AusWeb99 Front Door SiteMap Structure:Walls Principle 1 Principle 2 BACK to walls
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AusWeb99 Front Door SiteMap Structure:Walls Principle 1 Principle 2 BACK to walls |
Figure 1demonstrates how organisation of information can shape its meaning. By default, our print reliant (Western) culture privileges the top left hand side of the text object, so that an item entered at the top left hand is seen to be the more important. It enters a hierarchy of sense-making.
Figure 1
In these two flow chart designs for a University web site a principle decision has been made to divide the information in two large segments to suit the perceived nature of the organisation. The name of the box on the left of the two second layer boxes of both flow charts, could be interpreted as having higher priority. The first flow chart (i),has the student box on the left, the second flow chart(ii), the staff box is on the left. They each establish a context within which a visitor would make sense of content, the first suggests that students are the priority concern, the second, staff. Neither flowchart is right or best, each simply affects the construction of meaning of the information conveyed and would thus affect the design of navigation and interface.
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AusWeb99 Front Door SiteMap Structure:Walls Principle 1 Principle 2 BACK to walls |