Corporate Online/Virtual Taxonomy Workshop
Connecting Users to Content: An Introduction to Taxonomy Design & Creation
(Based on the April 2021 Information Architecture Conference pre-conference workshop)
Logistics:
> 6-hour workshop divided into 3 days of 2 hours each or 2 days of 3 hours each.
> For 4 – 28 participants at the same time. (Maximum 28 participants for the interactive group activities, but more people may attend other portions.)
> Delivered over your web meeting account (Zoom, Teams, Webex, etc.), with permission for you to record and keep the recording of the workshop.
> PDF of slides provided.
> Available worldwide. Can be delivered starting as early as 7:00 am US Eastern time, and ending as late as 10:00 pm US Eastern time.
> Price starts at $1900, including limited customization of the exercises. More can be customized for an additional cost.
Description:
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. Taxonomies can provide guiding categories of topics, suggested search terms, aspects for faceted search, or topics for sorting and filtering results. 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 and addresses the issues of designing a taxonomy to serve users. It presents best practices in designing taxonomies, including the principles of wording of terms, incorporating synonyms, creating relationships between terms, and designing hierarchies and facets. Other topics include taxonomy project planning, sources for terms, and taxonomy testing. The workshop will also include practical exercises, group activities, and access to taxonomy management software.
Outline:
- Introduction to taxonomies
- Types of taxonomies and other controlled vocabularies
- Uses and benefits of taxonomies
- Sources for concepts/terms
- Concept and label creation
- Relationships
- Software for taxonomy management
- Structural design: hierarchies
- Structural design: facets (including facet creation activity)
- Taxonomy project planning, steps, and governance
- Applying taxonomies: search, metadata, categories, tags
Please e-mail or call (978-467-5195) Heather Hedden to discuss your needs and scheduling.
Corporate Onsite Taxonomy Workshops
Schedule an onsite taxonomy workshop with Heather Hedden at your location.
- Less costly than sending 3-4 or more employees to a conference workshop
- Can be customized to be more relevant to your needs
- Can be scheduled at a date of your convenience
- Teaches more people in your organization about taxonomies
- Fosters cross-team dialog about the the possibilities for taxonomies in your organization
All workshops are divided into sections/modules, and different attendees may attend different modules as appropriate for their interests and levels of experience.
There is no limit to the number of participants, however it is recommended to limit participation in the module that focuses on taxonomy term and relationship building to those with the greatest interest, because interactive exercises are best with limited but focused participants. A number of 6-30 participants in interactive sessions is recommended. The following options are intended for onsite in-person scheduling.
One-day, partial day (2-5 hours)
This workshop can either include most taxonomy topics of a full-day workshop with not as much in depth, or it can be more focused in an area (e.g. taxonomy and metadata, taxonomy creation best practices, taxonomy implementations, etc.)
One-day, full day (6-8 hours)
This workshop most closely follows the outline of full-day pre-conference workshops, with some customization/selection of outline topics.
This workshop may be divided into two parts, with the first part for a larger, general audience, and a second part for taxonomy practitioners.
Two days (4-6 hours per day / 8-12 hours total)
This workshop is similar to the full-day workshop, but is split over two days for the convenience of participants, and the longer length option offers more time for interactive exercises, some additional topics of choice, and more discussion.
This workshop may be divided into two or three parts, with the first part for a larger, general audience, a second part for taxonomy practitioners, and a third part for those involved in the taxonomy implementation process but not necessarily in building taxonomies.
Two to two and a half days (12-16 hours total)
This workshop supplements the two-day workshop described above with the addition of a facilitated brainstorming session to get started on designing your organization’s own taxonomy.
Corporate Taxonomy Workshop Topics
Includes:
- Semi-customization of workshop outline topics/outline, 2-3 example slides, and group exercises
- Pre-planning meetings (for content, logistics, technology, etc.)
- Workshop delivery, exercise and activity facilitation, and ample Q&A time
- File(s) of presentation slides for unrestricted internal distribution
- Right to record the workshop and to distribute the recording internally
Does not include:
- Full customization of presentation content with all or most examples from the organization’s content or type of content (although this can be arranged for an additional charge)
- Answering specific case questions outside of the workshop session time (although add-on taxonomy consulting services can be arranged for an additional charge)
Additionally for onsite workshops, all instructor travel expenses (personal car mileage if local, train or airfare, ground transportation, parking, tolls, meals, possibly car rental) must be paid, as either a lump sum allowance added to the base workshop fee or reimbursed for individual documented expenses.
Onsite workshops are available onsite throughout North America and Europe. Worldwide onsite workshops are possible depending on location and scheduling. There may be a supplemental fee for long distance travel time (waived if travel is combined with another purpose).
Please e-mail or call (978-467-5195) Heather Hedden to discuss your needs and workshop rates.
