Understanding Information Architecture | Online

About this workshop

Information architecture (IA) once was practiced as a sort of web-era librarianship. It was about organizing the information contained within websites to make things easier to find and use. But today an increasingly significant proportion of our daily business is conducted digitally. Using a variety of devices, people communicate with one another, search for information and entertainment, make retail purchases, initiate and negotiate business transactions, and more.

This class will explore well-architected digital experiences. What does it mean to architect information? How does the structure of information relate to understanding? How can information architects manage complex information across channels and contexts? What unique value can professional information architects bring to the creation and delivery of products and services? What is the interplay of information architecture and the other disciplines within user experience? This class will provide a broad introduction to a useful set of tools and ideas that provide a framework under which user and business insight can be harvested and used in pursuit of real business goals.

Takeaways

• A new model for understanding information architecture
• Practice using tools for representing meaning and shaping language and labels.
• Different approaches to creating diagrams and instructions for indicating interaction

Prereqs & Preparation

• Appropriate for designers and developers at any stage of their practice.
• Preparation: Bring markers and paper