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The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an OASISstandard for topic-based authoring that creates organization for the processing of company information. In a nutshell, DITA is the newly incorporated standard that is making it easier to organize, manage, and publish data content.

Today, many of the tools businesses use to manage data content does not sufficiently communicate the specified information between companies; creating pockets of data farms throughout numerous businesses. Previously, there was no standard for reusing data content, and many businesses found it easier to create new content instead of re-using that which already existed. Compare the typical content-management of companies to that of a messy garage. Sometimes it is easier to go buy a new tool than to find it amongst all the buildup and chaos. Storing this information (tools) in a DITA compliant manner ensures that, at the very least, businesses can utilize the same data repository, making it easier to find and reuse content they had previously produced.

With regulations affecting just about every industry, and, in certain cases, requiring businesses to store data content for up to 7 years, it became a necessity that a standard such as DITA be created to ensure the time management of composing these regulations be kept to a minimum. Now organizations are achieving significant savings in time spent in such phases as: authoring and editing, document and globalization management, translation and review, and composition and production. DITA is a centralized system for gathering, storing, and sharing information through the most efficient means, and reduction of the Globalization Gap. A sound methodology, combined with DITA for managing data content from conception to delivery, will help organize and eliminate data farms at your company.

There is a growing need for unhindered communication—the type that is most efficient, while simultaneously the least time consuming, and maintaining the most resourceful amount of communicated data. DITA compliant tools, coupled with a sound content management process, will ensure that your data is manageable, and will keep your content fresh; saving thousands, if not millions of dollars in lost productivity and content mishaps. In the business world it is imperative to share and receive information, preserving a minimum time loss, while maintaining organization of the compiled data—and for this there is DITA.

What makes a website easy to use? What distinguishes good design from bad design? How will your customers use your website? The only way to really know is to validate the design using some type of usability study. This is the best way to ensure that your website meets the goals of your users.

So what is usability, you ask? The International Organization for Standards defines usability as, “…the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment.” In layman’s terms, usability is defined by whether or not an average person can accomplish their goals within the framework of your website. For example, if your website provides online real estate listings, can your customers quickly and easily find properties on the market in their area? Are they able to access information on square footage, lot size, schools in the area? Can they compare the listing price to other recently sold homes in the neighborhood? Do you link to digital maps where they can see the location of any given home? If your website has a high level of usability, your customers will be able to intuitively accomplish all these tasks.

Many businesses assume that usability is a given, and if they have talented designers, their websites will be automatically be user-friendly. But usability is about more than just eye-catching graphics and pleasant-looking interfaces. It’s about the essential functionality of a site. There are many important factors to consider when designing for usability, including navigation techniques, clear and consistent language, minimizing errors, and providing access to help and support. One of the most overlooked factors, however, is user profiling. Consider the real estate listing example: who would be using this site, and what kind of information do they want? Homebuyers and sellers can be grouped by age, geographic location, even socio-economic class. In all likelihood, someone looking to purchase a home will have very different needs from someone looking to buy the latest version of Grand Theft Auto. These two users would also have a very different level of comfort and abilities when it comes to using the internet. You should take these differences into consideration before beginning your design.

There are a few different types of usability studies you can use to validate the quality of your design. The most common are known as lab studies and site/field studies, where a prototype design is tested by volunteers. Focus groups and surveys also help draw feedback from users in a less formal setting. Another way to gather feedback is a heuristic review, where a prototype is reviewed by usability & design experts, who point out shortcomings and provide recommendations. These recommendations are usually given back to business and design teams and used to overcome these usability limitations.

Putting usability into practice can reap numerous benefits for your business. It has for Google, whose corporate philosophy ranks this sentiment as number one: “Focus on the user and all else will follow” (http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/tenthings.html). If your user is your first priority, you can bet that customer loyalty, name recognition, and profits will be the rewards. A usable website will give you the edge over your competitors, reduce the need for continuous redevelopment, minimize tech support phone calls and emails, and enhance your ability to serve your customers or clients. Though some businesses dismiss usability as something they cannot afford to do, the rewards to your bottom-line mean that you can’t afford to pass up the opportunities that it creates.

Imagine building a house with no master blueprint and little ongoing planning. Would you be able to find your way around? Would you be able to accomplish specific tasks in this building? Would you feel comfortable in such a building?

If you were the builder, would you know where to start? A colonial, a split…a cottage? Any idea who is going to use it? A beautiful colonial with beautiful staircases and elegant foyer looking down to the middle of a family room would be useless to someone who has mobility problems or is in a wheelchair.

The vast majority of us would feel put-off and disoriented in a building where so little energy was exerted in the planning process. Why, then, are web sites, which are in essence a miniature environment like a building, so often built without a “blueprint”? Many organizations suffer from unplanned, organically grown web sites and web-based applications whose continual reconstruction leave visitors confused and frustrated. Just as a building architect designs structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional, an information architect ensures that your information structures are well-planned, functional, and usable.

Going through a discovery process allows a company to determine who the audience is, and how they are going to use what is being designed. It is a mapped-out structure of the information your site will contain that considers functionality, design, and user profiles. As a first step, your team should consider who will be using the site, what purpose or role it must fill, and how this relates to your goals for the product.

The next task is map the tasks the users will want to do with the functionality on the website. Keep it simple, clean, and functional, since overwhelming content can drive users to your competitor’s websites. Thirdly, you will decide on a basic framework for your site that will consider the user and the content therein. Mapping out a structure and navigational plan can help keep you on track with your original goal. Lastly, when the site is actually built, you should compare it with your blueprint to ensure it meets the needs of your users and your company.

Intelligent architecture can create an environment that stimulates user’s attention spans, keeps visitors at your site longer, and encourages them to return. A solid foundation for your design can also increase your company’s productivity. For example, if information is clear and questions are easily answered within the framework of the website, users will not have to call or email with concerns. Also, carefully built sites need less maintenance. This will save you time and money both in the short and long term.

Great information architecture will feel like everything is naturally where it is supposed to be and your web application will be easy to use, giving your users the confidence they need to interact with the application you build for them.