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Home / Sessions / Sense-Making, Search Systems, & Site Optimization

Sense-Making, Search Systems, & Site Optimization

IAC 2020

Cost

$149 USD

Time(s)

May 14, 2020
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM CT

Description

When people want to locate and discover information, they can simply type keywords into a search engine (not only Google) and select items from the first page of search results, right? This is the current mental model of how search/retrieval works for most users of all ages.

Sense-making is a searcher behavior that information architects, user experience (UX) and usability pros should not ignore. Search listings not only should make sense to individuals, they should also make sense to groups of people.

This workshop will answer the following questions:

  • Which parts of a search listing must make sense to people before they will click (or tap) on a link?
  • Where does sense-making occur during different parts of a search task?
  • What do common search systems use for display in search listings?
  • Does the type of search query affect the type of information that must make sense in search listings? (Short answer: yes!)

How can we architect search listings so that they make sense for multiple target audiences?

During this workshop you’ll learn how to implement sense-making and search into personas, using a base template. Each attendee can tailor his or her persona based on what they learn in the tutorial. Based on both free and paid tools, you’ll learn where and how to implement different approaches and how to use search metrics to measure on an ongoing basis.

Finally, we’ll cover how to architect and optimize different types of search listings… because searchers exhibit multiple behaviors based on partially known and unknown item searching.

NOTE: This isn’t just a search engine optimization (SEO) workshop. Sense-making is at the core of this tutorial.

About the speakers

Shari Thurow

Shari Thurow has optimized, architected, and designed web interfaces since 1995 and is outsourced to many firms worldwide.

She currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the ASLIB Journal of Information Management (AJIM). She is also a contributing editor for topics such as:

• Search/information retrieval
• Searcher goals and behaviors
• User experience (UX)
• Usability
• Information architecture
• Accessibility
• Human/computer interfaces (HCI)
• Interaction design (IxD)
• Artificial intelligence (AI)

She is a co-founder of the Information Architecture Gateway where she functions as the Search Director. Shari also served on the Board of Directors of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA).

She is the author of Search Engine Visibility, which has been translated into 6 languages. Her book When Search Meets Web Usability shows how to bridge the gap between a search-engine query and your website.

Her doctoral work is in Information Sciences with a specialty in Human/Computer Interfaces, specifically search-friendly user interfaces (UIs).

Shari’s company, Omni Marketing Interactive, is a full-service SEO, website usability/UX, information architecture (IA) and web design firm. Clients include Huffington Post, Sony Music, ABC News, FindLaw, Microsoft, Facebook, Angi (formerly Angie’s List), Expedia, Home Depot, Best Buy, Encyclopedia Britannica, the National Cancer Institute, and WebMD.

Shari is currently on sabbatical to finish her next book and academic publication. She comes out of hiding for topics she is passionate about.

Sponsor IAC

We’re looking for organizations who share our commitment to building and sustaining programs that drive a more inclusive industry. Learn more on the Sponsor IAC23 page or contact us directly at info@theiaconference.com for more information.

Thanks to this year’s sponsors!

Logo for sponsor Optimal Workshop
Platinum sponsor
Optimal Workshop
Logo for sponsor Factor Firm
Gold sponsor
Factor Firm
Logo for sponsor Last Call Media
Silver sponsor
Last Call Media
Logo for sponsor Design for Context
Scholarship sponsor
Design for Context

Logo for sponsor A Book Apart
In-Kind sponsor
A Book Apart
Logo for sponsor Balsamiq
In-Kind sponsor
Balsamiq
Logo for sponsor MURAL
In-Kind sponsor
MURAL
Logo for sponsor Rosenfeld Media
In-Kind sponsor
Rosenfeld Media
Logo for sponsor UX Camp DC
Community sponsor
UX Camp DC
Logo for sponsor World IA Day
Community sponsor
World IA Day

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