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information architecture resources
last updated 30 Jun 02
Looking for more? My new book, The Elements of User Experience, puts information architecture and interaction design in context for beginners and experts alike. You can now order the book from Amazon.com.
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original work
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The Elements of User Experience: This one-page PDF attempts to impose order upon the chaotic array of terms and concepts currently being used to describe user experience development. This document provides the basic conceptual framework for the resources below.
Translations of this document are available:
Peter Morville's commentary on the uses and mis-uses of "The Elements of User Experience" should be considered required reading for everyone who uses the document.
The Elements of User Experience is also the title of my first book, coming in 2002 from New Riders.
A Visual Vocabulary: Diagrams are an essential tool for communicating information architecture and interaction design in Web development teams. This document discusses the considerations in development of such diagrams, outlines a basic symbology for diagramming information architecture and interaction design concepts, and provides guidelines for the use of these elements.
I created a brief PowerPoint introduction to the visual vocabulary for IA Summit 2002.
What an Information Architect Does: This PDF document summarizes the results of a comparative analysis of IA job descriptions I conducted in July 2000. This document was the basis for my presentation at ASIS&T Summit 2001.
ia/recon: A six-part essay on the information architecture community, where we are, and where we're going.
The Information Architecture of Everyday Things: The PowerPoint file (921 KB) from my presentation at IA Summit 2002.
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introductory materials
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getting started
- monster.com columnist Sacha Cohen offers tips on getting into the field (1999)
- Jennifer Vodvarka of Luminant covers the basics in this PDF white paper (09/00)
- Mark Hurst of Creative Good throws in his perspective (04/03/00)
- these presentation materials by Paul Kahn of Dynamic Diagrams provide a broad overview (1998)
- Squishy's crash course at webmonkey (1998?)
- Rudy Limeback's architecture 101 at evolt.org (12/17/99)
- Irish consultancy Parallel Internet produced this guide to IA processes and concerns (04/00)
- Shel Kimen's 10 questions at builder.com skew a little heavily toward an approach derived from meatspace architecture (06/22/99)
- Stephen Downes offers a rather broad definition that encompasses site mission, creative vision, and server environment (10/20/99)
- Aaron West covers process at iBoost (1999?)
- Educorner offers a free online course for those unfamiliar with the field (07/00)
keeping up
- community resources
- weblogs
- mailing lists
- SIGIA started up after ASIS&T's first Information Architecture Summit and has rapidly become the primary forum for information architects. Probably has the most diverse range of members and discussion topics of all the lists mentioned here.
- CHI-WEB is run by the ACM's HCI SIG. Discussions center primarily around usability and human-factors issues, with IA touched upon only occasionally. Nevertheless, most information architects I know subscribe to this list.
- InfoDesign is a low-flow announcements list; InfoDesign Cafe is a companion discussion list. Both lists focus mainly on academic and theoretical questions.
- AIGAExperienceDesign is an outgrowth of the AIGA's Advance for Design initiative and reflects that organization's historical emphasis on the traditional "design" disciplines.
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information architecture
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When Librarians Attack: the Argus crew, including Lou Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, Samantha Bailey and Steve Toub (articles credited by author initials; uncredited articles are by Lou Rosenfeld)
- the polar bear book, "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" by LR and PM (1998)
- Argus Center for Information Architecture, fostering community and sharing knowledge
- Argus Associates, IA consultants
- Web Architect, intermittent column for Web Review (archives for 1995-96 are offline, hopefully temporarily)
- lessons from library science
- doing the job
- structural design
- navigation design
- technology
- the work environment
- analyses
- other stuff
- also
the late, lamented vivid studios
hypertext theory
- the alt.hypertext FAQ is always a good place to start (03/00)
- Michael Bieber, et al. provide a superlative overview of hypertext issues as they relate to the Web (in framed multi-page, single page, and PDF versions) (1997)
- this online course covers structural issues in hypertext development (1996)
- Mark Bernstein of Eastgate Systems on Patterns of Hypertext (1998)
- Vannevar Bush's classic (and essential) As We May Think in the Atlantic Monthly (1945!)
- Peter Gloor's entire book Elements of Hypermedia Design is on the Web, but the interface is such a wreck that you may be better off with the print edition (1997)
- Michael Hoffman offers an exhaustive analysis of hypertext issues on the Web (with particular emphasis on e-books and online help systems)
other resources
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navigation design
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Jennifer Fleming of Primix Solutions
Jakob Nielsen, usability guru
other resources
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interaction design
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