Topic: Design & Architecture

Blog archives

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• Three Lessons From the Work of Frank Gehry

  Reflecting on the master architect's legacy and its relevance to current UX.

• How I Write My Books

  A presentation about the visual tools and techniques I’ve used to write my books.

• Traction Heroes Ep. 14: Authentic Efforts

  A conversation about getting stuck by investing on seeming to be the thing you want to become.

• Using Claude Code for Information Architecture

  Repurposing a software development agent to help draft website taxonomies.

• Traction Heroes Ep. 11: Gall’s Law

  Are you considering replacing a long-standing, complex system? Think twice.

• Don't Let the Drawings Distract You: AI is Not About the Output

  AI’s real value isn’t in generating flashy outputs; it’s in making sense of unstructured information to support better decisions.

• How AI Is Built Podcast

  An interview with Nicolay Gerold on the relationship between information architecture and AI.

• Rosenfeld Review: “Traction Heroes”

  An interview that delves into the backstory of “Traction Heroes,” my podcast with Harry Max.

• AI and Taxonomies: Creating vs. Applying

  AI can help apply taxonomies at scale, but defining them is still (mostly) a human task.

• Why Website Taxonomies Drift (and What to Do about It)

  Taxonomies drift without proactive attention, making websites harder to navigate and manage. AI can help.

• Jorge’s Wager: Why AI Needs Information Architecture

  Why it’s still important to structure information in a world where AI exists.

• AI Needs Architects – That’s Why I’m Pivoting

  Intelligence demands structure, not hype. I'm stepping up.

• The User Research Strategist Podcast

  My conversation with Nikki Anderson on how AI can help with research and information architecture.

• LLMs Give You Power User Abilities

  How to use AI to unlock deep capabilities latent in your tech stack.

• Gall’s Law Strikes Again: the Sonos Debacle

  Reflections on what went wrong with the failed Sonos app – and how to avoid making the same mistakes.

• New Podcast: “Traction Heroes”

  Presenting my latest venture: a podcast with Harry Max that explores how to get results.

• Prescriptive and Descriptive Information Architectures

  Two approaches to language in websites and apps and how they influence understandability and findability.

• IA Fail: Which Kindle Edition?

  A frustrating quest to find the right edition of an ebook in Amazon.com.

• What’s the Object of Information Architecture?

  How to talk about IA in understandable terms.

• The Informed Life Epilogue

  An overview of the final episode of my podcast, which summarizes what I learned by producing the show.

• The Resurgence of Plain Text in the Age of AI

  Reflections on the advantages of plain text and why it matters when working with LLMs.

• The Informed Life with Peter Morville

  Second part of my conversation about big changes with an information architecture pioneer.

• Beware the “Early Januaries” Content Pattern

  User-provided content and metadata can be unevenly distributed. Here’s what you can do about it.

• The Informed Life with Peter Morville

  Overview of my conversation with an information architecture pioneer on his decision to retire from IA consulting.

• Book Notes: “Nexus”

  Overview of a book that explores the impact of information networks on human history.

• Which Web Browser? (2024)

  Thinking out loud about my browser situation as we head into the new year.

• First, Do No Harm

  A call for a conservative approach to changing complex systems.

• The Informed Life with Joe Natoli

  A conversation with a distinguished designer and author on a new edition of a classic UX 101 book.

• Choosing the Right Words for Effective UX

  Clear, consistent terms are critical to good UX. Here are some suggestions for how to pick them.

• The Informed Life with Andy Budd

  Overview of a conversation on how designers can create value in early-stage startups.

• If You Can Keep It: Pointers for Effective Website IA Governance

  Designing an information architecture isn’t enough: you must also ensure it evolves coherently.

• The Informed Life with Karen McGrane

  Overview of a conversation about how generative AI might affect content management.

• Scale Smart: AI-Powered Content Organization Strategies

  Two use cases of how large language models can help augment the work of information architects.

• The Informed Life with Scott Berkun

  Overview of a conversation about a new book on what’s required to design effectively in the real world.

• What’s the Difference Between Information Architecture and Content Strategy?

  On shifting the focus from the work to its frame.

• Information Architecture First Principles

  Examining the foundations of IA to understand how it uniquely provides value.

• The Informed Life with Chris Risdon

  A conversation with a master service designer about the role of technology in delivering cohesive experiences.

• Better Usability Through Information Architecture

  Making products more usable isn’t just about ergonomics; semantic structures matter too.

• The Informed Life with Jodi Forlizzi

  A conversation with a distinguished practitioner and academic about the changing role of design in light of AI.

• How to Keep IA Projects From Going Off The Rails

  An ‘infinite canvas’ framework to help your information architecture projects succeed.

• The Informed Life with Greg Petroff

  A renowned design executive on the current state of design and opportunities available to designers.

• Seeing the Forest: Using Graph RAG for Information Architecture

  How to use knowledge graphs with retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to organize large content repositories.

• The Informed Life with Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre

  Overview of my conversation with two consultants focused on designing personalized digital experiences.

• Towards a Strategic Information Architecture

  How established IA methodologies can support business strategy and lead to better decision-making.

• Envisioning (Near-)Future IA Design

  On the differences between using AI for automation vs. augmentation — and why information architects should explore both.

• The Informed Life with Stéphanie Walter

  A conversation about the importance of neurodiversity in design — and how to achieve it.

• The Informed Life with Rachel Price

  A conversation about how information architects can help organizations use AI more responsibly.

• The GREW Model

  A framework for leveraging the power of generative AI while keeping human oversight.

• Empowering Information Architecture with AI: Making It Real

  An approach to using AI to re-categorize content in a 1,200-page website.

• The Informed Life with Chris Aldrich

  Overview of my conversation with a ‘modern-day cybernetician’ about the context and history of communications.

• The Informed Life with Dave Gray

  Overview of a conversation with author and designer Dave Gray about his open-ended approach to life and work.

• Seminar: Getting the Most Out of Hypertext Notes

  A video presentation explaining how to get the most out of hypertext note-taking systems.

• Information Architects Must Embrace AI

  While generative AI has downsides, it also has great potential — especially for information architecture.

• The Informed Life with Nikki Anderson

  Overview of a conversation about how user researchers can have greater impact.

• The Impact of AI on Front-end Information Architecture

  Some thoughts about how AI might transform information architecture as we experience it in user interfaces.

• The Informed Life with Dave Elfving

  A conversation with a former Apple design leader on his involvement with Gray Area.

• Elemental, or How Information Architecture Makes Us Smarter

  Four foundational elements of information architecture and how they facilitate understanding.

• How to Get Out of Ontological Debt

  Inconsistent product terminology leads to “ontological debt,” negatively affecting UX — but you can pay it down.

• Exploring the Core Skills of Information Architecture

  Three crucial skills for designers looking to master IA — and why it’s important they do.

• The Informed Life with Elizabeth McGuane

  A conversation about the powerful role of language and modeling in UX design.

• Shaping the Future of Design

  How to remain relevant amid pervasive change.

• The Informed Life with Pierluigi Dalla Rosa

  A conversation about expanding the possibilities of digital experiences through novel computer interfaces.

• Five Future Roles for Designers

  Possible career directions for designers working in an AI-driven world.

• The Informed Life with Nathan Shedroff

  A conversation about the importance of strategy in business, and how design can help.

• Using AI as an Assistant to Organize Content

  How I used AI to categorize a year’s worth of podcast content.

• Livestream: Information Architecture for Note-takers

  A livestreamed conversation with Nicole van der Hoeven about ‘Duly Noted.’

• The Informed Life with Steve Portigal, part 1

  In this podcast, UX researcher Steve Portigal and I discuss motivations for writing our nonfiction books.

• Using the Iceberg Model to Understand Complex Situations

  Analyzing OpenAI’s turmoil by using a classic systems thinking framework.

• The Informed Life with Audrey Crane

  A conversation about ""shadow design"", its impact on organizations, and potential solutions.

• Empowering Information Architecture with AI: A Practical Experiment

  Overview of an experiment of using LLMs to categorize and tag over a thousand blog posts.

• The Informed Life with Nate Davis

  Learn how information architecture can build shared understanding.

• Desk Research for Information Architecture

  The fastest way to start research in information architecture projects.

• Clarify Your Thinking by Drawing Concept Maps

  When you’re trying to understand a complex subject, drawing a concept map will clarify your thinking.

• Leveraging Inflection Points for Clarity and Growth

  Big changes, such as personal moves or corporate acquisitions, offer opportunities for decluttering and optimization.

• The Informed Life with Jenae Cohn

  Do you teach (or aspire to teach) online? If so, you should check out this interview.

• Mastering the Muddle: The Power of Heuristic Evaluations

  Fixing a broken IA starts with taking stock of the problem. Heuristic evaluations let you do it quickly and cheaply.

• Nine Essential Information Architecture Practices

  Mastering these practices will help you design more effective user experiences.

• The Informed Life with Chiara Ogan

  Learn to organize your books from a former librarian and information architect.

• An Information Architecture Conundrum

  On the relationship between choices and context.

• The Informed Life with Alex Wright

  Learning about the history of information management from the author of “Informatica.”

• How to Make Information Easier to Find

  Often, people know what they’re looking for but don’t know what it’s called. Mindful information architecture helps.

• Six Useful Abstractions

  Information architecture is conveyed through diagrams. These six types are key.

• The Informed Life with Maggie Appleton

  What’s the right balance between top-down and bottom-up structure in personal publishing?

• How to Write Good Labels

  Clear labels are essential to good information architecture. These recommendations will get you started.

• The Informed Life with Bob Kasenchak, part 2

  From the podcast: music as a way to understand basic IA principles and possible futures.

