coordinates to the right pasture to hang out with all of your cow friends.)

I went to SecondLife.com and looked at the home page and was NOT astonished to see the following piece of information:

Over 1.5 Million dollars spent in the past 24 hours. Huhn. O.K., I didn’t think it would be *that* much.

Who knows how long this ride will continue for LL (or the people who visit on an hourly basis).

There are firms who have employees that reach the teens who are solely dedicating their company’s entire financial dependence to the development of worlds, apartment buildings, clothes, jewelry, devices and … you know … stuff. Want an entire disco with a giraffe theme, complete with costume for rent? Done. Want an IBM conference center, complete with dress code and water cooler? No problem. You can have anything you want; that’s the point.

Personally, I’m not a Second Life user. I don’t believe I ever will be. I have created an account and flown around like some kind of weird, fake-looking humanoid and looked at virtual stores that sell all kinds of products, and seen a number of fantasy-based creatures doing things with body parts that don’t exist “out here” and I just don’t see anything there for me. Nothing.

However, it’s certainly got a huge following (more European than anyone else at the moment) and it could even more certainly lead to other pathways on the Web including business applications and educational endeavors, so for that reason and the economic reality of it, I will pay attention to a small degree and pay my respects when it eventually gets regulated and dies a little.

Regardless, it is one heck of a money maker and it’s supporting small families with people who are cashing in on the next new thing. Let’s hope for now they only use this as a Second Income.

I like Delta Airlines. I know a ton of people who do not. I am not yet ready to join them, but I am starting to dislike their marketing department.

For some reason they’re using disparate back-end systems or, more accurately, using a service that doesn’t check their feed to put my first name on e-mail marketing. After using this airline for over 10 years, I get a “hello, friend” e-mail. We’re friends. I hadn’t considered them a friend until today. Obviously, they felt the need to take our relationship to a different, and quite frankly, less personal level.

Next time I need to call Delta…

*Ring, ring* (for effect)

Delta CSR: “Hello, thank you for calling Delta Airlines, how may I help you?”

Me: “Wanna’ hang out?”

The funny thing about most e-mail marketing is now I’ve come to expect just about every company in the universe to know more about me than I do. I’m amazed at how much I love to buy chocolate from Dan’s. I’m even more amazed that Frederick’s of Hollywood thinks that I’m a target for their annual bra blowout (I’m not).

I like e-mail marketing. I like designing it, I like clients who pay us to do it, and I even like getting it because I can see how other companies are handling static versus dynamic content and the information architecture of a shortened navigation created in the same brand elements as the main site. What I don’t like are e-mails that aren’t generated using latest data or the data they have at their disposal (disposal: a word used to describe a place where most mail belongs).

My point is that if you’re going to send out a piece of marketing, especially in electronic format, follow basic etiquette such as:

• Use the proper personalization.
• Don’t use a return/sent from address that isn’t on-brand (thanks, Disney - they do this all the time).
• Offer the chance to opt-out and actually follow through with it (Frederick’s - I still don’t know how you got my “secret” email account).
• Offer a clear call to action (try to keep it to one per e-mail).
• Give only the information needed to make the point; too much information will lessen the impact (this obviously applies more to promotional vs. newsletters).

Regards,

Friend