Sharon Stern

This case study of a SaaS product shows how to use ontology modeling techniques to unravel information architecture confusion.

We’ll look at two problems: confusing metadata for data, and using a single term to mean different things in different places. At first glance, these may seem straightforward, but you don’t have to dig too deep before you run into a snarl of complexity. There’s even an ancient Greek paradox lurking below the surface.

We’ll walk through identifying and addressing these patterns and explore what happens when we transfer the ambiguity of human thought to our computer systems.