[Sigia-l] I Want My GUT of Information Architecture!

[Nuno Lopes]

Hi Chris,

I appreciate your comments as it is yours, but I'm afraid to say that
your answers do not tap the knowledge that I was trying to perceive. 

Statements like : 

>Again though, I've worked on plenty of teams where the only concern for
the >"user" was to squeeze more cash from them or to make them stop
complaining.

are not actually what I was looking for if you know what I mean. I will
not answer to that because it is out of scope of what I've written in
this thread. Your profession or project role is not under attack, but
even if it was, if a member of my team stated those kind of things would
have at least highly unproductive impact in interpersonal relationships
that I would have to manage.

>Like I said -- I think we tend to gloss over the part of our job that
makes >us focus on the use. As if it's such an easy
>thing that all we have to is give it a name and anyone can do it. It's
>actually not natural for most people.

I appreciate the value of user focus, and I've not said that it was easy
to meet that focus. Also I think probably you are misinterpreting my
intent of being in this list, I do not want to be an Information
Architect. But I would like to know what kind of technical abilities an
information architect brings on to the table. What kind of issues does
this professional solves. My strategy to this is to tap into the
knowledge that Information Architecture as discipline creates and
studies. If required tap into the technical experience of a single
Information Architect, but that is not mandatory.

>Physically, it had a low level of structure.

What do you mean by low level of structure?

>Seriously, I'm the last guy to argue semantics. All I meant was that
you >can now easily browse the product catalog using three different
facets, >which I developed using the method of Ranganathan, and the
database guy >recreated it using his own preferred language and tools.

Excellent, so you fallowed a faceted classification scheme to organize
information. As most professionals building websites don't have
experience with that sounds a like you have an edge for witch I would
probably hire an Information architect to work with me and my teams.
Plus of course for communication skills etc etc (but these are not
differentiators a priori).

So can I assume that knowledge of Faceted Classification schemes is an
artifact an Information Architect among other things?

>I don't understand what you mean by "wrongly call." My title right now
>happens to be "Information Architect" I not only
>get to participate in usability tests, I often have a deliverable
around >the results.

Again you have not refuted my assertion by stating what supports your
assertions at the technical level, the one that I'm interested. The only
reason I've stated that is due to the fact that the members of this list
have consistently distract themselves with issues that are not on the
table most of the times as far as I see it. Like all the arguments that
you have put forward on this thread until now. 

Discussing Information Architecture should not jeopardize the importance
of an Information Architect in a team as far as I see it. So why such a
defensive approach?

>Art is another interesting word. I don't believe IA will ever or should
>ever become a science.

Everything in the beginning is a mix of art and technology. By being new
it does not mean that it is less effective than others approaching the
same issues. I just would like to know how effective is it? Probably it
is impossible at the moment, but this task can only be fulfilled by
listing the artifacts used in creating an Information Architecture and
measuring each one against a framework of reasoning and objectives. At
the moment very rarely does artifacts are tackled in this list in a
systematic manner.

>You know... I walked around the conference handing out business cards
that >said my title was "knowledge choreographer" and "wisdom engineer"
and no >one even batted an eye.

I meant that I don't care within the scope of the theme in this thread
and my post. Spare me your sarcasm for awhile please. Let's work
together not against each other, we don't have any reason to do
otherwise I believe.

Hope this settles some issues.