(by 14 people)
Created by austingovella
As an Information Architect with Comcast Interactive, Austin helps evolve strategies for search,
personalization, and rich interfaces.
Your fans are waiting!
Information architecture brings together how people think with how systems work. It's a strategy and a discipline.
With information architecture covering so much territory, I've collected a few introductory articles, books, and links to help you get started.
(Please feel free to email any questions or changes to austin.govella@gmail.com.)
Design foundations
A quick intro to user-centered design (if you need one)
- The elements of user experience (PDF diagram)
- Jesse James Garrett's diagram illustrates the tension between content and software on the web, as well as where the various disciplines fit into the process.
- IBM ease of use - web design guidelines
- From concept to maintenance, IBM's ease of use guidelines cover the breadth of the design process and illustrate the kinds of issues IAs need to be familair with.
- Web style guide (vsn 2)
- Covering the entire lifecycle of a web project, Lynch and Horton offer solid introductions to issues routinely faced by Information Architects. Offered as a foundation for web design, they offer IAs a collection of basic, but necessary skills.
Foundations of information architecture
Introductory concepts and processes.
- Information architecture tutorial (WebMonkey)
- Written at the dawn of the discipline, this WebMonkey article remains one the best introductions to the field.
- Introduction to Information Architecture
- Chapter two of Lou Rosenfeld and Peter Morville's book, Information Architecture for the Web (available online via O'Reilly).
- Site navigation: a few helpful definitions (Adaptive Path)
- Indie Young's brief introduction to website navigation.
- Introduction to Information Architecture at the IA Library
- A comprehensive collection of introductory resources in English. (You can also see what's available in other languages.)
Introductory books for Information Architects
Foundations in design, user experience, and information architecture.
- The Elements of User Experience
- Jesse James Garrett's widely respected primer breaks down design into a series of layers that progressively build on one another. Required reading for anyone interested in information architecture, interaction design, and experience design.
- Information Architecture: Blueprints for the web
- Christina Wodtke's clear, well-written introduction to information architecture and design. Starting with the basics, Christina outlines common problems, solutions, and tools designers should consider when approaching any project. Information architecture is a strategy, not a discipline, and Christina's book helps you become a "design thinker", able to tackle any problem.
- Don't make me think
- The title gives away Steve Krug's first and most important tenet for creating usable websites. Krug covers common design mistakes, handling meetings, and usability testing. Though slim, an authoritative introduction to the subject.
- The Design of Everyday Things
- Don Norman's brilliant book about how people interact with objects around them. From doorknobs to coffee pots to computer interfaces, Norman examines universal issues that apply to design -- and to communication -- of any kind.
Information architecture websites
Websites where you can learn more
- IA Wiki
- Most comprehensive collection of knowledge for information architecture on the web. Maintained by the community. Some areas are relatively shallow, but others are very well explained, researched, and discussed.
- Information Architecture Institute
- An association for the practice of information architecture, not information architects. They offer a bulging online resource library, a collection of downloadable tools and templates, a job board, mentoring, and various events, conferences, and retreats all over the world.
- Boxes and Arrows
- Long-running web magazine devoted to the "design behind the design". Their articles will refine your expertise across the broad information architecture and user experience spectrum: search, documentation, interaction design, taxonomies and controlled vocabularies, managing design teams, business communication, and more.
The IA Cosmos
Fields related to information architecture
Information architecture crosses borders, rubs shoulders, and overlaps with numerous related fields. Here's a list of other topics and buzzwords to consider while exploring information architecture.
- accessibility
- content management
- experience design
- findability
- information design
- interaction design
- search engine optimization and marketing
- usability
- user experience
- user interface design
Email lists for information architects
Sometimes the commons is bazaar.
Forums where you can learn more about information architecture and related fields.
- SIGIA
- The American Society for Information and Technology (ASIS&T) Special Interest Group for Information Architecture (SIG-IA) runs this active list for information architecture and related issues. Discussion ranges from beginner to expert and covers every kind of issue imaginable. As a bonus, they're archives are accessible on the web.
- IA Institute's Members's List
- A very informative, moderated discussion list with a high signal to noise ratio. Though only for members of the IA Institute, membership is free for students and inexpensive for professionals.
