Information architecture (IA) & object-oriented design (OOD) plans
This page presents samples of knowledge management and topic development. You can find screenshots of IA libraries for two projects on which I worked—job aids for LSAC Unite and marketing inserts for S. L. King Technologies (SLKT)—and three stages of OOD development for FlexApps, a tool within a SaaS platform. Because of the proprietary nature of the IA, I am limited to offering only a snapshot of the libraries with general descriptions. The presentation of the OOD plans illustrate the iterative development and organization of topics as I researched the platform tool and the insights from my content dev team and SME interviews. Here are lists of the featured skills and common challenges across all projects:
Featured skills
- Complex Information Management: Demonstrated through the development and maintenance of IA libraries for diverse projects, showcasing the ability to manage and organize large volumes of complex information efficiently.
- Strategic Content Development: Reflected in the iterative development of OOD plans, highlighting the skill in strategically developing content that aligns with software architecture and user requirements.
- Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication: Evident from my interactions with content development teams and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), showcasing the ability to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders and communicate complex technical concepts clearly.
Common challenges
- Adapting to Agile Development Environments: The challenge of keeping the IA libraries and OOD plans aligned with the agile and dynamic nature of software development, requiring constant updates and adaptations.
- Balancing Detail with Clarity in Documentation: Managing the complexity of documenting extensive IA and OOD plans while ensuring that the information remains clear and accessible to all relevant stakeholders.
- Effective Integration of Feedback: The challenge of incorporating feedback from SMEs and team members into the OOD plans, requiring a balance between technical accuracy, practical feasibility, and user-centric design.
IA libraries
The IA libraries I've worked with were living documents that aligned with the agile nature of software development and shifting objectives.
LSAC Unite IA
The following image is a screenshot of the LSAC Unite IA that tracked a library of over 800 documents and included information on parent and child topics, document IDs, status development cycles, and much more. You can enlarge the image by increasing your browser view or downloading and increasing the size.
S. L. King Technologies IA
The following image is the SLKT IA that tracked a library of over 260 marketing paragraphs and included information on 17 inserts, 12 storylines, development cycles, and much more. You can enlarge the image by increasing your browser view or downloading and increasing the size.
LSAC Unite OOD plans
The following sections present the skills and challenges of developing OOD plans and describe three OOD plan iterations. Each description includes an OOD plan screenshot.
Skills
MS PowerPoint, UI analysis, SME interviews, OOD visualization
Challenges
Determining appropriate topic levels from exploring SaaS platform
OOD plan iteration 1
The OOD plan image presented in this section illustrates how our team visually presents parent and child topics to frame the supporting documentation for an area of the SaaS platform. The plan is an initial iteration that I proposed to the content dev team.
The objects in green banners are the parent topics, which become the conceptual job aids. The objects within the blue background shapes are are child topics, some of which were awaiting approval to be assigned a document number within the information architecture library. Words in red were tasks of which I was uncertain, and we needed feedback from the SME. You can click on the image to see a larger rendering in a new tab or window.
OOD plan iteration 2
The following OOD plan image presented in this section illustrates further refinement of the parent and child topics after additional research. This iteration was shared with the SME for feedback and approval.
The objects at the top of the image are the parent topics, which become the conceptual or reference job aids. The objects within the boundaries are child topics, which would become the generalized or specific task job aids. The blue objects were previously approved. The green objects are child topics that I proposed. You can click on the image to see a larger rendering in a new tab or window.
OOD plan iteration 3
The third OOD plan image presented in this section presents proposed topics and job aids based on a review of software updates. While it shows in red and green new and proposed topics and job aids, the plan was eventually approved by the SME.
The objects at the top of the image are the parent topic. The objects within the boundaries are child topics, which would become the task specific job aids. The blue objects were previously approved. The green objects are child topics that I proposed. You can click on the image to see a larger rendering in a new tab or window.
Disclaimer
Work samples are provided for the sole purpose of evaluating my skills and capabilities. The files shared on this online portfolio contain confidential consultant-client privileged information and consultant work product. Any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.