Column: Finding Our Way

“The practice of information architecture is the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use information on the Web.”—DSIA Research Initiative

Over the past two decades, the volatile evolution of Web applications and services has resulted in organizational uncertainty that has kept our understanding and framing of the information architect in constant flux. In the meantime, the reality of getting things done has resulted in a professional environment where the information architect is less important than the practitioner of information architecture (IA). Read More

In my previous columns, I’ve framed my discussions around the practice of information architecture. To recap, the DSIA Research Initiative—of which I am the curator—defines the practice of information architecture as “the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use content on the Web.” While the practice of information architecture can surely extend beyond the Web and its content, this IA practice definition eschews theoretical language to resonate with businesses looking for concrete Web solutions and practitioners who want to make a living off something tangible.

In the end, business clients don’t pay practitioners to practice information architecture; they pay professionals to produce IA work products that help them to meet their business objectives. So, of the many professional interests that come together to create a digital experience, what work products make the practice of information architecture unique? Read More

In my last column, I described how an information architecture (IA) compass is useful in grounding your approach to solving IA challenges and offers a perspective that is good to have when explaining the value of information architecture to business stakeholders. However, while the IA compass provides useful guidance for approaching your information architecture work, you may need to do even more to improve the chances that a business will consider information architecture an essential task on your next project.

In this column, I’ll provide a simple reference guide that summarizes what the DSIA Research Initiative refers to as the information architecture value chain and offer a fresh perspective on a range of IA activities and the value they bring to a broader audience. Read More