[Sigia-l] Why does not real IA tool exist? was Re: Where's the reality?

[Alexander Johannesen]

On 3/13/06, Listera <listera at rcn.com> wrote:
> Unfortunately, I'm not your target customer.

And you know this without knowing what I'm doing? Kinda like reversed
usability. :)

> First, I don't believe too much
> in separating IA functions from the rest of the design process.

Hey, neither do I. In fact, I'm trying to create one tool that does it
all. I know, I'm mad.

> Second, I don't believe too much in wireframes, menus, complicated
> navigation, etc.; I go directly to functional prototypes.

So you never have functional prototypes that posess menus, complicated
navigation, etc? :) Oh, and wireframes thrown in for free which you
don't have to use, of course.

> Fourth, I haven't done a page-based, navigation-oriented site in
> years, and I doubt I'll ever go back.

Makes me wonder what you do make. :)

> Frankly, your hardest job will be finding the target user category. As
> you may have noticed, those who admonish others to not consider
> technical/implementation issues for fear of limiting imagination turn
> out to be the ones advocating tools where the output is meant to
> directly go into production. So confusion as to what's conceptual
> and what's implementation abounds.

People can give or take what this tool turns out to be; it's going to
be open-source, free for all. I'm asking what people want so I can
contribute in the best possible way. I've started and stopped a
numerous tools up through the years, but I'm pretty determined to get
this one done, and done right.

> I was an advisor to one such Flash-based prototyping tool a little
> over a year ago and this was their biggest problem: deciding where
> that conceptual | implementation line was to be drawn in their tool.

I'm not going to bother with this one; I'm creating the tool for
myself, and, as you know, I like Design with a big D. People can pick
the carcass for delivery-based approaches if they like, but it's going
to be semantic XML in, website (wireframe, prototyped, functional,
documentation; you can flick between different views of it) out. If
there is interest enough, I'll create (or collaborate) to create a
simple GUI for the input XML as well.

I really, truly hope people will help at least in telling me what
they'd like, so when things get ready people at least have some chance
of getting what they need.


Alex
--
"Ultimately, all things are known because you want to believe you know."
                                                         - Frank Herbert
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