L577: Design of Information Systems Syllabus

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Introduction

The main texts will be Rosenfeld and Morevilles' Information architecture for the web: Designing large-scale web sites and Burdman's Collaborative web development: Strategies and best practices for web teams. The readings from these texts will be supplemented with additional readings, many of which will be available on the web. In addition, there will be presentations from several information architects and project managers who have worked on teams developing complex web sites.

On the first day of class, students will be divided into teams. Each team will then spend the semester studying a complex web site in a local organization. This project has four components. First, teams will conduct an inventory of the site, describing the hardware and software that are used to develop and maintain the site.

Second, teams will conduct a socio-technical analysis of the site. This will involve determining the context and purposes of the web site in the organization. Through interviews with people in the organization and observation of the site, teams will learn about the site. They will learn about the roles the site is intended to play in the organization, They will ascertain who the major stakeholders are in the organization and the goals that they have for the site. They will describe the work flow involved in maintaining the site focusing on the main tasks of the people who are responsible for site design and development.

Third, teams will describe the current information architecture of the site, focusing on its high level structure. This will involve a description of the organization of the site's content, labeling system, navigation scheme, and other functions.

Fourth, teams will develop a realistic project plan for redesign of a portion of the site or the design of a new section. This will be a realistic plan that will contain a well-thought out and appropriate set of steps to be taken by the organization. This will involve consideration of the changes that would improve the structure and functions of the site. The team will also consider and account for the financial, technical and personnel requirements necessary to carry out the plan. To do this, teams may consider redefining the organization's goals for the site or its audience, changing the hardware and/or software configurations, changing the workflow and job responsibilities, or perhaps redesigning the information architecture.

In each stage, team members visit and interview the people working on the site. In addition to the description of the current state of affairs, teams make recommendations for improvement. Each section leads to a chapter in the final design and development report that is turned in as the final project and delivered to the client. This project is completed when the planning document is delivered to us. Teams are not responsible for implementing the plan, although they may wish to develop prototypes to illustrate what they have proposed in the plan.

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Course Objectives

• Familiar with the principles of project management as they are applied to the design and maintenance of complex websites

• Able to carry out an analysis of a complex web site that incorporates socio-technical principles and principles of information architecture

• Familiar with a wide range of advanced techniques for information architecture

• Familiar with web development planning activities and challenges

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Prerequisites

If you have a question about whether or not your computing background is sufficient, please ask us and we'll tell you.

Course Requirements

Although the syllabus follows a predetermined schedule, the seminar format provides a degree of flexibility that will allow the class to spend more time on those topics that are capturing our interest. The course content can therefore evolve as we begin to explore information architecture, project management and related issues.

To receive a passing grade in this course, you must turn in all of the assignments and the term project and do your presentation. You cannot pass this course without doing all of the assigned work, however, turning in all of the work is not a guarantee that you will pass the course.

Grades of <I> (Incomplete) may be assigned in this course after discussion with the instructor, but, depending on the circumstances, there will be a penalty applied at the discretion of the instructors.

All papers and assignments must be submitted on the dates specified in this syllabus. If you cannot submit an assignment or cannot deliver a presentation on the date it is due, it is your responsibility to discuss your situation with the instructor, preferably in advance. Given that your reasons or problems are legitimate, arrangements for the completion of the outstanding work can be made; this will occur, however, at the discretion of the instructor. There will be a penalty for work turned in after the assigned date, and this will also be applied at the discretion of the instructors.

Your written, web-based, and oral work will be evaluated according to four criteria; it must:

• Be clearly written, marked up, and/or presented, and spell- and grammar-checked;

• Demonstrate a degree of insight into the concepts, issues, and trends in both the areas you investigate in the assignments and in the course content;

• Demonstrate a degree of originality in your reviews, analyses and projects; and

• Display some familiarity with the appropriate current and/or classic literatures where appropriate.

Borderline grades will be decided (up or down) on the basis of class contributions and participation throughout the semester.

Indiana University and School of Library and Information Science policies on academic dishonesty will be followed. Students found to be engaging in plagiarism, cheating, and other types of dishonesty will receive an F for the course. As a rule of thumb, when in doubt, cite the source!