• Why Metadata is Critical to Digital Design

  Designers struggle with metadata — but it’s essential for effective digital products and publications.

• The Informed Life with Bob Kasenchak, part 1

  Music can help you design and appreciate information structures.

• The Informed Life with Are Halland

  Overview of a discussion about a framework for balancing user needs and business goals.

• Unlock Hidden Power with Command-Line Interfaces

  CLIs will save you time and give you tremendous control over your computer — especially if you work with words.

• The Informed Life with Sheryl Cababa

  An overview of my conversation with the author of ‘Closing the Loop’ about the role of design in social change.

• How to Keep Your Stuff Findable

  It’s possible to overthink your personal organization categories. Here’s a simple approach to categorizing your stuff.

• The Informed Life with Andy Fitzgerald

  A conversation about moving beyond the metaphor of the page.

• AI for Reading Notes

  One way LLMs like ChatGPT can help you take better notes about what you read.

• The Informed Life with Hugh Dubberly

  An overview of my conversation with a leading designer, thinker, and educator about the evolving role of design.

• WIAD Alone

  Reflections on the state of information architecture in 2023.

• The Informed Life with Carrie Hane

  A summary of my conversation with the author and structured content evangelist about content modeling.

• In Praise of Plain Text

  Storing and managing information in plain text format gives you superpowers.

• Artificial Intelligence for Information Architecture

  Looking beyond the AI hype to explore how LLMs might help us design better information architectures faster.

• Building a Personal Knowledge Garden

  Video of a presentation about personal knowledge management that I delivered in UX Lisbon in May 2022.

• The Informed Life with Léonie Watson

  An overview of my conversation with an expert on the role of accessibility in producing better experiences for everyone.

• The Informed Life with Marcia Bates

  A summary of my conversation about search systems with the influential information scientist, consultant, and educator.

• Second Draft = Second Wind

  How to fall in love again with your project by shifting onto a new phase.

• The Informed Life with Scott Jenson

  An overview of my conversation with a software design veteran on the pros and cons of designing in open-source projects.

• The Informed Life with Amy Jiménez Márquez

  Notes on a conversation with a senior design leader on the role of information architecture in product design.

• The Gist of Web Design

  Designing for the web entails more than merely picking the right colors and fonts.

• The Informed Life with Bram Wessel and Gary Carlson

  An overview of my conversation with the founders of Factor about how information architecture can drive alignment.

• Think Ahead

  Digital changes fast, but information architecture decisions stick around.

• Mastodon’s Structural Choices

  How information architecture choices can influence the tone of discussions in social networks.

• Context Matters

  A lesson from Warren Buffett on minding the environment around your product.

• Feedback and Design

  Shed the negative associations: feedback is a central concept in design.

• The Informed Life Episode 100

  Marking a milestone in my podcast’s life.

• TAOI: macOS System Settings

  One of the key apps in macOS Ventura could use more mindful information architecture.

• Integrating Product UX After an Acquisition

  How do you integrate a product into a portfolio with diverse user experiences?

• Five Types of Links

  You’re likely familiar with web links. But there’s more to links than what you see on the web.

• Against Superficial Simplicity

  Designers love to make things simple — but simple isn’t always better.

• Book Notes: “How the World Really Works”

  A summary of Vaclav Smil’s book about the scale of the challenge of reducing our fossil fuel dependency.

• The Informed Life with Erin Malone

  A summary of my conversation with design leader and educator Erin Malone about her work in pattern libraries.

• How to Work With Design Constraints

  Some designers see constraints as lemons; others make lemonade. Apple’s Dynamic Island feature is an example of the latter.

• Use Taxonomies to Organize Your Stuff

  Taxonomies aren’t just useful for large commercial systems; they can also help you organize your personal information.

• The Informed Life with Natalie Marie Dunbar

  An overview of my conversation with the author of ‘From Solo to Scaled’ on how to stand up a content strategy practice.

• 3 Strategies for Organizing Information

  Are you overwhelmed with the amount of information you’re dealing with? Understanding these approaches can help.

• What's the Relationship Between IA and UI Design?

  Some people think information architecture and screen-level design don't affect each other. I disagree.

• The Informed Life with Lorenzo Bernaschina

  A summary of my conversation with the developer of Gems Notes, an AI-driven smart note-taking tool.

• The Ultimate Goal of Information Architecture

  Information can enable better choice-making. Architecting it improves people's lives.

• The Informed Life with Steve Portigal

  Join me for a conversation with one of the world's leading UX research experts on how to conduct better user interviews.

• Modeling Strategic Choices

  Assessing the impact of strategic choices can be challenging. Information architecture can help.

• How to Write Effective Product Labels

  Changing the name of a major product feature or component is not trivial. These steps will help you do it effectively.

• TAOI: Airbnb Summer 2022 Release

  Another major app redesigns — and the headline feature is a change in its information architecture.

• The Informed Life with Mike Rohde

  A conversation with sketchnoter extraordinaire Mike Rohde on the influence of visual note-taking on his work.

• On the Challenges of Finding Stuff in Digital Whiteboards

  I like collaborating in shared digital whiteboards. But after a while, it can be challenging to find stuff in these systems.

• Automating Jekyll Builds and Deploys

  Notes on a new, more effective, workflow for building and deploying my website.

• TAOI: Apple Home App Redesign

  A new version of an iPhone app offers a good example of an information architecture-centered overhaul.

• Organizing for Future You

  Structuring your PKM system is an act of IA where the user is future you.

• Book Notes: “Figure It Out”

  Notes on Stephen P. Anderson and Karl Fast's book about how mindful design can increase understanding.

• The Informed Life with Austin Govella

  A summary of our conversation about the information architecture of personal knowledge management systems.

• One Idea, One Note

  On the importance of links and granularity in note-taking systems.

• The Informed Life with Dorian Taylor

  Overview of a conversation about the influence of the late architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander.

• The Informed Life with Laura Yarrow

  My conversation with the HM Land Registry head of design on how designers can be more effective in organizations.

• Writing a Book About Notes

  Announcing my next book, due in 2023.

• Power of Ten Episode 22: “Information Gardens”

  Overview of an interview with Andy Polaine about how computers can extend our minds.

• Reclaiming Our Attention with Focus Modes

  New ways for us to manage our attention while using devices.

• The Informed Life with Indi Young

  Overview of my conversation with the renowned design researcher and author about her new book.

• Book Notes: “The Organized Mind” (Revisited)

  A 'live' rereading of Daniel Levitin's book about how the mind thinks by categorizing.

• The Informed Life with Peter Bogaards

  Overview of my conversation with the renowned design evangelist about his proposed UX canon.

• TAOI: Clarifying Distinctions in Search Results

  How to help users become more educated as they search for things.

• TAOI: A Clearer Nav Structure in Gmail

  A user interface change clarifies Gmail’s conceptual structure.

• Things I Was Wrong About: 280 Characters

  Five years ago, I thought Twitter was making a mistake. I was wrong.

• Re-evaluating the Move to Jekyll

  Three months into moving this site from Jekyll to WordPress, I consider the impact on my writing workflows.

• Revisiting IA's Past

  What an information architecture fossil reveals about the relevance of IA in the modern web.

• The Informed Life with Dan Klyn

  Information architect Dan Klyn tells us about his framework for understanding the architecture of complex systems.

• Changing Behavior Through Structural Constraints

  System constraints can be long-lived. Handle them with care.

• Learning from the Beatles

  Lessons for designers and other creative professionals from the new Beatles documentary.

• The Informed Life Year in Review: 2021

  Episode 77 of my podcast features a review of five themes that emerged from conversations on the show during 2021.

• The Language Wall

  Misalignments in how teams talk about what they do can affect performance. This simple practice helps.

• The Role of Thinking Spaces in Workshops

  Sticky notes on a wall convey meaning — but often, only to people who were in the room.

• The Informed Life with Dan Brown

  An overview of my conversation with designer and author Dan Brown about his Information Architecture Lenses.

• Three Foundational IA Concepts

  Information architecture can create understandable systems. Doing so requires that we master three key concepts.

• YouTube Hiding Dislike Counts

  A minor tweak to YouTube's feedback affordances could help reduce harassment on the platform.

• More Obvious Advanced Search Affordances

  Improving the accessibility of advanced search interfaces by moving them to where they’re needed.

• Automating File/Folder Structures

  Dropbox announced a new feature that adds automation to folders, to help keep your files organized.

• Why Metadata Matters

  Don't be confused by Facebook's rebranding: metadata is an important concept you must understand and use.

• The Informed Life with Nathan Shedroff

  Notes on my interview with Nathan Shedroff about Foodicons, his massively crowdsourced design project.

• Why I Moved My Site to Jekyll

  The first post in my new website, and details on why I switched from WordPress to Jekyll.

• My Videoconferencing Setup, October 2021

  Details about the equipment I use to achieve good video/audio quality in conference calls.

• Sketches as an Extension of Your Mind

  Sketches aren't deliverables — they're a means for thinking on paper, where you can work things loosely and quickly.

• The Waning File/Folder Mental Model

  “Traditional” computer file systems challenge people who grew up with smartphones and the cloud.

• Managing Tags When Integrating Obsidian and DEVONthink

  Details on how I manage the integration between two core apps in my personal information ecosystem.

• How to Find Older Files in Figma (and Other SaaS Apps)

  A hybrid approach for making information more findable when using SaaS apps.

• Can Twitter Communities Prevent Context Collapse?

  Reflections on a new Twitter feature that aims to reduce context collapse.

• What I Learned about Labeling from Making Hot Cocoa

  Clear distinctions matter — and they rely on more than just clear labels.

