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aifia-metrics - Re: [Aifia-metrics] standards: bottom-up x top-down?

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Subject: Towards standard methods and metrics for evaluating IA

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  • From: Rashmi Sinha <rashmi AT rashmisinha.com>
  • To: <aifia-metrics AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Aifia-metrics] standards: bottom-up x top-down?
  • Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 13:38:35 -0700

>At 03:56 AM 7/2/2003 -0300, Livia Labate wrote:
Providing explicit support for the best practice is often a the best way to
make standards emerge, because it happens naturally (bottom-up approach). To
"create" standards (top-down approach) implies that at some point you are
going to need to enforce these standards -- which sound insanely difficult


This is a natural segway into a discussion of methods: of what is a good way to merge a top-down and bottom-up approach...

But before we get into a more detailed discussion of methods, I would like to ask once more those who have not spoken up yet to give us some indication of where they stand in regard to the agenda.

For quick review, below is what I had sent out a few days ago. I have added in specific suggestions and issues that have been raised as notes.

Please add anything other comments you have. Or just a quick ay or nay will do. This is a group project, and it would be nice to know what more members of the group think about the agenda before we move forward.

Please respond by the end of day tomorrow.
Thanks!
Rashmi


*******************************
-Scope of initiative should be broad. Should include evaluation methods, metrics, guidelines, patterns, rules-of-thumb, do's and don't. For every such contribution, it would be nice to know what worked and what did not.
(Note: Steve Mulder: Should the scope be IA or UX at large?)

-Bottom up approach (letting people share methods and measures) is appropriate right now. For this some sort of a community infrastructure for sharing is needed.

-Top down approach (standards etc.) are a worthy goal and worth aiming for. We do not know enough to push ahead with that currently. But its important to keep that in mind as we go on with the project.
(Christopher Gomez: We need to make sure that we are moving towards standards)
*******************************




At 03:56 AM 7/2/2003 -0300, Livia Labate wrote:
> Rashmi Sinha said:
"provide explicit support for
standards to emerge, rather than create them."

Providing explicit support for the best practice is often a the best way to
make standards emerge, because it happens naturally (bottom-up approach). To
"create" standards (top-down approach) implies that at some point you are
going to need to enforce these standards -- which sound insanely difficult
and not really productive considering just how flexible the work of an IA
is. Works more like an imposition than an actual benefit.

Note: The folks from the Translation Initiative
<http://aifia.org/translations> are beginning to work on a project to get an
understanding of the state of IA in the world through surveying. I told them
to come here and discuss this with you guys, the metric experts :)

Cheers,

Livia Labate
_______________________________
www.livlab.com <-- on vacations!

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