The following definitions of letter grades have been defined by student and faculty members of the Committee on Improvement of Instruction and have been approved by the faculty (November 11,1996) as an aid in evaluation of academic performance and to assist students by giving them an understanding of the grading standards of the School of Library and Information Science:

Grade	GPA	Meaning
A	4.0	Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of he course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations
A-	3.7	Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner
B+	3.3	Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above-average comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks as defined in the course syllabus
B	3.0	Good work. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials and is at an acceptable level
B-	2.7	Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials.
C+ C	2.3 2.0	Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete and inadequate understanding of course materials
C- D+ D D-	1.7 1.3 1.0 .07	Unacceptable work. Course work performed at this level will not count toward the MLS or MIS degree. For the course to count towards the degree, the student must repeat the course with a passing grade.
F	0.0	Failing. Student may continue in program only with permission of the Dean.

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Other important information

1. Dr. Priss' office is Room 029 in the School of Library and Information Science, Bloomington campus, and her office hours are 3:00 - 4:00 PM, Monday and by appointment.

   Dr. Rosenbaum's office is Room 033 in the School of Library and Information Science, Bloomington campus, and his office hours are 2:00-4:00 PM, Monday and Wednesday. He can also meet with you by appointment if these hours are not convenient.

2. Dr. Priss' phone number at SLIS is 812-855-2793. Dr. Rosenbaum's phone number at SLIS is 812-855-3250. We have voice mail, so you can always leave us a message.

3. Dr. Priss' email address is upriss@indiana.edu. Dr. Rosenbaum's email address is hrosenba@indiana.edu. We check our mail at least twice daily and will respond to messages when we read them. This is a good way to for you to communicate with us privately - email messages do not often get lost!

4. There is also a way for you to communicate with everyone else in the class, including us. There is a mailing list, called hrosenba_infodesign, to which we are all subscribed.

   By sending an email message to hrosenba_infodesign@indiana.edu, you can communicate with everyone else simultaneously.

   We will use the mailing list to send messages to the class; typically, these will be clarifications of questions about assignments and other important information, such as when we must alter or cancel office hours. We will also send interesting postings that cross our desktops from time to time. You can use the list to ask questions of your colleagues as the semester progresses.

We suggest that you check your e-mail every day!

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		Assignments

You will have six assignments in this class. The group project is divided into four smaller assignments. These four assignments are necessary steps in completing the final project. Two of the assignments you do on your own. These assignments are described below, and will be discussed in greater detail in class.

For this class, you will:

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE INVENTORY

• Complete a hardware/software/networking inventory of the site. For this assignment, you are describing the technological infrastructure that supports the web site. You will gather the information that you need to conduct this inventory from people in the organization who are responsible for maintaining the site. You can use the following questions to guide your analysis:
  • What kinds of hardware and software are used to develop and maintain the site?

  • What type of network supports the site?

  When you have gathered the relevant information, write a description of the technical context of the web site. This should be no more than ~1000 words. Mark up the document, place it on the web, and send the URL to us. This assignment is due on September 25 and is worth 5 points. On September 25, be prepared to discuss your findings in class.

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SOCIOTECHNICAL ANALYSIS

• Conduct a socio-technical analysis of the context of the web site in the organization. You will interview members of the web management and design team and use what you learn to place the web site into its larger organizational context. You should use the following questions to guide your analysis:
  • What are the organization's "official" goals for the site? What is the site supposed to do for the organization? What is its purpose?

  • Who are the major stakeholders in the organization and what are their goals for the site?

  • How is the site integrated into the organization?

  • Who are the main audiences for the web site?

  • What does the organization know about these audiences?

  • What is the work flow involved in maintaining the site?

  • How many people are involved in developing and maintaining the web site and what are their "official" jobs?

  • What are the main roles and responsibilities involved in developing and maintaining the site?

  When you have gathered the information you need, write a description of the sociotechnical context of the organization's web site. This document should be no more than ~2,000 words. Mark up the document, place it on the web, and send the URL to us. This assignment is due on October 23 and is worth 15 points. On October 23, be prepared to discuss your findings in class.