• The Informed Life with Karl Fast, part 1

  A summary of the first part of my conversation with Karl Fast about the relationship between cognition and interaction.

• Jimmy Wales on Constraints for Bad Behavior

  How could we minimize the impact of bad behavior online?

• “A Lens A Day” Interview

  A video interview about “inverse implication” in information architecture.

• Om Malik on Being Categorized by Data

  How our brains use categories to make sense of the world, and their effects on information architecture.

• The Cognitive Costs of Bad UX

  A bit of unintentional irony in an article that calls out bad UX.

• TAOI: Hair Texture Filters

  How Pinterest uses AI to make hairstyles more findable with new hair texture filters.

• Don't Eat the Menu

  On the difference between things and information about them.

• The Informed Life with Mags Hanley

  Notes from my conversation with Mags Hanley, who is applying design techniques to career coaching.

• Why You're Having Trouble with That Twitter Redesign

  A minor UI change that is causing confusion.

• TAOI: Facebook Mobile Settings

  Improving settings options by re-structuring and re-labeing them.

• TAOI: The “Ethnic” Aisle

  Is the ethnic foods aisle in grocery stores an anachronism?

• TAOI: New Apple Store Page

  A change to how Apple sells products through its website.

• Everything in its Right Place

  Organization schemes aren't one-size-fits-all or fixed in time.

• The Informed Life with… You!

  Link to the first listener questions episode of my podcast.

• Clarifying Meanings Through Mindful Set-making

  We understand concepts in relation to other concepts around them.

• AI-driven “Design”?

  A thought on the current state of ML-driven design tools.

• Meeting the User

  What I learned about mental models from a support incident.

• Working on the iPad

  Why I'm shifting some work from the iPad back to the Mac.

• The Informed Life with Jim Kalbach

  Summary of my conversation with Jim Kalbach about his book, The Jobs to Be Done Playbook.

• Two Types of Work

  On the difference between growth and maintenance.

• Tweaking Users' Mental Models

  A 37-year old example of intentionally changing user mental models.

• The Informed Life with Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan

  A summary of my conversation with strategic design director Udhaya Kumar Padmanaban.

• Back to the Bad Old Days of the Web

  A short rant about the current state of web standards.

• Deciding Between Cloud-based & Local Apps

  Choosing between cloud-based and local apps becomes harder as the later adopt SAAS licensing and data models.

• Shipping the Org Chart

  Information architecture can help you avoid producing inwardly-focused structures.

• Celebratory Settings

  Examining a surprising new setting in Microsoft's Office apps.

• Design as an Effective Agent of Change

  Effective change requires that designers think of ourselves as strategic partners.

• The Informed Life with Sarah Barrett

  A summary of a conversation with information architect Sarah Barrett about architectural scale in digital design.

• Becoming Better Users of Online Information

  How we can get better at spotting BS in online reviews.

• Abstraction and Implementation

  How software lets us interact with complex systems through clever hiding.

• Machine Intelligence and the Design of Complex Systems

  On the balance between top-down direction and bottom-up emergence in the design of complex systems.

• The Object-Oriented UX Podcast, Ep. 15

  A conversation with Sophia Prater about my book, ""Living in Information,"" and why UFOs matter.

• How to Work with Tension in Design

  Three approaches to dealing with opposing directions in design.

• The Informed Life with Sophia Prater

  Notes from my conversation with object oriented UX evangelist Sophia Prater.

• Book Notes: “Framers”

  How our ability to reframe situations can unlock progress in a world overwhelmed by change.

• Dark IA?

  How Google's ""dark IA"" buried privacy settings to keep collecting your location data.

• Clarity vs. Confidence: Starting Conceptual Models Right

  How to communicate clearly when starting work on a conceptual model.

• Modeling for Automated Organization

  How AI helps organize videos with a clever use of vectors for deep, meaningful relationships.

• TAOI is Dead; Long Live TAOI

  Pulling the plug on my second blog about information architecture.

• To TV or Not to TV

  Information architecture as strategic point of contention — and negotiating tactic.

• Stripping in Information

  OnlyFans is allowing sex workers to make money during the pandemic. But its IA doesn't help.

• Changes to Sketch's Conceptual Model

  On the challenges of enabling better collaboration in Sketch.

• TAOI: Spotify’s ‘Your Library’ Redesign

  How Spotify's mobile update balances curation and discovery in your music library.

• The Informed Life with Jeff Sussna

  A summary of my conversation with Jeff Sussna about Customer Value Charting.

• Flexibility vs. Ease-of-use

  A new Android tablet feature illustrates the tension between flexibility and ease of use.

• Building Bridges to Understanding

  IA builds bridges between user mental models and system conceptual models.

• Spotify's “Your Library” Redesign

  Making it easier for users to find and discover their audio collections.

• (Re)drawing System Boundaries

  Drawing the boundaries of a system map depends on what questions you want to illuminate. But the map may elicit new questions.

• Architectural Skeuomorphism

  How web design can learn from — and avoid — the pitfalls of real-world architecture

• Challenges in Designing for Emerging Technologies

  Thoughts raised by a new video demonstrating direct neural control of software.

• Overcoming Objections to Modeling

  Three suggestions for working with conceptual models in contexts that resist them.

• Internal Design Teams and Thought Leadership

  A review of challenges inherent in public thought leadership in in-house design teams.

• The Informed Life with Jesse James Garrett

  Summary of a conversation with Jesse James Garrett about leadership and information architecture.

• Not Just a New Feature; a New Compact

  New product features can change the nature of a system. We must approach their design with great care.

• Design with Strategic Intent

  Designers can increase the value of their work by thinking strategically.

• The Informed Life with Ben Mosior

  A summary of my conversation about Wardley mapping with strategic consultant Ben Mosior.

• On the IA-Chess Analogy

  Notes on the analogy between chess and information architecture.

• A Year of This

  Ways I've found to manage my attention when meeting over Zoom.

• Models Before Screens

  How I make sense of complex systems before designing their navigation.

• How to Keep a Long-term Focus

  Three tools to help you keep your eye on long-term goals.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Profiles in Curiosity

  How curiosity shapes my work and life.

• TAOI: Ten Years

  While the aesthetics of websites change over time, their underlying structures tend to remain stable.

• Ten Years

  Five examples of how look-and-feel changes faster than structure.

• Citibank's $500m ‘UI’ Problem

  How a design failure led to an expensive blunder.

• The Informed Life with Hà Phan

  A conversation about a leader's transition from UX design to product.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Meta-IA

  On the importance of architecting the thing that architects the thing.

• Three Models

  Modeling is the most critical underused design skill. Here are three models you should keep in mind.

• TAOI: Privacy and Metadata

  Are you aware of the data you generate?

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The ‘Culture’ Layer

  How Stewart Brand's pace layers model helps us understand how complex systems change over time.

• Finding Our Way Podcast, Ep. 24

  Exploring the contentious topic of certifying designers and the potential pitfalls of standardization.

• The Informed Life with Grace Lau

  A conversation about the power of community in information architecture.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The Informed Life with Cheryl Platz

  A conversation about the power of multimodality and why designers must embrace it.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Openness ↔ Control

  How to navigate the tradeoffs between collaboration and control in design projects.

• TAOI: Mailchimp’s Product and Marketing Navigation Structures

  Mailchimp’s product and marketing websites expose different navigation models and user experiences.

• Product and Marketing Navigation

  Options in navigation menus aren't just for moving around.

• The Informed Life with Phillip Hunter

  How to make digital systems talk like people.

• Thinking Contextually

  Whatever you’re working on isn’t an end in itself; it’s always part of something bigger.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Structural Antidotes for Misinformation

  How good design can fight misinformation — and why business models are part of the problem.

• The Informed Life with Peter Morville

  How Peter Morville wants to expand IA beyond business and use it to shape our world

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Documenting the Early Stages of Creative Work

  The first draft of your project might seem worthless. Get over it.

• TAOI: The Order of Marvel Movies

  How Disney+ fixed their Marvel movie browsing and why it matters to info architects.

• The Informed Life With Jeff Johnson

  How designing for older adults can help us all.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The Order of Marvel Movies

  People prefer content that is grouped in meaningful ways.

• Screens and Models

  How to see beyond screens to the conceptual models they manifest.

• Work on the Structure

  How my painting class taught me to embrace structure, not just the details.

• The Informed Life With Tanya Rabourn

  My conversation with Tanya Rabourn about the power and pitfalls of design research across cultures

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• On Rules and Barbarism

  How to stop fretting about rules and get on doing good work.

• Don't Make Me Think, Xbox Edition

  How a confusing product name led to accidental purchases of the wrong Xbox.

• Consider the Frame

  How a product’s frame can be just as influential as its content — a trick I used to lose weight.

• TAOI: Browse by Color

  How a colorful site breaks the norm of verbal navigation.

• Browse by Color

  Most website navigation systems rely on words. This one takes a different approach.

• The Informed Life With Alexis Lloyd

  My chat with the VP of Product Design at Medium about how media’s granularity affects storytelling.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Medium is Bringing Back Custom Domains

  The return of a Medium feature is making me rethink where I publish my writing.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The Expertise Trap in UX Critiques

  LinkedIn's ""add hashtag"" button reveals the danger of assuming too much expertise from users.

• Ahead of the Game

  How a board game can help you design the big picture for your next complex system.

• The Causes of Inconsistent Navigation Structures in Product Families

  How IAs can help your product family maintain structural consistency (and why it matters).

• Sync to Furthest Page Read

  Structural inconsistencies within a family of products can frustrate users.

• IDA Chile: Los Martes son de UX

  How my journey into information architecture and the state of UX today unfolded.

