Connecting Users to Content through Taxonomies
Tuesday April 29th, 2025 @ 9:00am - 5:00pm EST |
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$650 |
An Introduction to Taxonomy Design & Creation
Taxonomies have evolved from classification systems to adaptable interactive tools to link users to desired content on websites, intranets, and web applications. Taxonomies are not the same as a website’s navigation and can do a lot more through facet filters, term suggestions, and multiple hierarchies. To be truly helpful, however, taxonomies need to be well designed to suit the users and use cases, be customized to the content, and conform to taxonomy best practices and standards so that they are easy and intuitive to use.
This workshop teaches taxonomy creation principles with a focus on serving users. It presents best practices in designing taxonomies, including the principles of wording of terms, sources for terms, incorporating synonyms, creating relationships between terms, and designing hierarchies and facets. Other topics include taxonomy project planning, sources for terms, and taxonomy testing. Exercises and software demos will also be included.
Specific Lessons and Takeaways:
Taxonomy design is an important part of information architecture, in helping users get access to content. Many information architects create taxonomies without any training. While general IA methods are applicable to some of taxonomy design, there are other issues that require a deeper understanding of taxonomy principles and best practices.
How will this session improve someone’s IA practice?
Job roles of information architect and taxonomist often overlap, so it’s important to be skills in both areas.
Why might a company pay for their employee to attend this session?
A company may need a taxonomy, but rather than hire a dedicated taxonomist, it would practical to utilize an existing information architect who is also skilled at taxonomy design and creation.
Taxonomies have evolved from classification systems to adaptable interactive tools to link users to desired content on websites, intranets, and web applications. Taxonomies are not the same as a website’s navigation and can do a lot more through facet filters, term suggestions, and multiple hierarchies. To be truly helpful, however, taxonomies need to be well designed to suit the users and use cases, be customized to the content, and conform to taxonomy best practices and standards so that they are easy and intuitive to use.
This workshop teaches taxonomy creation principles with a focus on serving users. It presents best practices in designing taxonomies, including the principles of wording of terms, sources for terms, incorporating synonyms, creating relationships between terms, and designing hierarchies and facets. Other topics include taxonomy project planning, sources for terms, and taxonomy testing. Exercises and software demos will also be included.
Specific Lessons and Takeaways:
- How taxonomies can enhance search and findability
- What sources to use for developing taxonomy terms and the recommended process
- How to create terms, their synonyms, and relationships, according to best practices
- How to design hierarchies and facets
- How to govern and maintain a taxonomy
Taxonomy design is an important part of information architecture, in helping users get access to content. Many information architects create taxonomies without any training. While general IA methods are applicable to some of taxonomy design, there are other issues that require a deeper understanding of taxonomy principles and best practices.
How will this session improve someone’s IA practice?
Job roles of information architect and taxonomist often overlap, so it’s important to be skills in both areas.
Why might a company pay for their employee to attend this session?
A company may need a taxonomy, but rather than hire a dedicated taxonomist, it would practical to utilize an existing information architect who is also skilled at taxonomy design and creation.