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INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

• Describe the current information architecture of the web site. You will examine the site in detail and develop a wireframe or other graphical representation of the site to depict its high level architecture. You will also describe the organization (or labeling system) of content on the site, the navigation system, the search functionalities and any other features that make the site interesting. Describe the major sections and subsections and estimate the total number of pages on the site. If possible or relevant, relate your findings to the results of your socio-technical analysis (the previous assignment). You should use the following questions to guide your analysis:
  • What is the high level structure of the site (using a wireframe)?

  • How is the content organized?

  • What types of navigation schemes are used?

  • What other functions are present?

  • Does the site adhere to common standards?

  • Is there a main metaphor used to organize the site?

  • In what way does the functionality of the site support or hinder its information delivery?

  When you have gathered the information you need, write a description of the information architecture of the organization's web site. This document should be no more than ~2,000 words. Mark up the document, place it on the web, and send the URL to us. This assignment is due on November 13 and is worth 15 points. On November 13, be prepared to discuss your findings in class.

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REDESIGN/DESIGN PLAN

• Develop of a realistic project plan for redesign of some part of the site or the creation of a new section of the site. This should be based on what you have learned from your interviews and/or from your analysis. You will describe the redesign or new sections in sufficient detail for the client to understand what he or she would have to do to carry out the plan. This means that you will apply principles of project management, outlining the phases that the client should expect to go through to implement your plan. You should also prototype some sample pages to illustrate your ideas for the client.
  • What kinds of changes are you proposing?

  • How will these changes improve the structure and functions of the site?

  • What are the financial, technical and personnel requirements needed to carry out the plan?

  • What are the steps that should be taken to carry out this plan?

  • Who will do it? How will they do it?

  • What will the redesigned or new pages look like?

  • What are the long-term implications of your proposed changes (i.e. what is required for future updates and maintenance)?

  This document should be no more than ~2,000 words. Mark up the document, place it on the web, and send the URL to us. This assignment is due on December 4 and is worth 20 points.

  On December 4, you will present your plan in class. Your presentation will be web-based, using web pages, Powerpoint saved as HTML or some other appropriate presentation software. When you present, you may also use notes, an outline, and any supporting materials, although you should be using your plan as your primary source material. The presentation of your plan will be worth 10 points.

  The plan that is turned in on December 4 should have four main sections corresponding to the assignments described above. You should create a cover page for the plan and link to each of these sections. To complete this last group assignment, you turn in the URL of the cover page to us on December 4.

  The total value of this assignment is 30 points.

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PRESENTATION

Select a topic from the syllabus in which you have interest and prepare a 15-minute presentation that you will deliver on the date when that topic is being discussed in class. You will investigate this topic in some depth and be prepared to lead a discussion in class.

Your presentation will be web-based, using web pages, Powerpoint saved as HTML or some other appropriate presentation software. When you present, you may also use notes, an outline, and any supporting materials. When you lead the discussion, you should be prepared to talk about the topic and the readings, raising questions that will serve as the basis for our discussion. We will arrange to have a computer and projector available in class; if you need any other technology for your presentation, let us know and we will arrange to have them in the class for your session.

You will also write a 5-7 page essay on the topic that you will submit to us on the day that you present in class. This essay can be used as the basis for your presentation.

There are two tasks you have to prepare the class for your presentation. First, you will provide us with at least two print or web-based readings that you want the class to read in advance of the discussion. No later than three days before you are scheduled to lead the discussion, you will provide one of us with paper or digital copies of the readings. We will make copies of any readings, place them on reserve in the SLIS Library, and alert the class that the readings are available by posting messages to the class list. If you want to use web sites, please post the URLs to the class list at least three days before the class.

Second, to seed the discussion, you will prepare three general discussion questions that are based on the readings or web pages that you have selected and post them to the class list hrosenba_infodesign@indiana.edu no later than three days in advance of the class discussion you lead.

After the class, you will submit the URL of your presentation and your written essay to us.