• The Informed Life With Nataly Restrepo

  A conversation with a food designer about her craft.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Re-thinking Digital Note-taking

  Reflections on decade of digital note-taking and whether there’s better ways to spot patterns and spark insights.

• Starting The Big Picture

  How you can overcome blank canvas syndrome when sketching your project's ‘Big Picture.’

• Startups and the Big Picture

  How Twitter’s early design choices led to the platform’s unintended consequences.

• The Architecture of Information

  Announcing a new website that showcases examples of information architecture.

• Ministry of Supply

  A small visual detail makes a retailer's navigation system more memorable.

• Inside Outside Innovation, Ep. 211

  An interview about how information architecture helps make online experiences better.

• The Informed Life With Arvind Venkataramani

  How rituals can give meaning to everyday experiences.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Caring as a Core Design Principle

  How caring for people and their contexts can power design that serves life itself.

• The Bad IA of Streaming Services

  How IAs can fix the user experience that streaming services keep getting wrong.

• Seeing The Big Picture

  To what degree does your project serve its intended goals?

• The Informed Life With Heather Hedden

  A conversation about the power of taxonomies.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• TAOI: Gmail's New Conceptual Model

  How Google's Gmail redesign aims to consolidate work communications into a single hub.

• Structure Changes More Slowly Than Look-and-feel

  Designers pay more attention to UI than to the underlying structures. It's a mistake.

• Do You See the Big Picture?

  Systemic oversight can improve your products and services

• The Electronic Whole Earth Catalog

  The first hypertext version of the Whole Earth Catalog is back!

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Tour of an F-15 Jet Fighter User Interface

  How the F-15’s cockpit helps pilots fly faster than their brains can think.

• Making Apple's Ecosystem More Coherent

  Apple’s blurring of iOS and macOS boundaries will change your workflow

• The Informed Life With Andy Polaine

  How shifting perspectives on service design can help organizations create more holistic experiences.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• TAOI: Reimagining Email

  How Basecamp’s Hey shakes up email by breaking conventions.

• The Shortcomings of Online Events

  How online events fall short of in-person conferences — and why it matters.

• The Informed Life With Audrey Crane

  A conversation about why executives struggle to grasp design's value.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Design in the Post-pandemic World

  A presentation about how designers can help organizations and societies work towards greater resilience.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• What Google Classroom Says About Our Priorities

  How Google Classroom's sloppy design reflects what we value in online learning.

• Book Notes: “The Jobs To Be Done Playbook”

  How to put the Jobs to be Done framework to work in your organization — and why.

• Laying Foundations First

  Machiavelli's advice to keep projects from crashing and burning.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The Blind Spot in Digital Initiatives

  Digital initiatives aren't just about designing screen-based interactions.

• TAOI: The Prioritization of Search Results in Apple Apps

  How Apple hides your own data when you search.

• The Informed Life With Ren Pope

  How ontologies can help you make sense of complex information in your organization

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Internal and External Language

  How to improve stakeholder feedback by bridging internal and external language.

• Making the Company's Vision Tangible

  How design can make your company's vision concrete and testable.

• Closed and Open Systems

  How open systems help us embrace change.

• TAOI: Better Search and Context in Figma

  How better search and context features in Figma make it easier to work with non-designers.

• The Informed Life With Abby Covert

  My chat with Abby the IA on how to thrive in our new remote work reality.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Nostalgia for the Future

  NASA’s retro logo hints at our longing for the future we lost.

• The Informed Life With Aynne Valencia

  How working in government can help designers avoid the consequences of moving fast and breaking things.

• Slack’s Information Architecture Redesign

  How Slack's redesign could shape the future of remote work.

• Living In Information With the UX Bookclub Los Angeles

  Adjusting to a world where work, life, and even happy hour happen on screens.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• The Dynamics of Remote All-hands Meetings

  How the shift to virtual meetings is changing team dynamics and hierarchies for the better.

• The Quality of Impromptu Online Work

  Moving work online will change how we think and collaborate.

• Legislating the Structure of Information Environments

  Proposed legislation could make online spaces safer for kids.

• A Year of Podcasting: What’s Next

  After one year of running a podcast, I reflect on what might be next for the show.

• Coronavirus and Remote Collaboration

  How the COVID pandemic accelerates the shift to remote collaboration.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Label-less Buttons

  How Spotify's icon-based UI for iOS makes global access easier but may confuse users.

• TAOI: Grouping Albums in Apple Music

  How Apple Music’s latest update helps users understand their music differently.

• Elemental, Or How Information Architecture Makes Us Smarter

  How information architecture boosts understanding.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Don’t Make Me Think, Harley Quinn Edition

  A movie flop shows why labeling matters.

• A Year of Podcasting: Publishing

  About my experience using WordPress to publish my podcast.

• The Informed Life With Peter Merholz

  Design leadership can bring humanistic balance to organizations.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• A Year of Podcasting: Editing

  A description of the tools I used to edit my podcast during its first year.

• A Year of Podcasting: Recording Gear

  Recommendations on audio gear for recording podcasts.

• Early 20th Century Car Navigation Systems

  How early 20th century drivers navigated with turn-by-turn directions, sans GPS.

• A Year of Podcasting: The Big Idea

  About my experience starting a bi-weekly podcast and why it’s a useful medium for learning and communication.

• The Informed Life With Cyd Harrell

  How designing for respect can make interactions with government systems more dignified and humane.

• Please Support World IA Day

  My journey with World IA Day and how you can help grow the global IA community

• The Informed Life With Andrew Hinton

  Uncovering how language and environments shape our experiences.

• LEGO: An Appreciation

  The enduring joy of LEGO — the simple, elegant system that’s been part of my life for decades.

• The Informed Life With Mary Parks

  Delving into the hows and whats of voice interfaces.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Seeing Wide and Deep

  How teams can gain fresh perspectives by embracing an outsider role, like a music producer.

• Book Notes: “Disney’s Land”

  A fascinating history of Disneyland's creation.

• The Informed Life With Michael J. Metts

  On the importance of treating words as part of the design process.

• Upcoming IA Essentials Workshop in New Orleans

  How I'm teaching the what, why, and how of IA at the 2020 IA Conference.

• Rediscovering Information Architecture

  How information architecture can help us design better digital environments and societies.

• The Capital and the Village

  How two worlds view order, and how it shapes their cultures.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Abstraction and Implementation

  The implementation of a system can be as crucial as its user interface.

• TAOI: Searching for iTunes in macOS Catalina

  The unexpected IA decisions Apple made when replacing its music app.

• That Syncing Feeling

  How syncing my devices went from frustrating to mostly effortless.

• The Informed Life With Andrea Mignolo

  A conversation about the power of design thinking to shape culture and behavior.

• The Idea That Information Can Be Stored

  Why information loses value in a changing world.

• Hiding Incompatible Apps in the Microsoft Store

  Microsoft's tweak to their store shows the power of good IA.

• Design Requires Trust

  How trusting designers can drive better design decisions.

• The Perfect Framing for an Information Architecture Challenge

  How Twitter's new ""topics"" feature tackles the problem of matching user needs with content.

• TAOI: Incompatible Apps in the Microsoft Store

  How Microsoft’s new Surface Pro X might fail its users with bad information architecture.

• Being Open to Unsettling Changes

  How technology is changing storytelling.

• Design for the Relationship

  How Amazon's early obsession with customer relationships shaped its success

• Binge Faster

  Hollywood is freaking out over Netflix’s plan to let users speed up shows

• The Informed Life With Vanessa Foss

  How organizing a conference is like hosting a dinner party for friends you've known for years.

• Worth Your Attention

  Links for the week.

• Changes to iOS 13’s Mail Toolbar

  How a simple UI change can frustrate users — and how to avoid it.

• TAOI: Facebook’s Electoral Interference Changes

  How fighting misinformation might change elections.

• Shanghai Disneyland

  Blending Disney magic with Chinese culture to create a unique experience.

• Paola Antonelli on the Role of Designers

  How the MoMA Senior Curator of Design sees designers and their role in shaping society.

• Perspective on “Digital”

  My journey from architecture to digital and why I’m still optimistic about its potential.

• The Informed Life With Chris Chandler

  How to avoid becoming the next Facebook when building software in agile environments

• TAOI: Facebook Hiding Likes

  Hiding likes on Facebook could change how we use social media.

• Collaborating by Default

  How new productivity tools are rethinking collaboration for our always-on world.

• The Informed Life With Eduardo Ortiz

  How Eduardo Ortiz and his team spun up a system to help reunify families at the Southwest border.

• The Informed Life With Thomas Dose

  How to organize a collection of 900,000 audio recordings.

• Balancing Bottom-up and Top-down

  How my approach to info architecture can be both flexible and strategic at the same time.

• Suggested Searches in Apple Photos

  Helping users find photos they might not know they're looking for.

• Are Dating Apps Making Marriages Stronger?

  Are people making better long-term relationship decisions?

• From Monolithic to Distributed Architectures

  How Amazon’s shift to tiny teams led to millions of deployments and the birth of AWS.

• The Informed Life With Rachel Price

  How improvisation can help us make better decisions when managing information.

• TAOI: Personalized Yelp Results

  How Yelp is letting users train the algorithm that personalizes their search results.

• Ethics and Patience in Design

  Jessica Helfand on the need for patience in ethical design.

• TAOI: Following Topics on Twitter

  How Twitter's new feature may change how you engage with topics on their platform.

• The Informed Life With MJ Broadbent

  Using visual thinking to make complex ideas more fun and accessible.

• Touchscreens and the Loss of Nuanced Control

  Why touchscreens can’t always replace physical controls.

• How Designers Can Help Bust Silos

  How to collaborate better in large organizations.

• Designing the Right Things

  How aligning design with strategic goals can yield more effective results.

