[Sigia-l] Information Architecture 3.0

[Antoine.Valot at ins.com]

Have we split that hair enough? No? Then here's my two cents:

I think we should classify it by girth. Anybody with a belt size above 36 is an IA, while slimmer people are IxD. Unless you've been formally trained by french chefs, of course, in which case you're a "Useur Expérience Practitioneur", and nobody likes you.

To avoid confusion, all other job titles should wear togas. 


Humor aside, I've been reading variations on this debate for years now, on every IA/UX mailing list/blog/newsgroup I've ever found. To me, since the marketplace still doesn't have the faintest clue what IA, UX, UxD (or even just GUI) mean, the discussion isn't very... (how shall I say this) ...usable.

What I'd really like to know is: After you drop the acronym (or the full job title) onto your unsuspecting clients, how do you address the look of utter confusion in their faces? In other words: How do you describe what you do in 25 words or less?

Personally, I usually say: 

- to the layperson: "I help make software easier and more pleasant to use... And more useful."
- to the client: "I help you determine precisely who your user is, and what their goals are, and then find ways to achieve those goals with less code."
- to my friends: "I try to make programmers understand how regular people think... Great job security." (har har har)

What's your spiel?


Antoine Valot  |  Senior Information Architect  |  INS  |  Cell: 303.995.5618  |  Email: antoine.valot at ins.com