Article Idea:
Succeeding at IA in the enterprise
suggested by James Robertson on 2006/03/29
As information architects, the core of our profession rests on the analysis of information, the identification of structure, the creation of taxonomies and site maps, and the development of wireframes and user interfaces. These skills are well-honed, and we play a significant role in the design and creation of many systems, from websites to web 2.0.
Working within organisations, in the enterprise, we are confronted with new challenges. There is a lack of clarity around needs and goals, organisational issues are paramount, and the real challenge is making things happen and getting users to adopt the new solutions.
This is the focus of what is often called “enterprise IA”, the application of information architecture in complex business environments. To be successful in these situations, we need to bring to bear a set of skills and strategies that focuses much more on people than on information.
This article explores some of the approaches needed to ensure that we are successful at implementing IA within organisations, with the goal being to encourage further discussion in the community about these issues.
Topics covered:
* business strategy * understanding staff * organisational change * technology * working with others
(This article has been prompted by the author’s involvement in the panel on enterprise IA at the recent IA Summit in Vancouver.)
Want to see this idea turned into a story?
6 people said yes. | 0 people said no.
Louis Rosenfeld
7 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/29 @ 21:06PM with
Hey, we need more coverage of EIA; I’m glad that James is willing to take the plunge and contribute something to B&A. I look forward to reading it.
James Melzer
4 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/29 @ 21:48PM with
JamesR’s people-first message is an excellent place to start B&A’s coverage of EIA.
Gene Smith
2 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/29 @ 22:27PM with
Great suggestion. Strategy, staffing and managing IA (and UX in general) are important topics.
Jess McMullin
38 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/29 @ 22:55PM with
I’d like to hear James’ thoughts on the topic – not only is EIA important as a practice, it also shows patterns of working across the enterprise, whether we’re designers, IAs, or otherwise involved in the process of creating great user experiences. Developing this business fluency is critical for effective work at the intersection of business goals and user needs.
Dan Brown
1 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/30 @ 08:46AM with
James’ thoughts on EIA could be just the thing the field needs to galvanize this topic. His approach seems suited to those people who are familiar with the challenges, but may be only just starting to address them at the enterprise level.
Tom Reamy
35 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/30 @ 21:00PM with
This looks like a good start to discussing an important and interesting topic, EIA. Look forward to more.
Billie Mandel
0 Reputation points
Posted 2006/04/01 @ 23:33PM with
I’m convinced that EIA skills are the ingredient most often needed by IAs to make sure the “usable” systems we work on are actually *used*. Can’t wait to have more discussion.
Rob Fay
2 Reputation points
Posted 2006/04/03 @ 11:44AM with
I’ve been an IA discussion “lurker” but have been fascinated with EIA and its implications.
I believe EIA can be quite strikingly compared to Thomas Davenport’s “Information Ecologist” metaphor – that being that EIAs should analyze an organization’s:
-strategy
-politics
-staff
-processes
-architecture
I look forward to reading James’ thoughts.