Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

I've summed up my thinking into a couple of principles about interaction in the tangible world that likely translate to the online world as well.

1. Patterns Matter - Consistency is Key

You see, in the master bathroom the order is as follows: overhead light, fan, other light.  I've turned on the fan countless times when I really wanted to use the light.  Some might argue that it's just something to learn, and that I should deal with it.  The fact is: I have learned over the last four months and I am used to it, but I still make the mistake at least twice weekly.  It's not a matter of learning; it's a matter of habit and muscle memory.

2. Labeling doesn't always help.

Recently, I visited a local restaurant, and I spent a few seconds trying to turn the water on for this sink.  The lever there looked a lot like sinks that I've used in the past where you pull up for the water to start.  This one, however, you had to push.  Even though it had the label "push" inscribed on the knob, that didn't help until I was already frustrated. Had the faucet looked more like this common push button, I could have avoided this frustration.

One might argue that labeling would also solve my light switch issue, and they're probably correct at first.  The first time I visited the apartment is was daytime. I could have seen the switch, and I may have taken time to read them.  But try figuring that out when you're in the dark...  Exactly... labels don't always help.

(http://flickr.com/photos/toastforbrekkie/104806617/)

3. Build on a known concept.

I listened to a talk by Bill DeRouchey a few weeks ago called "The Language of Interaction," and he does a great job of explaining how we derive meaning from what we already know.  I think his best example is the colors green and red.  Green means go, and red means stop, right?  Why? Why are green and red inseparably connected to those actions? Well, it's the language of interaction. Those are the colors that are used by traffic signals, and before that railroad signals, and before that boat signals.  So if the pattern already is established and understood, why would I use blue and orange for a good/bad rating system?  It doesn't make sense. It's much more intuitive to build upon the green/red language than to create my own.

(http://flickr.com/photos/atomicshark/1288380740/ ) 

So this is my list of interaction principles that I've observed recently.  It's a work in progress and is certainly not complete.  Now it's your turn.  What interactions trip you up on a regular basis and what principles can we derive from your frustrations?

One thing I continue to struggle with is how relevant sitemaps are--and to whom?¹

Below is an example sitemap, which indicates the basic hierarchy of pages or categories within a site.

What's wrong with this picture?

Sitemaps don't represent pages...

Implicitly, they communicate pages of content. This is not necessarily the case. They are a quasi-system model that blurs the lines between content and page. This leads to misinterpretation.

Extending this, they are rooted in a page-centric approach that assumes pages have one state. Ajax-y interactions that reload different content into the same page aren't communicated. 

...and they don't really represent content.

They suggest content, but a through the lens of a page. This, I believe, is an artifact left over from the days where sitemaps were closely tied to the physical implementation. As we've evolved the idea of a sitemap away from actual pages, we didn't rethink how it is actually interpreted or used by either developers or clients. 

...and they don't reflect true navigation or interaction paths.

In fact, they indicate a hierarchical flow between pages. Sitemaps suggest that users typically access the site through the home page. Users who arrive via a search or a link from a friend are likely to be entering at a deeper level than the home page. Luke Wroblewski has a great podcast and set of slides on this.

And sitemaps don't account for related items--hyperlinks that bring together similar content that exist in different categories of the site. Similar information may be "nearer" than sitemaps suggest. The perceived distance is content too and associate navigation can be as important as the categorical navigation. 

So, what do they do well?

For me, they are good as a sketch -- not a final product -- for how content may be organized and how navigation may occur. They work well for initial scoping. But having to caveat what sitemaps are feels like a cop out. There's gotta be a better way.

 Any thoughts? Do sitemaps help you or confuse you?

¹I'm talking about the information architecture kind, but many of the points also extend to those junk drawer sitemap pages that many sites have. That's entirely another issue to address.

Granted, we’re not five anymore. And true, no one gives me allowance for doing my daily or weekly chores. But, don’t you miss that little easy-to-accomplish responsibility? Don’t you miss the kudos from Mom and Dad (and the quarter they placed in your hand) after you dusted off all the shelves?

Sometimes, in the hectic daily schedule of meetings, strategies brainstorms and budgets, I want something mindless to do. I want a task that I can do with others, have simple conversation and step back and say, ‘Yep, I did that. And I did it well.’

So, friends and coworkers – I propose chores. Capstrat chores.

 Here’s how it may work:

1. You all break into teams, based on the number of chore categories.
2. You name your team, because it’s fun and improves the experience.
3. There’s a chore jar, or some means to ‘pick’ your team’s chore for the week.
4. And then, imagine this, for 15 minutes on one day each week, you get your team together and do your chores. Ok, more like 5 minutes in some cases.
5. You feel great. You stepped away from your desk and escaped the hustle and bustle. You chatted it up with your team, unfroze your brain and did something good.

 Proposed chores:

1. Lint brushing the conference room chairs. (It’s about time! Admit it - they can be kind of gross.)
2. Transporting the white paper from around the office into the appropriate recycling bin.
3. Unloading the dishwasher.
4. Straightening the kitchen and media bar.
5. Wiping down all the conference rooms tables with Lysol wipes.
6. Passing out wipes to everyone to clean their desk areas. (Come on, you know we share germs far too often!)

The possibilities are endless. Personally, I would welcome the opportunity to have a chore or two. Will you?