• The Value of Design Consulting

  What the exorbitant cost of a vintage Atari video game taught me about design consulting.

• The Informed Life With Jeff Sussna

  How cybernetics can help us design for unintended consequences in complex systems.

• Chuck Jones and the Power of Discipline

  How Chuck Jones’ discipline and constraints made his Looney Tunes cartoons so funny and enduring.

• TAOI: Disneyland App

  How the Disneyland app uses wait times to make your day at the park more fun.

• Are Your Navigation Structures Working?

  How effective is your site's navigation in aligning with user mental models?

• What I Unlearned From Architecture

  How learned to stop thinking I was the star of the show and start listening.

• Designing for Density and Sequence

  Design lessons from a book about the moon landing.

• TAOI: The "Agony" of Browsing Amazon

  Amazon's browsing experience reveals the pains of poor information architecture.

• Striving for Simplicity

  Embracing simplicity in a world of endless upgrades.

• Drive-by Redesigns

  How I learned to look beyond superficial redesigns and dig into the why of things.

• Experience Design Podcast Episode 27: “Design for the Infinite Game”

  A conversation about my career, book, and the power of designing for the infinite game.

• Design for Long-Term Relevance

  Why do some designs last while others fade?

• Blogging as Gardening

  How my blogging practice, like gardening, helps me cultivate and strengthen my ideas in public.

• Data in Conceptual Models

  Defining a conceptual model first reveals data opportunities for more coherent UIs.

• On “Content”

  How the web’s power to connect is being squandered through soul-sapping banality.

• Information Metaphors

  On the metaphors we use to talk about information online, and why I favor “environment.”

• The Optimism of Design

  Design as a practice that shapes a better future.

• Book Notes: Strategic Design

  My take on a must-read book on how designers can level up their game to tackle strategic challenges.

• TAOI: Podcasts on Spotify

  Apple's shift to separate media apps sparks Spotify to enhance its podcast organization.

• The Informed Life With Lisa Welchman

  How jazz can inform your approach to governance and content models.

• TAOI: OmniFocus Tags

  A new tagging feature lets me build my own productivity structures.

• Good IA is Good Business

  How businesses are using IA to gain a competitive edge and avoid mistakes.

• The Dollar Value of Metadata

  The hidden cost of bad metadata in music: billions in royalties lost.

• A Key to the Design Problem

  How Charles Eames’ approach to constraints unlocks design’s power

• The Bridge Model

  How to explain to clients why they shouldn't jump straight to wireframes.

• TAOI: YouTube Subscriber Counts

  How YouTube's subscriber count changes reveal deeper insights into social metrics and influence.

• Book Notes: "Design Unbound"

  Tackling wicked problems by designing at a higher level in a complex, interconnected world.

• TAOI: IDAGIO

  How IDAGIO's smart info architecture makes it the best streaming service for classical music fans.

• The Logic of Conjecture

  Design as an effective way to address ill-defined problems by using abductive reasoning.

• Simplifying My Newsletter

  Changes to the direction of my newsletter.

• Establishing Context Through Navigation

  How navigation choices help frame user experiences and create meaningful context.

• “Build More Roads” is Often the Wrong Answer

  Building more roads or communication channels can create chaos, not solutions.

• The Informed Life With Jessica Ivins

  How to wear many hats as a UX educator without burning out.

• Adaptive Path 2001-2019

  The end of Adaptive Path leaves a void in the UX design community.

• Design as an Antidote to VUCA

  Design can provide clarity and strategic insights in a chaotic world.

• Desert Island Apps

  How I find the best apps to focus on the work, not tools.

• Informing and Persuading

  How your choices as an information architect shape what people know and do.

• Trading Off Freedom for Convenience

  How I'm grappling with Google's ecosystem when my preferred browser won't work with key apps.

• The Informed Life With Trip O’Dell

  How one designer's dyslexia shapes his workflows.

• The Strategic Value of Design

  How design thinking helps us learn from the future and avoid risk.

• Direction and Action

  How my tool-centric writing gets traction and why direction is key to effective action.

• Work Anywhere

  How blurring the lines between work and life makes me more productive and engaged.

• When Everything is Connected

  How connecting everything changes everything — and why it matters

• A Brush With Resilience

  What a WWII ship can teach us about information systems design.

• Systemic Design Beyond the Screen

  Designing is about much more than screens.

• Panel: The Rhythms and Habits of Successful UX Practitioners

  Exploring rhythms and habits that align your values with your UX career path.

• The Informed Life With Beck Tench

  How designing for contemplation can enrich our experiences with technology and information.

• Which Watch to Wear to the Apocalypse

  How the end of the world helps me understand what I’m really designing when I create digital things

• Designers as Advocates of Respect

  Why designers must understand incentives and values.

• EPCOT

  How Walt Disney’s last dream became a real-world lab for urban experimentation.

• Back to the Browser Monoculture?

  A nostalgia-fueled reflection on the dangers of another browser monoculture era.

• Thoughts on the First IA Conference

  Reflections on community growth and sustainability sparked by the IAC's new identity.

• The Informed Life With Kevin M. Hoffman

  A conversation about how leads become customers.

• Against Wireframes

  Why freehand sketches can be more effective than wireframes in design processes.

• Design 3.0

  How design’s shifting from products to outcomes—and why it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve

• A Space for Collaboration

  How my friend and I struggled to collaborate with our current tech and what I wish we could do.

• Book Notes: “Digital Minimalism”

  How to navigate tech distractions with a purposeful philosophy for more clarity.

• The Informed Life With Andrea Kates

  How Andrea Kates’s ability to see anomalies helps orgs explore new avenues for growth.

• Two Approaches to Structure

  Comparing two approaches to structuring digital information environments.

• Environment-Centered Design

  How our focus on users blind us to the environmental impact of tech at city scale.

• How To Design Distinctions That Won't Destroy Society

  As software influences society, our role as architects of distinctions has deeper impact.

• An Architecture + Systems Thinking Reading List

  A curated reading list exploring the fascinating intersection of architecture and systems thinking.

• Getting More Done With Information

  A conversation about how online tools like Buffer let small teams achieve big results.

• The Informed Life With Fabricio Teixeira

  How Fabricio Teixeira designs his tech setup to maintain control over attention and productivity.

• Book Notes: “Designerly Ways of Knowing”

  How thinking like a designer can broaden problem-solving beyond traditional disciplines.

• The Way to Proficiency in Complex Environments

  How emergent systems can better address complex environments compared to rigid structures.

• The “Right” Way

  Navigating design’s ambiguity with “thinking-through-making” over seeking elusive right answers.

• We Are Tradesmen

  How genuine interest and aligning with client needs create deep value.

• The Client-Designer Relationship

  Unpacking the vital dynamics of the client-designer partnership for successful outcomes.

• A Data Primer for Designers

  Learn the language of data to design more effective digital experiences.

• The Illusion of Explanatory Depth

  How designers must confront their limited understanding to create better systems.

• Towards Greater Diversity in Design Teams

  The Law of Requisite Variety shows why design teams need diversity.

• Designing the Frame

  How designing distinctions in information architecture creates context for evolving systems.

• The Opposite of Ideology

  Design challenges ideology by embracing diversity.

• The Informed Life is Now in Apple’s Podcast Directory

  Celebrating my podcast appearing in Apple's directory.

• Three Lessons From the Work of Charles & Ray Eames

  How playful rigor can lead to better design.

• Structure is Architecture

  Charles Eames sees architecture as a solution-seeking structure in design challenges.

• UX Podcast Episode 202: "Digital Places"

  Balancing personal identity with group coherence in digital spaces poses unique challenges for designers.

• Anyone an Information Architect

  How Slack's new identity highlights its evolution into an environment, not just a tool.

• Elegant Simplicity

  Discover why true design simplicity is about elegance, knowing what to keep and what to let go.

• Upcoming IA Workshops — Spring 2019

  Workshops in Zurich and Orlando offer key insights for better digital design.

• The Role of Structure in Digital Design

  Structuring information remains crucial in an age defined by AI.

• TAOI: Adding More Context to Tweets

  How Twitter’s new features aim to enhance engagement by adding context to tweets.

• The Urgent Design Questions of Our Time

  How can designers navigate the ethical and control challenges in evolving systems?

• Framing the Problem

  Defining design problems requires framing through iterative cycles.

• The Space That Symbolizes the Information Age

  How mutable spaces define our Information Age, reflecting technological variability.

• Four Types of Prototypes

  How understanding different prototype types can enhance your design process and clarity.

• Trusting a Software Ecosystem

  Navigating software’s web of trust: understand dependencies and align interests.

• Structuring the Problem

  Ill-structured problems demand designers clarify and structure them for better solutions.

• Book Notes: ‘The Evolution of Everything’

  Exploring how systems evolve through bottom-up forces, challenging top-down structures in design.

• Designing a Better System

  Unpack the challenge of truly grasping complex systems beyond mere acknowledgment.

• Designing Your Life

  Considering life as an ongoing prototype to be designed.

• Making a List

  Reflecting on Christmas lists: their roles in personal expression and societal generosity.

• The Top Posts on jarango.com in 2018

  Highlighting my top posts of the year.

• Goldilocks Workshop Spaces

  The right workshop space can boost creativity and productivity. Size matters!

• SF Architecture Walking Tour

  Learning about design by walking the city.

• Book Notes: “Rapid Problem Solving With Post-it® Notes”

  Unleash team creativity with sticky notes as a group thinking tool using Straker’s methods.

• The Role of Advertisers in Shaping Digital Ecosystems

  On the ethical dilemmas of ad-supported online media.

