The UOC to offer free in-person workshop on information design for mobile devices
Technology is increasingly diverse, ubiquitous and omnipresent. In this context, the key factor in its development and acceptance is its ease of use and adaptation to users. Simpler interactive products need to be designed that focus on satisfying people's needs. This means that the information has to be adapted to the medium (computer, mobile phone, etc.). With this in mind, the UOC is taking part in World Information Architecture Day, which is being celebrated on 15 February in 24 cities in 15 countries, including Barcelona.
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) forms part of the event's organizing committee and is coordinating a series of activities, including a workshop to take place on Saturday 15 February at CosmoCaixa. The Information Architecture for Mobile Devices workshop will be led by Núria Ferran, lecturer in the UOC's Information and Communication Sciences Department, and Muriel Garreta, Head of the UOC's Learning Services.
They stress the growing importance of internet use on mobile devices, which is set to pass internet use on computers in 2015. Attitudes, behaviours, expectations and priorities are different when using mobile devices rather than computers and when designing websites all these factors need to be taken into account. We have to be aware that mobile devices have important differences when it comes to interaction and information architecture models.
The workshop will detail what needs to be borne in mind in terms of information architecture for mobile websites and the differences in the design of environments for computers and mobile devices.
The event, which is free and non-profit, is being organized by volunteers from around the world. In Barcelona, the day will be split into two parts, one dedicated to user-centred design (IA UX), with workshops at CosmoCaixa, and the other dedicated to the social sector to be held at Coperfield.
The UOC offers a postgraduate diploma in Human-Computer Interaction teaching design that takes into account who uses the product or application and why, when and where. The aim is to adapt technological products to people. Likewise, one of the subjects on the UOC's Degree in Information and Documentation is dedicated to Information Architecture.
What is Information Architecture (IA)?
Núria Ferran explained that "IA is the structural design of an information environment and it is linked to information management, communication and presentation. The practice of this discipline lets users access information resources and contents on a web page by developing the rights ways to do so. There are four main pillars: organization, labelling, browsing and search."
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