[Sigia-l] Why Are You an IA?

[Gail Leija]

(Apologies for cross-posting)

In the process of preparing a talk that I am giving this month about
information architects, I began reflecting on how I became an IA.  In the
mid-nineties, I was working as an art director at a digital agency and one
day my creative director saw that I had put up a big flowchart (many
letter-size sheets taped together) that mapped out the content relationships
for a particularly confusing project.  He asked me about it and I probably
said something like "I'm just trying to figure out what goes where."  He
said "We should do this on all our projects."  So we developed an IA
practice I became one of its first IAs.

Since then, whenever I meet a fellow IA we inevitably engage in what my
friend Paula Thornton describes as "the story exchange." IAs are nothing if
not curious (and a bit skeptical) - especially about each other - so we like
to know what people did before they were IAs, what led them to it and why,
how long they have been doing it, and for/with whom.  I've met IAs with
backgrounds in psychology, philosophy, history, music, journalism and
education, as well as former designers, developers, technical writers and
project managers.

So -
When did you decide to be an IA?
Why?
What were you before you became an IA?
If you used to be an IA, what are you now?

I'd love to hear from you – on or off the list – and (with permission)
include some of your stories in my presentation.  Also, if you're in Toronto
on November 17, please come to Refresh 03 at the Art Bar in the Gladstone
Hotel at 7pm and share your story in person.

Looking forward to hearing from/about you.
Thanks!
/Gail
gail at gl-ue.com