• Tackling New Challenges

  Navigating new projects can spark breakthroughs by leveraging cross-disciplinary frameworks.

• Cybernetics and Planned Economies

  Dreams of centralized economic control clash with practical reality.

• Prototypes and the Used Universe

  How Star Wars' ""used universe"" approach can enhance the realism and depth of your prototypes.

• Designing for the Brilliant Cacophony

  Embracing diversity in design.

• Intentional Computing

  Revisiting an old Mac sparks thoughts on intentional, mindful computing.

• Folder-centric to App-centric Workflows

  Juggling project structures on iOS can be tricky; here's how app-centric workflows shift focus.

• New Keynote: “Designing Distinctions”

  How do distinctions shape our understanding? What responsibilities follow?

• Wikipedia as Information Infrastructure

  Wikipedia's role as an essential yet vulnerable piece of our info infrastructure.

• The Eponymous Laws of Tech

  Intriguing ""laws"" that shape tech and impact user experiences.

• Hugh Dubberly’s Approach to Understanding Problems

  Hugh Dubberly's design strategy reveals how reframing wicked problems drives innovation.

• Digital Nutrition

  Digital habits mirror diet choices. Are yours nourishing you?

• TAOI: De-emphasizing Followers on Twitter

  Twitter's shift to de-emphasize follower counts may change how we gauge online influence.

• Book Notes: “Creative Selection”

  How Apple's untold design culture and leadership fostered innovation during its iPhone revolution.

• High and Low Fidelity Prototypes

  Communicate accurately by choosing the right level of fidelity.

• Craft and Inspiration

  Craft drives success when inspiration falters, a lesson in reliability and skill.

• Managing Screen Time

  How Apple's Screen Time can help you control device usage and regain mindfulness.

• A Stowable TV

  How we turned screen time into a family event with a projector.

• Is It Time To Leave Facebook?

  Navigating Facebook's mixed blessings: addictive design, real connections, and evolving use.

• Project Focus Mode

  Juggling projects efficiently requires focused organization. What if apps supported this?

• A Bit of Structure Goes a Long Way

  How structure and constraints support creativity.

• Towards More Adaptive Information Environments

  Exploring the rigidity of medical software and the need for adaptive information environments.

• The Mother of All Demos at 50

  How a demo from the 1960s shaped today's interactive and collaborative computing.

• Architecture is Organization

  Le Corbusier highlights why effective design is more about organization than aesthetics.

• Modeling in Design

  Why modeling skills are crucial for designing invisible or distributed systems.

• Shared Docs as Places for Collaboration

  How shared documents become not just work outputs but dynamic spaces for collaboration.

• Coming Up to Speed

  Navigating team dynamics: balancing structured documentation with adaptive flexibility.

• Top-down/Bottom-up

  Balancing top-down and bottom-up design fosters responsive, human-centered architecture.

• How to Compromise a Product Vision

  How Disney’s Carousel of Progress reveals pitfalls in preserving product vision over time.

• Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview

  An interview that reveals insights on turning tech into great products.

• It’s Not Complicated

  How Apple’s brave naming choices shape their products' identities and elevate their brand.

• Book Notes: “Make It New”

  On the evolution of design in Silicon Valley and its impact on today's tech-driven world.

• TAOI: Amazon 4-star Store

  Amazon's new 4-star store bridges online insights with physical retail.

• The War Room

  How war rooms enhance team collaboration and thinking by creating a shared context.

• Tag Your Stuff

  How hashtags streamline personal organization across your digital tools.

• A Human Queue

  Exploring how human interaction in queues offers insights for designing more empathetic systems.

• TAOI: Reverse-chronological Feed in Twitter

  How Twitter's shift back to a chronological feed improves conversation tracking.

• “Send Us the IA”

  How understanding client expectations shapes effective information architecture solutions.

• Aurelius Podcast Episode 29: "Design Ethics"

  How UX design can gain insights from architecture and adapt to change.

• Making the Place Your Own

  How personalizing our living and digital spaces reveals the interplay between design and adaptation.

• Mortar

  The connection between values matters more than the values themselves.

• UX Week 2018 Presentation

  Insights from my UX Week talk on how information shapes our environment.

• Where Are the People?

  How can we make beautiful, static websites feel as alive and human as social media?

• Book Notes: “Architectural Intelligence”

  How visionary architects shaped digital spaces, revealing lessons for today's info design.

• TAOI: Facebook “Things in Common”

  How Facebook's ""things in common"" might enrich connections by highlighting shared interests.

• Structure is Strategy

  How strategic structural choices influence business success.

• Recognizing the Need

  How designers identify and prioritize real client needs beyond mere business goals.

• Falling In Love (Again) With Your Work

  Rediscovering passion for my work by revisiting foundational texts.

• The Meaning Vampires

  How relentless reuse erodes the meaning of cultural signifiers.

• The Simplicity on the Far Side of Complexity

  Discover the beauty of clarity in complexity for lifelong growth.

• TAOI: Personalized Facebook Navigation Bar

  Facebook's mobile app will soon let you personalize your navigation bar shortcuts.

• Ad Hoc

  How managing ad hoc systems can lead to hidden complexities and balancing acts.

• Service Design Show Episode 54: "Ask Harder Questions"

  My chat with Marc Fonteijn covers why asking harder questions is key in service design.

• The Power of Labeling

  Transform ideas into manageable, concrete realities.

• Optimism

  Why optimism isn't naive: it's essential for clear thinking and effective design.

• TAOI: Facebook Groups Paywall

  Exploring Facebook's new subscription groups and the implications of paywalls in digital spaces.

• #1 New Release in…

  How Amazon's elusive ""New Release"" rankings affect perceptions of my latest book.

• Clarifying Distinctions

  Are you designing digital spaces? Clear distinctions matter.

• A Self-Saving World

  A call to action for contributing to a world capable of saving itself.

• Establishing Meaningful Distinctions

  Understanding how meaningful distinctions shape an effective information architecture.

• Transactional and Behavioral Change

  Subtle IA cues can drive both immediate and long-term changes in user behavior.

• Two Information Problems

  Navigating information environments: how to balance learning for novices and efficiency for pros.

• Tread Mindfully

  Understanding systems' purposes is key for effective, mindful design interventions.

• Why Don’t You Make More of X?

  How Eno's battle with fan expectations mirrors businesses grappling with innovation.

• Screens, Screens Everywhere

  How airport screens bombard us with stimulation, neglecting our quest for quiet moments.

• Changing Your Personal Information Environment

  Tweaking your digital toolkit can supercharge productivity but risks hidden costs.

• The Purpose of Computers

  Approaching computers as powerful tools rather than distractions.

• A Personal Information Architecture

  Organize digital chaos with aninformation architecture tailored to your needs.

• Consider the Avocado

  How avocado groupings reveal the complexities and responsibilities in information architecture.

• Working With Ambiguity

  How design thrives in ambiguity: essential traits and context for making sense.

• Podcast: Navigating Information Environments

  How you can reshape digital products to better meet user and societal needs.

• Book Notes: “Orchestrating Experiences”

  Navigating the complex world of design through collaboration and strategic coherence.

• "Living in Information" Now Shipping

  Celebrating the launch of my book.

• Enabling Transactions

  How architecture transforms transactions, from buying gum to online shopping.

• Information Architecture for Strategic Decision-making

  How harnessing information architecture can redefine your product strategy and decision-making.

• The End of Engagement

  Pivoting design metrics from engagement to alignment.

• Controlling Screen Time

  A new software feature invites us to reconsider how we engage with our devices.

• A Return to Email Newsletters

  How shifting from blogs to email has revived my interest in newsletters.

• TAOI: Nutrition Facts Labels

  How nutrition labels navigate our food choices and alter our eating experiences.

• The Cone of Uncertainty

  Plan for change in uncertain undertakings.

• Are We Really “Consuming” Digital Media?

  How we inhabit digital spaces disrupts traditional views of “media consumption.”

• How To Grow a Digital Business Without Sacrificing Its Soul

  Navigating growth without losing character in both bagel shops and digital realms.

• On Notices of Privacy Policy Updates

  On the fragmented state of our digital identities.

• If These Walls Had Ears

  The unseen impact of tech on our homes echoes early cinema's influence.

• Information Architecture as MacGuffin

  How redesigns act as catalysts for strategic conversations shaping organizations.

• Living in Information Now Available to Pre-order!

  Pre-order my new book!

• I Fight for the Balance

  Why designers must balance user needs with business goals.

• There's No Such Thing as Too Much Information

  Navigating information overload: context and timing are key.

• Bringing Others Into the New

  How to distill your groundbreaking ideas into clear, compelling concepts that resonate.

• Design at a Higher Level

  Understanding design beyond symptoms—uncovering and addressing systemic roots.

• How Do You Eat a Taxonomy?

  Helping executives understand the value of information architecture.

• Core Distinctions

  Understanding the value of distinctions, from websites to product lines, shapes user experience.

• The True Power of Design

  Understanding how design helps create order from chaos to create real change.

• Designers and Makers

  The Eames LCW chair exemplifies how deep material understanding fuels design innovation.

• Selling Design

  Navigating the balance between ethical design and salesmanship.

• Book Notes: “Dark Matter and Trojan Horses”

  Overview of a great book about strategic design.

• Real IAs Ship

  Connecting grand ideas to tangible products.

• The Next Larger Context

  Understand things in context to design more effectively.

• When the User is not the Customer

  Navigating design when users and customers aren’t the same group.

• The Power of Co-creation

  Bringing users into the design process can create better results.

• An Example of a Semantic Environment Map

  Exploring a semantic environment map through the nuanced context of the confessional.

• What a Medium Is

  Neil Postman reveals how technology shapes culture and society.

