Column: Finding Our Way

“The practice of information architecture is the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use information on the Web.”—DSIA Research Initiative

Over the past two decades, the volatile evolution of Web applications and services has resulted in organizational uncertainty that has kept our understanding and framing of the information architect in constant flux. In the meantime, the reality of getting things done has resulted in a professional environment where the information architect is less important than the practitioner of information architecture (IA). Read More

In my previous columns, I’ve framed my discussions around the practice of information architecture. To recap, the DSIA Research Initiative—of which I am the curator—defines the practice of information architecture as “the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use content on the Web.” While the practice of information architecture can surely extend beyond the Web and its content, this IA practice definition eschews theoretical language to resonate with businesses looking for concrete Web solutions and practitioners who want to make a living off something tangible.

In the end, business clients don’t pay practitioners to practice information architecture; they pay professionals to produce IA work products that help them to meet their business objectives. So, of the many professional interests that come together to create a digital experience, what work products make the practice of information architecture unique? Read More

Have you ever wondered how you’ll ever wrap your head around what seems to be a never-ending list of UX design skills? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. All information architects and UX designers question this once or twice in their career.

In this column, I’ll describe a powerful model that I’ve developed as part of my research for the DSIA Research Initiative: the UX Design Practice Verticals. This has been a useful model for me and thousands of other UX professionals because it offers a snapshot of the activities that are necessary to architect and design human-computer interactions (HCI). Since their creation in 2011, the UX Design Practice Verticals have rendered many valuable insights—I’ll summarize a few of them here—and provided an indispensable reference guide. In this review of the UX Design Practice Verticals, I’ll do the following:

• discuss the origin of the UX Design Practice Verticals
• provide definitions for the eight practice verticals
• list some important facts about the practice verticals
• suggest how you can begin plotting your path to UX design competency

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