You complete this assignment by providing us with readings, preparing the discussion questions and posting them on the class list, preparing your online presentation, showing up in class, leading the discussion, and turning in your essay and any other supporting materials.

You will sign up for topics on September 4. We plan to have two presentations in each class between September 25 and November 27. This assignment is worth 25 points apportioned as follows: in class presentation Ð 5 points; essay and supporting materials - 10 points, online presentation materials - 10 points.

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REFLECTION AND CRITIQUE

• Write an essay of ~1000 words where you reflect on the process of studying a complex site and developing a plan for redesign or new design of a part of the site. In this essay:
  • Explain how the labor was divided in your group

  • Describe your role in conducting the socio-technical analysis, the hardware/software/network inventory, the description of the site's information architecture, and the development and presentation of the final plan.

  • Briefly describe the roles played by other team members throughout the term.

  • Briefly summarize what you have learned about information architecture and project management from this experience.

  • Suggest any ways that this experience can be improved when the course is taught again.

  This essay will be discussed in class on August 28 and is due on December 4. You may submit this essay as a digital, word-processed document, but we recommend strongly that you do not make it available on the web. This essay will only be seen by us and will remain confidential. It will be worth 5 points.

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Grading

NOTE

There is a small portion of the overall grade that has been allocated for class participation. For the purposes of this class, participation is defined as contributing to class discussion or demonstrating in other ways that you are making an effort to succeed in this class. In addition, as a professional, you will be expected to articulate your ideas in both written and oral form, therefore it is important that you think critically and present your ideas throughout the duration of the class.

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Required texts

There are two required texts for this class.

Burdman, J. (1999).Collaborative web development: Strategies and best practices for web teams. Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Rosenfeld, P. and Moreviille, P. (1998). Information architecture for the web: Designing large-scale web sites. Sebastapol, CA: O'Reilly.

Other readings will be available on the web or in the SLIS Library.

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Topic Outline, Reading Schedule and Assignment Due Dates

schedule of classes

NOTE: The URLs for the readings were last checked on August 27, 2001

August 28

Introduction: Design of information systems

Assignments

Divide into groups

Discuss group project

Discuss individual presentation

Discuss final reflection essay

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September 4

Readings:

Rosenfeld and Moreville: Ch. 7

Rettig, M. (2000). Architecture for Use: Ethnography and Information Architecture. Proceedings of the ASIS Summit 2000: Defining Information Architecture. April 8-9, 2000)

http://www.enteract.com/%7emarc/asis/rettig@asis.pdf

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September 11

Understanding the client and the organization

Readings:

Burdman: Ch. 5, 6

Charlesworth, M. (2000). Site Architecture and Navigation through Research. Web Developer's Journal.

http://www.webdevelopersjournal.com/articles/architecture_nav_research.html

Moreville, P. (2000). Information Architecture and Business Strategy. Argus Center for Information Architecture.

http://argus-acia.com/strange_connections/strange006.html

Rettig, M. (2000). Ethnography and Information Architecture. First ASIS&T Meeting on Information Architecture.

http://www.enteract.com/~marc/asis/

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September 18

Project management and information systems

Readings:

Burdman: Ch. 1, 2, 3

4PM. (2001). Project Management Knowledge Base.

http://www.4pm.com/repository.htm

Haggerty, N. (2000). Understanding the link between IT project manager skills and project success research in progress. Proceedings of the 2000 ACM SIGCPR conference. pp 192-195.

http://www.acm.org/pubs/articles/proceedings/cpr/333334/p192-haggerty/p192-haggerty.pdf

Information Systems. (2000). Project Management Resources & Exploration

http://web.mit.edu/pm/

Madden, J. (1996). One Hundred Rules for NASA Project Managers. NASA.

http://uc-adc1.uc.utoledo.edu/100_rules.html

Morris, B. (2000). Managing Commercial Web Sites. Web Developer's Journal

http://www.webdevelopersjournal.com/articles/managing.htm

Project Management Institute. (2001). Home page.

http://www.pmi.org/

Wideman, M. (2000). First Principles of Project Management. PMForum.org

http://www.pmforum.org/library/PM1stPrn.pdf

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September 25

Project management continued

Readings