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

Peter Merholz peterme at peterme.com
Sun Mar 30 18:55:17 EST 2003


[GUT = Grand Unified Theory. From physics, where some physicists are hoping
for a single underlying theory to describe everything.]

The "meaning" thread and the "spatial/semantic" thread exhibit something
very telling. I know it occurs to me after most every good conference I go
to. My head's filled with ideas, and I think I'm Just Around The Corner from
Figuring It Out. 

I've been sketching out some models for information architecture, that try
to relate Information As Space, Information as Place, and Information as
Shape (I haven't tried incorporating Thomas Vanderwal's Information as
Charged Particle.) I've been desirous of merging facets and ontologies.
Employing RDF and FOAF. (The power of the Relationship emerged at this past
summit.) Amy's work on controlled vocabularies ought to settle THAT once and
for all. 

Etc.

Because, really, isn't information architecture just some practice of

Understanding the goals of the user
Understanding the goals of the organization
Managing the Stuff that is created by the org to support those needs
Systems for organizing that Stuff to facilitate finding (thesauri,
taxonomies, cvs)
Systems for labeling that Stuff to ensure understanding (and not just in
English!)
Systems for encouraging semantic processing of that Stuff (facets,
ontologies)
Understanding when to use metaphor (at the outset, to orient the visitor),
and when to ditch it (pretty much immediately after that, let the Stuff
speak for itself, in all its complexity)
Providing cues for navigating this Stuff
Not letting navigation dictate the organization of this Stuff

It's just that easy, right?

--peter




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