The Future Of Information Architecture

Information Architecture is about organizing and simplifying information, designing and integrating information spaces/systems, and creating ways for people to find and interact with information content. Its goal is to help people understand and manage information and make the right decisions accordingly. This updated and revised edition of the book looks at integrated information spaces in the web context and beyond, with a focus on putting theories and principles into practice. In the ever-changing social, organizational, and technological contexts, information architects not only design individual information spaces (e.g., websites, software applications, and mobile devices), but also tackle strategic aggregation and integration of multiple information spaces across websites, channels, modalities, and platforms. Not only do they create predetermined navigation pathways, but they also provide tools and rules for people to organize information on their own and get connected with others. Information architects work with multi-disciplinary teams to determine the user experience strategy based on user needs and business goals, and make sure the strategy gets carried out by following the user-centered design (UCD) process via close collaboration with others. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience as HCI researchers, User Experience Design practitioners, and Information Architecture instructors, this book provides a balanced view of the IA discipline by applying theories, design principles, and guidelines to IA and UX practices. It also covers advanced topics such as iterative design, UX decision support, and global and mobile IA considerations. Major revisions include moving away from a web-centric view toward multi-channel, multi-device experiences. Concepts such as responsive design, emerging design principles, and user-centered methods such as Agile, Lean UX, and Design Thinking are discussed and related to IA processes and practices.

The Future of Information Architecture examines issues surrounding why information is processed, stored and applied in the way that it has, since time immemorial. Contrary to the conventional wisdom held by many scholars in human history, the recurrent debate on the explanation of the most basic categories of information (eg space, time causation, quality, quantity) has been misconstrued, to the effect that there exists some deeper categories and principles behind these categories of information - with enormous implications for our understanding of reality in general. To understand this, the book is organised in to four main parts: Part I begins with the vital question concerning the role of information within the context of the larger theoretical debate in the literature. Part II provides a critical examination of the nature of data taxonomy from the main perspectives of culture, society, nature and the mind. Part III constructively invesitgates the world of information network from the main perspectives of culture, society, nature and the mind. Part IV proposes six main theses in the authors synthetic theory of information architecture, namely, (a) the first thesis on the simpleness-complicatedness principle, (b) the second thesis on the exactness-vagueness principle (c) the third thesis on the slowness-quickness principle (d) the fourth thesis on the order-chaos principle, (e) the fifth thesis on the symmetry-asymmetry principle, and (f) the sixth thesis on the post-human stage.

Today's web sites and intranets are larger, more valuable, and more complex than ever before, and their users are busier and less forgiving. Designers, information architects, and web site managers are required to juggle vast amounts of information, frequent changes, new technologies, and corporate politics, making some web sites look like a fast-growing but poorly planned city -roads everywhere, but impossible to navigate. A well-planned information architecture has never been as essential as it is now. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Second Edition, shows how to use both aesthetics and mechanics to create distinctive, cohesive web sites that work. Most books on web development concentrate either on the graphics or on the technical issues of a site. This book focuses on the framework that holds the two together. By applying the principles outlined in this completely updated classic, you'll build scalable and maintainable web sites that are easier to navigate and more appealing to your users. Using examples and case studies, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web will help you: Develop a strong, cohesive vision for your site that makes it both distinctive and usable; Organize your site's hierarchy in ways that are meaningful to its users and that minimize the need to re-engineer the site; Create navigation systems that allow users to move through the site without getting lost or frustrated; Accurately label your site's content; Organize your site in a way that supports both searching for specific items and casual browsing; Configure search systems so that users' queries actually retrieve meaningful results; Manage the process of developing an information architecture, from selling the concept to research and conceptual design to planning and production. "The world will be a better place when web designers read this book. It's smart, funny, and artfully distills years of the authors' bard-won experience. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web tackles political/organizational challenges as well as content, structure, and user interface. This is not design-lite, but a deep treatment of fundamental issues of information presentation that advances the state of the art. It's light years ahead of the competition." -Bonnie Nardi, Co-author of Information Ecologies- Using Technology with Heart

Information Architecture is about organizing and simplifying information, designing and integrating information spaces/systems, and creating ways for people to find and interact with information content. Its goal is to help people understand and manage information and make right decisions accordingly. In the ever-changing social, organizational and technological contexts, Information Architects not only design individual information spaces (e.g., individual websites, software applications, and mobile devices), but also tackle strategic aggregation and integration of multiple information spaces across websites, channels, modalities, and platforms. Not only they create predetermined navigation pathways, but also provide tools and rules for people to organize information on their own and get connected with others. Information Architects work with multi-disciplinary teams to determine the user experience strategy based on user needs and business goals, and make sure the strategy gets carried out by following the user-centered design (UCD) process via close collaboration with others. Drawing on the author(s) extensive experience as HCI researchers, User Experience Design practitioner, and Information Architecture instructors, this book provides a balanced view of the IA discipline by applying the IA theories, design principles and guidelines to the IA and UX practices. It also covers advanced topics such as Enterprise IA, Global IA, and Mobile IA. In addition to new and experienced IA practitioners, this book is written for undergraduate and graduate level students in Information Architecture, Information Sciences, Human Computer Interaction, Information Systems and related disciplines. Table of Contents: Information Architecture Concepts / Information Architecture and Web 2.0 / IA Research, Design and Evaluation / Organization and Navigation Systems / User Information Behavior and Design Implications / Interaction Design / Enterprise IA and IA in Practice / Global Information Architecture / Mobile Information Architecture / The Future of Information Architecture

Architecture for the Intelligent Enterprise: Powerful New Ways to Maximize the Real-time Value of Information Tomorrow’s winning “Intelligent Enterprises” will bring together far more diverse sources of data, analyze it in more powerful ways, and deliver immediate insight to decision-makers throughout the organization. Today, however, most companies fail to apply the information they already have, while struggling with the complexity and costs of their existing information environments. In this book, a team of IBM’s leading information management experts guide you on a journey that will take you from where you are today toward becoming an “Intelligent Enterprise.” Drawing on their extensive experience working with enterprise clients, the authors present a new, information-centric approach to architecture and powerful new models that will benefit any organization. Using these strategies and models, companies can systematically unlock the business value of information by delivering actionable, real-time information in context to enable better decision-making throughout the enterprise–from the “shop floor” to the “top floor.” Coverage Includes Highlighting the importance of Dynamic Warehousing Defining your Enterprise Information Architecture from conceptual, logical, component, and operational views Using information architecture principles to integrate and rationalize your IT investments, from Cloud Computing to Information Service Lifecycle Management Applying enterprise Master Data Management (MDM) to bolster business functions, ranging from compliance and risk management to marketing and product management Implementing more effective business intelligence and business performance optimization, governance, and security systems and processes Understanding “Information as a Service” and “Info 2.0,” the information delivery side of Web 2.0

This is a book about everything. Or, to be precise, it explores how everything is connected from code to culture. We think we're designing software, services, and experiences, but we're not. We are intervening in ecosystems. Until we open our minds, we will forever repeat our mistakes. In this spirited tour of information architecture and systems thinking, Peter Morville connects the dots between authority, Buddhism, classification, synesthesia, quantum entanglement, and volleyball. In 1974 when Ted Nelson wrote "everything is deeply intertwingled," he hoped we might realize the true potential of hypertext and cognition. This book follows naturally from that.

Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition introduces the core concepts of information architecture: organizing web site content so that it can be found, designing website interaction so that it's pleasant to use, and creating an interface that is easy to understand. This book helps designers, project managers, programmers, and other information architecture practitioners avoid costly mistakes by teaching the skills of information architecture swiftly and clearly.