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Information architecture

Information architecture is the categorization of information into a coherent structure, preferably one that most people can understand quickly, if not inherently. (source: Wikipedia)

EuroIA 2009 Programme: What’s Happening

Added on 10 June 2009 Peter Bogaards
“This year we will explore the theme of ‘Beyond Structure’. That’s because websites have moved to a new level. Any random page can be accessed from Google. Pages themselves may consist of information from many sources. And even the concept of a ‘page’ is changing thanks to new backend technologies. In other words, we’ve moved beyond the traditional sitemap and into a new and exciting era of web development.” (EuroIA.org)

Apple, IKEA and Their Integrated Architecture

Added on 8 June 2009 Peter Bogaards
“The design of a physical space can and should take advantage of information architecture (IA) deliverables, in particular when designing an integrated model of IA across environments. The user must be able to easily consult technology-dependent environments such as digital media or printed paper catalogs in line with the information flow carried through the website. Conveying the relevance of information to the user/consumer by means of applying IA principles with a view to designing a crisscross-connecting model of human-information interaction is the focus of these studies.” (Davide Potente and Erika Salvini – ASIS&T Bulletin April/May 2009)

The Life Cycle of a Wireframe

Added on 3 June 2009 Peter Bogaards
“For those who are looking for my slides from the Puget Sound SIGCHI lecture and for those who missed it but are curious, here is my presentation. It focuses specifically on my personal process for creating wireframes. There are 4 parts to my process, each has a series of deliverables that feed into it and principals I try to keep in mind, the outcome is either a single or a series of IA deliverables. My overall strategy for IA is three step process; understanding the problem (note: not merely identifying the problem but really understanding it), find a solution (there may be more than one solution, but there is often only one right solution), and present the solution (a large part of your job as a IA is presenting your work so the client can understand the results). Hope you enjoy the slides, these are admittedly pretty rough. I plan to refine and show better pairing between the principals and the specific outcome of applying them to the wireframes in the future.” – (Nick Finck)

All About Card Sorting: An Interview with Donna Spencer

Added on 26 May 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Donna Spencer is one of Australia’s best-known information architects, organizer of the UX Australia conference, and a frequent presenter at UX conferences in Australia, the US, and Europe. I caught up with Donna between her appearances at the IA Summit and RedUX DC to talk about card sorting and her new book, Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories, which Rosenfeld Media recently published.” – (Steve Baty – UXmatters)

Shall We Dance? PDF Logo

Added on 5 May 2009 Peter Bogaards
“It is with great pride that I welcome you to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Information Architecture. The Journal of Information Architecture is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and its aim is to facilitate the systematic development of the scientific body of knowledge in the field of information architecture. The journal will focus on information architecture research and development in all types of shared information environments, such as for example social networks, web sites, intranets, mobile and Rich Internet Applications, from various perspectives such as technical, cultural, social, and communicational.” – (Dorte Madsen – Journal of Information Architecture 1.1)

Information Architecture: Synthesis Techniques for the Muddy middle of the Design Process

Added on 4 May 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Information Architecture has arisen as a field related to interaction design. It is commonly found embedded within the profession of computer science, and is associated with the creation of complicated software. This relatively new field exists to make meaning out of data, and can be applied to disciplines that have little to do with computing or even technology. This paper provides an overview of established Information Architecture modeling techniques, and discusses how they can be applied to the industrial design process during the synthesis phase of design. The text reflects on the nature of this messy and critical period in the design process, and offers methods of quickly making information and even knowledge out of data. Finally, the text briefly describes the changing nature of professional demands on students entering industry, indicating that Information Architect may be a lucrative alternative job title for students graduating from Industrial Design programs.” – (Jon Kolko)

Information Architecture and Design Strategy: The Importance of Synthesis during the Process of Design

Added on 4 May 2009 Peter Bogaards
“During the process of design, Designers attempt to draw connections between seemingly disparate ideas; they examine quantitative data provided from marketing and qualitative data gathered from end users, and before they can begin designing, they must make order out of the chaotic mess of research. The connections that can be formed during this synthesis phase frequently hold the keys to ‘innovation’. Designers visually explore large quantities of data in an effort to find and understand hidden relationships. These visualizations can then be used to communicate to other members of a design team, or can be used as platforms for the creation of generative sketching or model making. Frequently, the action of diagramming is a form of synthesis, and is a way to actively produce knowledge and meaning. (…) This paper investigates the elements of Design Synthesis that are common to both Information Architecture and Design Strategy.” – (Jon Kolko)

Europe’s Fifth Information Architecture Summit: Beyond Structure

Added on 30 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“EuroIA invites your participation to this premier European event on Information Architecture. Join us in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 25-26, 2009, for two incredible days of presentations, panels, and networking with information architects from across Europe and around the world. This year we will explore the theme of ‘Beyond Structure’. That’s because websites have moved to a new level. Any random page can be accessed from Google. Pages themselves may consist of information from many sources. And event the concept of a ‘page’ is changing thanks to new backend technologies. In other words, we’ve moved beyond the traditional sitemap and into a new and exciting era of web development.”

Interview with Richard Saul Wurman (Part 3)

Added on 14 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“In the first part of this segment, RSW expands on the Kahnian design principle of ‘dumbness’, refuses to be included in or associated with anything called deliverables, talks about his favorite Kahn buildings, and the spiritualism in Kahn’s charcoal drawings. (…) In the second part of this segment, I ask RSW about what architects might have that in their process or training or approach that allows them to do a better job with clients in the early schematic phase of a project.” – (Dan Klyn – Wildly Appropriate)

Interview with Peter Morville at IA Summit 09

Added on 7 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“I think we are at another of these interesting moments, (…) we are integrating with the last wave. We are still waiting to see what is going to come next. My prediction is that as we start to dig out of this recession or depression what have you, we will have a new wave of innovation with some really exciting things so perhaps IA Summit will have a whole new set of threats and opportunities to grapple with, but I don’t know what those are just yet.” – (Think out loud)

IA Summit 09 – Keynote

Added on 6 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Michael Wesch opened the IA Summit this year with an inspired keynote that provides a fresh and ambitious direction for all designers. He points out that our ‘audiences’ aren’t audiences at all, but rather creators, and our job is not to lecture but to enable. With this new approach comes not only design challenges but the joy of reconnecting people to each other, which he illustrated with a series of extraordinary video clips.” – (Jeff Parks – Boxes and Arrows)

IA Summit 09 – Plenary

Added on 6 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Jesse James Garrett is a noted figure in the IA community, not only for his ground breaking book Elements of User Experience, but for the essay that galvanized the community in 2002, IA Recon. In this IA Summit Closing Plenary, given without slides while wandering amidst the audience, Jesse examines what he has learned at the conference, he thoughts on the nature of the discipline and the practitioner, and gives bold, perhaps even shocking advice for the future direction of information architecture.” – (Jeff Parks – Boxes and Arrows)

Interview with Richard Saul Wurman (Part 1)

Added on 3 April 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Part one of my first interview with RSW. In this introductory segment, I asked him about the 1976 AIA Conference (I posted a PDF of the advance program from this milestone in the history of Information Architecture a few weeks ago), about the job-title ‘information architect’ and also about librarianship as it pertains (or not) to his concept of IA. Many more segments to follow!” – (Dan Klyn – Wildly Appropriate) courtesy of petermorville