Information Architecture
Information architecture (IA) has its roots in library sciences and information design. It is the art and science of organising information to help people effectively fulfill their information needs. IA involves investigation, analysis, design and implementation of organisation, labeling, navigation, and search systems, often in the context of large websites, knowledge bases and intranets.
There are two approaches to developing information architecture: bottom-up and top-down. The approaches inform each other and they are often applied in tandem. Bottom-up information architecture deals with content and the tools used to leverage that content: content types are identified, content objects are created and procedures developed. Top-down information architecture starts from the context of the content and user needs, and deals with access to and usage of the content: page types are defined and mock-ups are created.
Managing information at an enterprise level adds extra dimensions to the usual IA. Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) is concerned with large, often physically distributed organisations, such as large corporations or government agencies, in which “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand’s doing”. Managing information at an enterprise level will involve other aspects than mere classification and organisation of information: it also involves departmental separations, alignment to business drivers, maturity in the information process and technological infrastructure.
To start improving a large organisation's ability to process information, you need answers to five fundamental questions:
- What information is being classified for distribution and access?
- Why do we invest in information management: what are the business drivers?
- Who is taking care of information management: what organisational structure is needed to support it?
- How is information managed: what processes exist to manage the life cycle of information?
- Where is the information located: which technology stack is used to support the information life cycle?
Namahn has created an EIA framework to tackle these questions and to practice information management at an enterprise level. The framework consists of four layers:
- Classification of information
- Taxonomies, faceted classification, metadata, search …
- Governance
- The organisational structure required for EIA, the business drivers, the assessment of your organisation's maturity in information processing (IPMM)
- The information life cycle
- A five-step decision model: create, review, approve, keep, share
- Technology
- Where information is located, and which technology layers are used to support the information life cycle (technology stack: mail, shared drives, intranet, team sites, line of business applications…)
Resources
The Information Architecture Institute is a non-profit volunteer organisation dedicated to advancing and promoting information architecture. Founded in 2002, the Institute has about 1500 members in over 80 countries.
SIG-IA is the ASIS&T special interest group for practitioners, researchers, and educators working in the multidisciplinary areas of information architecture. ASIS&T also sponsors and runs the annual IA Summit.