Experience design and information architecture resources
This page collects all my published work related to experience design and information architecture.
The Elements of User Experience
This conceptual model of the considerations involved in designing successful user experiences for Web sites is the foundation for all my subsequent work in this field. It was published as a PDF diagram in 2000 and an acclaimed book in 2002.
The Nine Pillars of Successful Web Teams
This model documents the competencies a team must incorporate to successfully deliver Web products, based on my observation and experience. You can download it as a PDF diagram or read the companion article published in 2003.
A Visual Vocabulary for Information Architecture
This system for diagramming information architecture and interaction design solutions has been widely adopted since I first released it in 2000. Here you can find a detailed tutorial on how to use the system as well as downloadable shape libraries for numerous drawing applications.
Adaptive Path
This is the company I co-founded in 2001 to help advance the field of user experience. We provide consulting services; perform in-house training; host public workshops and events; and publish reports as well as free essays on user experience issues. The free email newsletter is the best way to keep up with everything we've got going on.
Writing
In addition to my writing, I do a lot of public speaking on experience design and product strategy.
Articles
- The Memphis Plenary is a transcript of the closing plenary address I delivered at IA Summit 2009 in Memphis, Tenn.
- ia/recon is a six-part essay on the state of the information architecture profession and community. If anything, I believe in these ideas even more strongly now than I did when the piece was first published in early 2002.
- Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience (Design Management Review, 01/2006) is about exactly what the title says.
- The Psychology of Navigation (Digital Web, 12/2002) looks at what goes through a user's mind as they find their way through Web content.
- What's In a Name? (STC Design Matters, 4/2001) features my take on the difference between information architecture and information design; also included are perspectives from people like Louis Rosenfeld and Richard Saul Wurman.
- All Those Opposed (New Architect, 3/2003) discusses ways to overcome common objections to user-centered design approaches.
- I did diagrams and analyses of the IA for two major sites for early issues of Boxes and Arrows magazine:
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- Yahoo! Mail (3/11/2002)
- Slate.com (4/29/2002)
- I've written several opinion pieces for BusinessWeek.com:
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- MySpace: Design Anarchy That Works (1/3/2006)
- Flying the Cyber Skies (3/2/2006)
- Want to Keep Customers? Set Them Free (4/14/2006)
- A Cell Phone for Baby Boomers (5/29/2007)
- Kensington's Peripheral Challenge (6/13/2007)
- My essays for the Adaptive Path site include:
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- Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications (2/18/2005)
- Six Design Lessons from the Apple Store (7/9/2004)
- The Nine Pillars of Successful Web Teams (7/9/2003)
- User-Centered URL Design (9/24/2002)
Interviews
- In addition to the following, I've been interviewed for stories in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Business 2.0 and Wired.
- The story behind Ajax Q&A for Government Computer News (8/3/2006).
- Contentology Q&A (9/25/2004) about the book and the current state of the practice of IA.
- Boxes and Arrows interview (12/11/2003) on the occasion of the third anniversary of the release of the Visual Vocabulary.
- Interview at the WELL (6-7/2003) touching on a broad range of topics related to my work.
- WebWord Q&A (2/10/2003) about my book The Elements of User Experience and its public reception, among other things.
- Boxes and Arrows interview (10/27/2002) upon the release of my first book.
- Digital Web interview (8/13/2002) about IA, usability, and Adaptive Path.
Other Resources
The Information Architecture Institute is the world's leading professional organization for information architects. Their tools and library are especially valuable. And if you like what they have to offer, please join and help support them.
This page used to contain a lot of links to IA resources on other sites. It's now badly out-of-date (and will only get more so), but if you're looking for it, you can find it here.