• It’s Not Just About Users

  Balancing user needs with organizational goals is key to impactful design.

• Book Notes: “Conceptual Models”

  Discover why crafting strong conceptual models is crucial before diving into UI design.

• The Role of Design in Strategic Decision-making

  How design helps leaders make strategic decisions with greater clarity and insight.

• The Strategic Value of Information Architecture

  How does information architecture untangle complexity to reveal strategic clarity?

• Design Strategy Inside Out

  How design has evolved from mere aesthetics to a core strategic driver in business.

• Why Doesn’t the New York Times Have a Digital Design Critic?

  Why isn't digital design critiqued like art or architecture in major publications?

• Craft and Philosophy

  Balancing craft and philosophy is crucial for meaningful design careers.

• A Pain With No Name

  How solid conceptual models bring clarity in design.

• The Abstraction Bell

  A technique for making complex concepts more relatable.

• Teaching IA in Chicago

  Exploring IA essentials and more while connecting with peers at the Chicago Summit.

• What is an Information Environment?

  How our interactions in digital spaces shape behaviors much like physical environments do.

• Two Phase Transitions

  My time with Futuredraft ends as I embark on a fresh independent consulting journey.

• Bringing Systems to Life in Fort Mason

  Bringing systems theory to life with hands-on learning.

• The Value of Mapping Semantic Environments

  Mapping semantic environments helps designers navigate corporate cultures effectively.

• Extraordinary Evidence

  How extraordinary claims in design, like UFO sightings, require extraordinary evidence.

• Design Systems and Emergence

  Balancing design rules with flexibility fosters systems that evolve effectively.

• Staying Relevant as a Digital Designer

  Focusing on enduring design principles keeps digital designers relevant amid evolving technologies.

• Fielding Ambiguity

  How embracing ambiguity can lead to professional growth and creative clarity.

• Responsibility

  Does responsibility in design burden or empower designers?

• TAOI: Twitter Bookmarks

  On a new Twitter feature that stands in contrast to 'likes.'

• Reports of My Death

  Google thinks I’m dead. The mix-up highlights “trust, but verify” in business.

• What Are You In Service To?

  Aligning your skills with your purpose transforms work into meaningful service.

• Event Report: WIAD Tampa 2018

  Exploring Tampa’s architecture and its role in shaping community identity.

• Team Moods

  How team moods can shape productivity and decision-making in challenging times.

• Know Your Materials

  Understanding your materials elevates design.

• Reducing Ambiguity in Labels

  Facing ambiguous labels? Perspective matters.

• Book Notes: “Planning for Everything”

  Fear and uncertainty hinder our planning; Peter Morville offers a better approach.

• Growing Your Area of Concern

  How expanding your perspective can lead to more principled and impactful design.

• Agency

  How embracing agency empowers designers to influence systems and create positive change.

• When Algorithms Don’t Know

  A near-missed flight teaches me a lesson about the gap between reality and data.

• The Smooth Handle

  How to tackle challenges with grace using Jefferson’s “smooth handle” strategy.

• The Stream

  How streams of endless digital curiosities shape our web experiences and perceptions.

• S/he With the Best Model Wins

  Understanding systems as models lets you act more skillfully and avoid disaster.

• Compromises and Constraints

  Charles Eames shares insights on embracing constraints without compromising integrity.

• Prescriptive and Descriptive Labels

  How restrooms' labels reveal the power dynamics between prescriptive and descriptive design.

• The Dream of a Single Inbox

  Navigating the dream and reality of a single inbox amid life's multiple contexts.

• Inside and Outside a System

  Are you designing the thing or its support networks?

• Structure and Change

  Information environments, unlike books, are always evolving and never truly ""done.""

• What Do We Mean by “Systems”?

  Understanding 'systems' through interaction design: how parts interconnect to serve a purpose.

• TAOI: Changes to Facebook's Newsfeed

  How Facebook's Newsfeed changes could alter user experience and impact businesses.

• How Do You Know It’s Good?

  Understanding ""good"" in projects means balancing diverse success criteria.

• The Flexibility of Structures

  How a stable yet flexible structure enhances the adaptability of educational systems.

• Theory and Practice

  Theory informs design practice, fueling insights and heuristics.

• TAOI: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

  Exploring how Netflix's unique labeling for Seinfeld's show challenges traditional TV structures.

• A New Adventure: Teaching Systems at CCA

  I'm teaching systems design — follow along as we dive into complex challenges!

• Invisible Technologies

  How ""invisible"" tech shapes our interactions and sense of agency in augmented contexts.

• Three Lessons From Oil Painting Class

  Learning about design from a different medium.

• Silver (Air)linings

  How air travel’s complexity reveals itself in unexpected ways during flight delays.

• Compassion in the Face of Redesign

  Facing chaos in my bookshelves taught me empathy for those navigating redesigns.

• Leaping the Inventory Wall

  A holiday checkout surprise reveals how smartphones empower users.

• Re-connecting With the Big Idea

  Re-discover the project's big idea by explaining it to fresh eyes, finding clarity.

• The Spatial Language of the Checkout Lane

  How retail spaces use spatial language to intuitively guide you to checkout.

• My Favorite Reads of 2017

  My top reads of the year, including books on tech and personal growth.

• What's My iPhone For?

  A walk without digital distractions unleashes musings on life.

• Setting the Tone With Navigation

  How navigation choices shape user experience and reflect designers' intentions.

• Out With the Old

  Adapting to change means knowing when to let go so you can evolve.

• Framing the Design of Digital Things

  How the frames we use to describe digital things shape their design and our interactions.

• Cybernetic Systems in the Designer's Palette

  How can cybernetic systems redefine design constraints like stealth aircraft did?

• TAOI: Twitter Threads

  Why build threads when we already have blogs for long-form ideas?

• The Power of Constraints

  There is great power in exploring the constraints of a design project.

• Mind the Knees

  How to gracefully connect ideas in your writing using ""knee plays.""

• Systems Everywhere

  How understanding systems can boost effectiveness in work and personal growth.

• What's the Purpose of Design Artifacts?

  Design artifacts are communication tools, not the design itself.

• Book Notes: "A Mind at Play"

  How Claude Shannon's quirky genius laid the groundwork for the Information Age.

• What's the Use of a Brick?

  Evolving LEGO pieces challenge our understanding of usefulness in design.

• TAOI: Windows 10 Tab Sets

  How Windows 10's new Tab Sets could redefine task-focused workflows across devices.

• None More LEGO

  LEGO's modular design teaches us about creating versatile, universally useful frameworks.

• Vision Before Refinement

  Clarifying a project's vision upfront ensures meaningful refinement and a unique market position.

• Thinking and Feeling

  Unlike digital spaces, physical architecture can move us beyond thoughts.

• "Information" in Navigation Labels

  Avoid this ambiguous term in navigation structures, where it seldom adds value.

• The Ladder of Abstraction

  Understanding the ladder of abstraction helps refine communication in information design.

• Walt Disney on Profits

  Quality trumps profit.

• Navigation Sets the Stage

  Creating navigation is about defining a world. Choose labels mindfully.

• TAOI: A Taxonomy of Trust

  How trust indicators can help combat fake news by enhancing transparency in journalism.

• Tools of the UX Trade

  How the right tools shaped Gehry's architecture and could revolutionize UX.

• TAOI: Google Maps's Evolution

  Exploring Google's strategic color and icon updates to enrich Maps' user experience.

• Drawing to Think

  How drawing can enhance your thinking and creativity, inspired by Christina Wodtke’s book.

• Talking With the Information Machines

  Users can struggle as they adapt to novel semantic environments.

• TAOI: Netflix's Micro-genres

  How Netflix's micro-genres reshape our understanding of movies.

• Begin With the Unmeasurable

  How design makes the unmeasurable tangible.

• Less

  How embracing ""less"" can amplify leadership and personal effectiveness.

• The Illusion of Precision

  ""Shitty first drafts"" help design projects fight the illusion of precision.

• Discoverability in the Age of Touchscreens

  Exploring the new challenges of discoverability as touchscreens redefine user interfaces.

• Metaphors Matter

  How metaphors shape our understanding and design of digital experiences.

• TAOI: RideMax

  How digital tech can alter our experiences of physical places.

• How to Change Things

  Fuller's wisdom on change: build new models, don't fight old ones.

• Design is Not About Making Things

  How design transcends mere object creation.

• Our Own Private Idahos

  How can we foster effective communication in a shifting digital landscape?

• Creating Context With Language

  How language shapes user understanding in navigation and labeling systems.

• Considering Category Names

  How naming categories impacts user's ability to find what they need.

• Opting Out of Poop

  Lawn signs as an example of binary categorization.

• TAOI: Apple Health

  How Apple Health exemplifies effective hierarchical taxonomy in modern information architecture.

• Deliverables

  How deliverables in design are misunderstood as ends rather than means to a better environment.

• Selling Information Architecture

  How to align stakeholder perspectives with the value of semantic structures in design.

• Book Notes: "Designing Regenerative Cultures"

  Our urgent need for redesigning systems through interconnectivity and regenerative principles.

• Maker Faire Wisdom

  A family visit to Maker Faire reveals timeless design wisdom on observing systems.

• Reputation

  How reputation governs change in information systems like Wikipedia.

• Worldview and Design

  How do our designs reflect and perpetuate the worldviews that created them?

• TAOI: Picadilly Lights

  How adaptive ads based on real-time data might reshape urban spaces.

• Screen Thinking

  How design tools shape our thinking.

• Substance

  Exploring the balance between elucidation and persuasion in information environments.

• Design is a Verb

  Design is an action, not an attribute or a noun.

• TAOI: WikipediaVision

  How WikipediaVision helps editors stay updated on dynamic changes in real time.

