what before how: making a home for information architecture
DESCRIPTION
The Understanding Group's cofounders spoke on the following at IA Summit 2013 Are you struggling to carve out a place for information architecture in the world of acronym soup? In this talk, longtime IA Dan Klyn and his business partner Bob Royce explore the pros and cons of bucking the trend of “all encompassing UX” to focus our practice on IA. Through stories and case studies we’ll explore: -How the lens of IA helps us solve problems beyond UX and collaborate readily with other non-UX disciplines. -Our experience delivering services both directly to clients and through agencies. -How we explain IA to people outside our industry and work to justify a larger investment in IA. -How we go beyond information retrieval and navigation to include the concepts of meaning and place-making in our work. Since all of the above was accomplished through much trial and error, there will also be plenty of discussion about the failures we’ve encountered along the way.TRANSCRIPT
By Dan Klyn + Bob Royce from
WHAT BEFORE HOWMAKING A HOME FOR INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN DIGITAL JOYCE?
WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN ALL MUSIC?
I’VE RUN OUT OF SUPERLATIVES
HUSBAND TO ADRIENNE SINCE 1990 FATHER TO ROBERT SINCE 2000
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6057/6890280374_dc42046fe8_h.jpg
THE LIBRARIANS V. THE COMPUTER SCIENTISTS
Focused on ‣ Organizing‣ Labeling‣ Navigation‣ Structure
‣ Not Graphic Design‣ Not Software Programming‣ Not Usability
2006
2011
The Understanding Group is an Information Architecture practice dedicated to making things be good.
WHY
WHAT BEFORE HOW: MAKING A HOME FOR IA #WB4H
Why would anybody start an IA consulting practice when there is no such thing as an information architect?
“
— Jesse James Garrett
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN INFORMATION ARCHITECT. IA DOES NOT EXIST AS A PROFESSION. AS AN AREA OF INTEREST AND INQUIRY? SURE. AS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? ABSOLUTELY. BUT IT'S NOT A PROFESSION.
“
“ I THINK YOU SHOULD REALLY HUDDLE TOGETHER AND REFORM YOURSELF INTO A KIND OF UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS. IF YOU TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE BUMPEDOFF THE SHELF.
“
— Richard Saul Wurman
SO WE DID
1989 Design Quarterly, No. 145
A way of thinking.A whole way of life in which the aim is not to make something look good but to make it be good.
WHAT
WHAT BEFORE HOW: MAKING A HOME FOR IA #WB4H
What is TUGand what do we mean when we say what we say?
Ontology
Arrangement of the parts.Taxonomy
Particular meaning.
Rules for interaction among the parts.
Choreography
ARCHITECTURE IS NOT DESIGN
Donald Norman
We should change the name to
the UX Summit
http://beep.peterboersma.com/2004/11/t-model-big-ia-is-now-ux.html
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
USER EXPERIENCE
CODING
VISUAL DESIGN
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
USER EXPERIENCE
CODING
VISUAL DESIGN
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Dan Klyn points away from bounded sets
Proposes meaning as thecenter of the set.
Andrew Hinton talks about pace layers of information environments
And Three Modes of Information
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
USER EXPERIENCE
CODING
VISUAL DESIGN
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
USER EXPERIENCE
CODING
Object Models
Process Mapping
Information Model
Structural Design
Personas
Journeys
User Research
VISUAL DESIGN
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
WHO
WHAT BEFORE HOW: MAKING A HOME FOR IA #WB4H
Who are the people buying the stuff TUG sells andusing the stuff TUG makes?
Marketing
IT
User Experience
ProductInnovation
Agencies
Strategy Planning
Building Doing Iterate
Information
Interaction
SimpleGoals
Complex
Goals
Information
Interaction
SimpleGoals
Complex
Systems
Complex
Goals
SimpleSystems
MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO UNITE MEANING + STRUCTURE
DANCING WITH AGILE
BALANCE IS THE KEY
WHERE
WHAT BEFORE HOW: MAKING A HOME FOR IA #WB4H
Where is TUG headingand what’s next for TUG’s practiceand for information architecture?
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
TEACHING + PRESENTING
SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ARE LIKE… A THING
“ YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TALK IN TERMS OF WIREFRAMES AND DESIGN OF A PAGE, OR HAVE THE METAPHOR OF A BOOK IN YOUR HEAD. IT’S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT.VERY SOON: I’M TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE OF YEARS.
“
— Richard Saul Wurman
