Information architecture: Theory and practice

Taught at: Information architecture summit 2009. Memphis, Tennessee
Workshop date:

This full day workshop will provide you with a thorough overview and understanding of information architecture theory & practice. It will cover a wide range of IA issues, including an understanding of how it fits into a project, fundamental skills & knowledge required for IA work and current IA issues. It will be theoretical and practical and allow you to immediately apply ideas to your projects.

This workshop will cover:

  • What information architecture is and how it relates to other user experience disciplines
  • Core IA techniques – analysing content, conducting user research, card sorting and more
  • Core IA theories – classification, categorization, metadata & labeling
  • IA structures – hierarchies, database and other structures
  • Designing navigation & page layouts
  • Putting it together in an IA project
  • Current issues in IA

The workshop will be at the level of an ‘advanced intro’, covering the basics and also allowing exploration of key challenges and issues. The format is a combination of short lectures, group discussion and hands-on activities. Extensive notes and resources will be provided for further personal exploration.

After the workshop, the participants will have:

  • An understanding of fundamental IA concepts and issues
  • An understanding of processes and techniques often used in an IA project
  • Hands-on experience with key techniques
  • Shared skills with other practitioners