• Chasing Engagement

  Engagement isn't a primary goal; true value comes when user needs lead design.

• Alignment

  How design bridges organizational gaps, aligning diverse teams towards shared goals.

• A World Run by Synthesizers

  In a world flooded with data, synthesize wisely.

• Perpetual Prototyping

  How embracing a mindset of perpetual prototyping enhances systems design.

• Architecture and Identity

  How do Apple Park and LEGO House express corporate identity through architecture?

• Principles

  Clarifying principles can guide difficult design choices and anchor them in reality.

• TAOI: Koya Bound

  Discover how a beautiful animated map enhances understanding of a Japanese pilgrimage.

• Platforms and Ecosystems

  Why environments matter more than platforms in designing digital spaces.

• Book Notes: "The Architecture of Emergence"

  Explore how natural and cultural forms evolve, highlighting emergence as a universal phenomenon.

• Gall's Law

  When aiming to create complex systems, start simple.

• TAOI: Facebook's Article Context Button

  Facebook's new button adds article context to fight fake news—will users care?

• Prescriptive and Emergent Structures

  Balancing structure in environments: prescribed order vs. user-driven spontaneity.

• Pretended Order

  False order hides emerging order.

• Parti

  How a clear architectural concept brings coherence to complex environments.

• Breaking News

  In urgent events, chronological news feeds inform better than algorithmic ones.

• Sweet Spot

  A pen's design reveals insights about finding your personal ""sweet spot"" in life.

• Start With a Conceptual Model

  Starting with a conceptual model drives coherent design before diving into UI.

• The Strongest Form of System Resilience

  How self-organizing systems adapt to become more resilient.

• System Pliability

  Designing resilient systems means balancing change and stability for long-term viability.

• 140 Characters Are Enough for a Clear Vision

  How Twitter's lack of a clear vision hinders its potential as a vital civic tool.

• Conceptual Integrity

  Navigating stakeholder conflicts to maintain a coherent design vision.

• Platforms and Environments

  Why viewing digital spaces as ""environments"" changes design from tech-focused to people-focused.

• Living in Information

  How digital platforms shape our behaviors through architecture-inspired principles.

• Can We Build Community by Selling Our Attention?

  Can we truly foster community on platforms that profit by selling our attention?

• “Product” is the Wrong Framing

  Why thinking of digital platforms as 'products' may limit their potential.

• Buckminster Fuller's Mission Statement

  Inspiration for designers looking to make impactful systemic changes.

• The Object of Experience Design

  Unveiling the essence of UX design by contrasting it with other disciplines.

• TAOI: Android Oreo Notifications

  Android Oreo redefines notifications, balancing priority and clarity for smarter alerts.

• TAOI: Hoodmaps

  A quirky dive into how Hoodmaps reshapes urban exploration through biased categories.

• Architectural Bravado

  How Apple's stunning architectural feat contrasts with basic failures in digital design.

• Design as a Way of Knowing

  Design as a tangible way to explore possible futures.

• Questions for Mapping Information Environments

  How mapping questions guide clarity and connection in complex information systems.

• My Bookkeeper, the Information Architect

  How my bookkeeper helped me grok key IA principles.

• People, Not Users

  The language we use frames our understanding. Be careful with how you label the beneficiaries.

• Consistency and Coherence

  Understanding why coherence often trumps consistency in design for user clarity.

• Aspire to Ever-Fatter Markers

  How to track the evolution of your design career.

• The Only Important Thing About Design

  Design's value lies in its connection to human experience and needs.

• A a a a a​ Very Good Song

  Hacking a flawed information architecture.

• Leading Effective Co-Creation Sessions

  A workshop on how to lead more effective collaborative workshops.

• Why Workshops Don't Work (and What You Can Do About It)

  How the Value Creation Cycle can transform workshops into lasting change.

• How to Design New Information Environments That Don’t Suck

  Creating functional information environments means evolving from simple systems.

• From Strategy to Structure (and Back Again)

  Transform design by aligning strategy with structure to meet needs and foster coherence.

• 3 Placemaking Lessons From the Magic Kingdom

  UX designers need to know about placemaking, and Disneyland is a great example to learn from.

• Leaving Our Mark

  Exploring how software shapes our cultural landscapes and evolves our societal contexts.

• Leaving Your Mark

  How information architects can create enduring impact despite rapidly changing tech.

• Dejando Huellas

  How can we design digital products that stand the test of time?

• Prototyping the Future

  My conversation with Peter Morville on the core of planning effectively for the future.

• Euro IA 2016

  Join me in Amsterdam for a workshop and a presentation.

• The Smart Sketchbook Revisited

  A shift to iOS tools refines my sketching setup, blending digital and analog seamlessly.

• Why I Love the IA Summit

  Discover why the IA Summit is a beloved gathering for information architecture enthusiasts.

• Lands, Hubs, and Wienies

  Learn placemaking secrets from Disneyland to craft intuitive digital spaces.

• Architect Everywhere

  How digital products architect our environments and influence social dynamics.

• Architects Everywhere

  Discover how architectural thinking in IA helps design adaptable, effective products.

• Information Architecture Essentials

  Join me to uncover the essentials of information architecture for coherent digital experiences.

• IA and the Internet of Things

  My chat with Peter Morville at O'Reilly Design on IA's role in IoT.

• Dangerous Simulations?

  How do seamless virtual realities challenge our psyche and ethics?

• Information Architecture's Role in UX Design

  Mary Treseler and I delve into how information architecture shapes effective user experiences.

• … For Everybody

  My journey from architecture to tech and the pivotal role of IA in navigating change.

• Joining Futuredraft

  How joining Futuredraft merges my passion for info architecture with collaborative design.

• Give a Hoot! Mapping (and Caring for) the Semantic Environment

  How mapping semantic environments enhances information architecture.

• The Smart Sketchbook

  How a digital smart sketchbook bridges the analog-digital divide in my workflow.

• En Contexto

  How context shapes user interaction and leads to information design success.

• … For the World Wide Web

  How the timeless principles of Information Architecture extend beyond web navigation.

• Density in Information Environments

  Balancing information density is crucial for user experience; discover how to get it right.

• Book Notes: "The Magic Kingdom"

  Explore Walt Disney’s visionary impact on experience design and cultural synergy.

• Semantic Environments and Information Architecture

  How understanding semantic environments can lead to effective information architecture.

• Links, Nodes, & Order

  How to assess and enhance IA value, from crafting to ethics.

• "Good Fit" In the Design of Information Spaces

  How to apply Christopher Alexander’s design methods to create effective information spaces.

• UX Total

  A deep dive into information architecture and its impact on urban environments.

• Cómo Construir Esquemas de Navegación por Facetas en Drupal

  How faceted navigation can enhance user experiences in Drupal-powered systems.

• World IA Day 2012 Keynote

  My take on an evolving IA landscape.

• Architectures

  Exploring how designing digital environments mirrors architecture and impacts culture.

• Architecture As a Model

  How traditional architecture serves as a metaphor for crafting digital information spaces.

• UX Design and Architecture

  Architecture informs UX design beyond web aesthetics.

• The Opposite of User Experience Design

  Chaos in a Panamanian office underscores UX’s vital role in structuring interactions.

• Who is Jorge Arango's Hero?

  Wherein I reveal one of my heroes and core principles that have shaped my views.

• The IAI Vision project

  Honing the IAI's vision to rekindle passion and clarify its transformative role.

• Meet Your Peers

  Short video chats with IA experts reveal future career outlooks.

• Q: Why Does Good Design Matter? A: Trust

  Good design helps build trust with users.

• La Experiencia del Usuario y la Arquitectura de Información

  How information architecture enhances user experience design through structure and clarity.

• An Enlightened Taxonomy

  What we can learn from an 18th-century knowledge taxonomy.

• IA Summit 2007

  Exploring key insights from the IA Summit in Las Vegas — and a critique of the venue.

• Deep Context

  Uncover how contextual awareness shapes effective communication and web design.

• Joshua Prince-Ramus on the Architecture Design Process

  Insights into the design process behind the innovative Seattle Central Library.

• Book Notes: "Worldchanging"

  Exploring the disconnect between the beautiful design and values.

• UX: La Experiencia del Usuario

  Descubre los principios esenciales de la UX.

• The Chile IA retreat and encounter: My impressions

  Overview of a groundbreaking gathering of information architects in Latin America.

• Casual IA

  IA by non-experts can both help and hinder effective web design.

• Architecture as Cultural and Location Grounding

  How culturally-aware design can ground us amid global homogenization.

• The Post-Summit Blues, or IA Dissociative Identity Disorder

  Balancing dual identities at the IA Summit offers fresh perspectives on global challenges.

• Design and Games

  What we can learn from games about design thinking.

• Skip Intro

  Why flashy web intros can cost you business in the modern user-centric digital landscape.

• Thoughts on the Office 12 UI

  Office 12's new UI has implications for web design and application consistency.

• BootStudio: The First 10 Years

  Navigating challenges and accomplishments during my agency's first decade.

• Architecture Books

  Books that can enrich your information architecture practice.

• The IA Meme

  How can information architecture find its 'hit single' to capture public interest?

• Thoughts on Global Information Architecture

  Navigating cultural nuances to design systems that resonate across borders.

• Culture(s) & the IA Summit

  My reflections on multiculturalism and community bonding at the IA Summit.

• The Future of Information Architecture: A Retreat

  Exploring how defining problems transforms solutions.

• Organizational Structure and IA

  Is your organization centralized or decentralized? The answer will influence how your websites serve your users.

• Book notes: "The Art of Computer Game Design"

  Overview of a classic book that influenced my approach to design.