Maximum Value
Information Architecture
From my work with global IT companies, Universities, political campaigns, interactive agencies, and financial institutions, I’ve collected eight experiences that show how common design deliverables (like wireframes, controlled vocabularies, mental models, rich interfaces, personas, and flows) can be used to influence – and change – the broader organization.
The world over, information architects are so busy with day-to-day projects and business as usual, they can’t find time to work on bigger issues, the mythical Big IA.
This prevents IA from offering input that impacts the entire organization. And, it prevents practitioners from earning the experience they need to move from tactical projects to Enterprise Information Architecture.
Fortunately, Big IA isn’t a type of work: it’s a way you work.
We can adjust our tools and techniques to become more relevant and offer more value to our organizations. By changing how we approach specific tasks, we can transform lessons from small projects into frameworks that guide entire systems.
Eight strategies for maximum value IA
From my work with global IT companies, Universities, political campaigns, interactive agencies, and financial institutions, I’ve collected eight experiences that show how common design deliverables (like wireframes, controlled vocabularies, mental models, rich interfaces, personas, and flows) can be used to influence – and change – the broader organization. For each example, I’ve tried to isolate a specific strategy (and give it a memorable name):
Tools, not rules:
Give people something useful they can use in other situations.
Mountains from molehills:
Change perspective to make things more important.
Plant seeds:
Let ideas blossom over time.
Birds with stones:
With everything you do, always work towards multiple goals.
Every bitch is valid:
In every complaint, there’s a kernel of truth (and often much more) you need to address.
No is only part of Now:
No only starts the conversation. See where the conversation takes you.
Find great minds:
Think like them. Or, find out why you don’t.
Play new games:
Change the rules and change the goals to change the outcomes.
Ice the cake:
Always add one more layer.
For each strategy, the example shows how you can communicate the big picture while still working on the little details. These strategies bridge the gap between knowing design methods and using them for maximum value.
Who should attend?
Though the examples and strategies are useful for practitioners of any skill level in any discipline, newer and intermediate information architects will learn the most.
New IAs will learn how to extract maximum value from individual projects, while intermediate IAs will learn how to influence change across the entire organization. Those interested in Enterprise Information Architecture or User Experience management will find the presentation and resource materials especially useful.
March 26, 2007 – IA Summit 2007