[Sigia-l] unemployed? [For Challis Hodge]

[Richard Hill]

[From Challis Hodge]

As a generalist concerned with all of the disciplines involved in designing
interactive solutions I would share a few thoughts based on some of the
recurring themes on the list.

Little IA
 From a non-IA perspective IA is concerned with the structure and
organization of information (and the benefits that go with it). Plain and
simple. To the extent this stands alone as a discipline or profession great.
To the extent that it makes sense for existing or tangential disciplines to
adopt the skills they will. I believe IA will follow a path similar to that
of usability engineering.

Usability engineering has evolved something like this.
1.       It emerges from other disciplines/sciences such as human factors,
ergonomics, cognitive psychology, etc.
2.       It is used in highly specialized, mission critical areas of
software design (niche).
3.       Usability engineers begin to move into the mainstream design teams
as its benefits become clear.
4.       The existing teams for efficiency sake absorb the skills and
concepts.
5.       Usability engineering proper recedes to a niche position where it
is applied to mission critical areas.

Big IA
I believe the concept of big IA is like many others where a void exists as a
result of major changes (information, technology, social, etc.). The void is
temporarily filled and more often than not deflates again once the
surrounding disciplines find a way to deal with the changes. On rare
occasions a new discipline or profession is born. Within the current
structures of capitalism and the 90-day reporting cycles that exist today it
would be unwise to think that IA, design or any similar discipline would
play a strategic role in driving business. That said there are probably a
handful of individuals and companies that practice the exception.

I'd be curious to know what others think.

-challis

Challis Hodge
challis at challishodge.com    [www.challishodge.com]
chodge at humancontext.com    [www.humancontext.com]
312.382.0033 x17    mobile 847.830.8638



Executive Director
American Society for Information Science and Technology
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