[Sigia-l] Becoming an IA or UXA

[Andrea Tanzi]

I've been reading this list on and off for the past two years now. I'm a
self made Information Architect (actually now a days I like labeling
myself User Experience Architect but I'll explain that in a little
while). I'm from Costa Rica, Central America. Some of you might have
seen postings I've made to the list. I've been employed doing this since
2000. First I didn't even know that the IA discipline with all it's
knowledge and deliverables existed formally. I actually started working
as a manager in a web design shop, and after having so many problems
with clients that had dealt with a salesmen who came in with a bunch of
printed brochures, pictures and other documents directly to the designer
who knew how to expertly handle dreamweaver and/or flash but knew
nothing about the client's business or the client's clients (users) and
ended up handing over designs that were nothing but cool: Sometimes the
client thought that they were and but most of the times the designs came
back with... "the client didn't like it, try it again". So I started
hanging with the salesmen and talking to the clients. After getting the
feeling of what they (their clients') could need instead of what they
thought they wanted I started doing what I later (year later) came to
know as Information Architecture. Before all this I was Creative
Director at an ad agency, so I knew about audience needs, likes and
dislikes.

So what I've done since is investigate, study and apply. least of the
latest since it is difficult to sell IA in USA, imagine in a third world
country were medium large companies are just starting to publish
brochurewares online!!!

Well but there's potential. banks are pushing and advertising their
online services, many transnational companies are based here for their
latin market, many software vendors have their development centers here,
lots of tourism related businesses, lots of companies that could really
benefit from real eBusiness implementations.

And know I'm flying solo. Trying to make it as an independent
consultant. No one here in this region that I know off, has real
knowledge of IA, ID, UXA (the bigger web design shops know a little
about Jakob and usabilty but that's it!) so I think I can make it.

So the point of all this is I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS cause of huge gaps
in my knowledge.

1- I was reading http://www.iawiki.net/DefiningTheDamnThing  3.3.
ManagingEditor? metaphor? On SIGIA-L, KarynZuidinga? writes: three areas
of expertise in IA: structural (site maps, content grouping, logical
structure); functional (thesauri, meta data, logistics,
interoperability); and interaction (design, user interface). AND I
THOUGHT I don't know anything about the FUNCTIONAL aspect. Can somebody
help me with that and what it is/involves?

2- When going to a client for the first time how do you start and then
develop your case for needing IA, what have some of you found that is
(are) the best argument to the clients' ears. Cause here clients are now
totally satisfied with a shop designing the front ends and programming
functionality (forms and stuff) BECAUSE they don't know better!!! Can
somebody help here?


3- I have lots of more questions but I guess this is a good start for
now.

And about changing my title from IA to UXA is cause I always end up
helping the client with the changing of the processes in its traditional
business model to better attend the input that the new user centered
website starts to generate. (Don't know if I'm being clear enough but
this email is way long as it is)

So thanks!

Andrea T.