[Sigia-l] Card sorting

[Beth Koloski]

"My meaning is there are a great number of books which address entry-level techniques (some go to multiple editions)."
 
Again derek, do tell.  The body of available information available for this field is miniscule, compared to what just about any of your coworkers (visual designers, engineers, marketers, business folk).  Any contribution to that body is in my mind very welcome.  iI can't wait til I can walk to my local bookstore and find an many IA type books on the shelves as there are programming books.
 
"truly creating info architectures which do the difficult job of 'structuring without consciously aiming for particular end' is at a much higher level than any of the elementary and entry-level instruction you'll find in various books, seminars, or white papers"
 
Of course it is.  It's a big, hard, intangible task.  And that's why good designers of all levels, but _especially_ at the higher levels, keep as many techniques and methods at their fingertips as they can.  They familiarize themselves with the stengths and weaknessess of these methods.  These consciously choose the methods which will provide the most value to them on any given project.  They make sure they have all the information they need to get the best results they can from the method, when they decide it will be helpful.  And then they use all of the methods as inputs to their design decisions.  Using a particular method or input does not automatically turn a good designer into a non-thinking sheep, it gives them ways to approach a problem.
 
But if you're afraid card sorting, or white papers, or books will turn you into some sort of low level sheep by all means, stay away. It seems you have nothing left to learn from others at this point.