Organization Schemes:

Without audience interaction, information is useless. The type of audience decides the type of organization scheme. An organization scheme is the efficiency in the way separate elements (information) are arranged into a coherent whole. From my research I have discovered two main organization schemes: Exact and Ambiguous. “Exact organization schemes divide information into well- defined and mutually exclusive sections. For example the alphabetical organization of the phonebook’s white pages.” (Rosenfeld & Morville pg.56) Another example includes chronological ordering. For this project I’m going to focus on topical Ambiguous Organization schemes, by grouping items in intellectually meaningful ways. These schemes “divide information into categories that defy exact definition.” (Rosenfeld & Morville pg.58) Though they are difficult to design, they prove to be more useful because “we (the user/audience) don’t always know what we are looking for. The lack of knowledge, and whether the user is able to articulate this knowledge they already have, is unknown. This demonstrates why the hunt for information is often iterative and interactive.

Why should I use an Ambiguous Organization Scheme?

What one may find at the beginning of their search may influence what they look for later in their search.

Associative Learning “Seek and ye shall find”

Someone can learn as they go with a well defined system.

The success of ambiguous organization schemes depends upon the quality of the scheme and the careful placement of individual items within that scheme.

(Rosenfeld & Morville pg.59)