Hoskins IA
A Visual Language for IA Documentation
I developed this semiology to effectively describe the behaviors, requirements, and constraints of the complex interfaces I specialize in. Existing symbols and conventions for IA, like Jesse James Garrett’s, weren’t sufficiently descriptive for me.
With these symbols I can describe an interface at the system-level, page/screen-level, and at the element-level. All of the IA documented on this site uses Hoskins IA. (Available for download below.)
Regarding Agile Development
Documentation with this level of detail shouldn’t be necessary when development is Agile. In Agile development, the architect should be present or available to explain and provide guidance. However, when the project team is spread across multiple time zones, some documentation can help everyone move quicker. The architect and the development team work together to determine what amount and level of documentation is valuable.
Download
Hoskins IA is available as a Visio 2003 shape library for Windows users.
For MacOS, I’ve made an OmniGraffle document available.