IA is worth saving
This is a repost in response to Matthew Milan’s question “Is IA worth Saving”
Information Architecture is - and always will be - the foundation for positive online experiences. That’s what my gut tells me, but more on that in a sec.
When you think about structures built centuries ago (think Pyramids) to modern day structures like the ROM at Avenue and Bloor, some dude was drawing stuff out on a slab of stone, in the sand, or on a piece of paper. They did it then, we do it now. They listened to what someone wanted other people to experience. In the same breath, they observed how people behaved and pontificated how they might behave in the new structures they were planning to build. Sound familiar?
Times have changed. Tools have gotten better.
The products we design as information architects change everyday; that’s the nature of the web. One thing that hasn’t changed for me – and for you as well – is the gut feeling I have about organizing information and deconstructing it when I need to. There will always be a need for this. And I believe you need to be born with getting shit organized in a way that can influence positive change.
Is IA worth saving? Like Scott mentions, it doesn’t need saving. We’re all just so damn busy that we forget to notice how well things are working because of IA.