ASIS&T;
Since 1937, ASIS&T; has been the society for information professionals leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.
UX is the New SEO
In the glory days of the early to mid-2000's, information architecture and user experience enjoyed a well-deserved bask in the limelight and even interaction design played nice. Then, search engines showed up like the baby brother who steals all the attention. Google changed from a dream search engine to an algorithmic bully by calculating what is a good user experience and capriciously deciding “who’s in and who’s out of the index” for serving up a “poor user experience.”
Really? You can do that with computational math? Ahhhhh, not in my house. And not in yours either. IA and UX have been relegated to digital Cinderellas picking information peas out of the hearth while the "SEO expert" wireframes the site for maximum search results visibility. Knowledge is power and in this workshop I will cover how IA and UX can and should take back the helm, including:
• Domain knowledge: How do they do that? What is the magic that has entranced and addicted so many users with the idea that search, not navigation, is the number 1 information finding tool? It is not magic. It is quite rudimentary and the source of their Achilles heel. You will learn the basics of information retrieval and how to manipulate the basics for your benefit.
• Site Analytics: Examine the site analytics data that search engines use to reverse engineer user behavior: visitor flow through the site, goals and conversion flow, user search queries, bounce rate and other content performance metrics that reflect engagement and user satisfaction.
• User experience: Explore core user experience behavior principles that will enhance relevance, increase engagement and maximize conversions.
• SEO: Take the fight to them with their own language, processes and tactics. Learn the "basics of SEO" and how to best utilize them so that user experience drives the decision-making.
Marianne Sweeny
A deep passion for technology, accompanied by a complete ineptitude at programming, brought Marianne to search engine optimization while studying Information Science at the University of Washington. She considers herself a Search Information Architect with a focus on human factors as well as system functionality. Marianne joined Portent Inc as SR Search Strategist in 2012 where she focuses on the user experience factors of SEO for client sites. As Director of Search Services at Ascentium, she designed a search practice that brought a strategic approach to search optimization. Prior to joining Ascentium, Marianne was a Web Producer for the Microsoft Enterprise Server websites where she applied her search optimization and information architecture skills to improving customer engagement. In 2004, she co-founded Microsoft Information Architects, a 300 member company-wide cross-discipline community that continues to evangelize the best practices of IA company-wide. Springtime finds her teaching Introduction to Information Retrieval at the University of Washington Information School. She is a frequent presenter at conferences on search and information architecture.
