Defining the Damn Thing

Defining information architecture is a reccuring theme in all IA forums, and frequently leads to re-naming efforts as well, from information therapist to experience designer. This page is dedicated to that ongoing struggle.

Lombardi, Victor, Tal Herman, Eric Scheid, Sunir Shah, Christina Wodtke, John Paul Fullerton, Keith Tatum, Karyn Young and Rob Manso. IAwiki (2004). Articles>Information Design>Professionalism

Designing for Web Services

Many technology companies, consultants, and academics are hyping the future of Web services. But how will this background transfer of data between applications affect the user experience?

Lombardi, Victor. New Architect (2002). Design>Web Design>Content Management>User Experience

The Evolving Homepage: The Growth of Three Booksellers

What lessons have we learned about how design improves the interface between customers and companies? Perhaps we can start by asking how websites have actually changed over time, and from that we can learn how websites should change in the future.

Lombardi, Victor. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design

Incorporating Navigation Research into a Design Method  

A presentation about whether an underlying spatial metaphor aids information design usability.

Lombardi, Victor. Information Architecture Summit (2004). Presentations>Information Design>Usability

Managing the Complexity of Content Management

Content management systems suck. Or so you would think from the strife heard from analysts and practitioners alike. And yet, many websites regularly publish vast amounts of information with superior control and ease compared to manually editing pages.

Lombardi, Victor. Boxes and Arrows (2004). Design>Web Design>Content Management

Pattern Languages For Interaction Design  

Discusses Christopher Alexander's theories about a group of related design patterns, referred to as a 'pattern language.'

Lombardi, Victor. Razorfish (2000). Design>Information Design>Metadata

Smarter Content Publishing: Building A Semantic Website to Increase the Efficiency and Usability of Publishing Systems

The web is not print. The need to create hypertext within pages requires more control over documents. Another is that web pages can also be applications, so access to the 'guts' of the page is needed to insert programming code. And ideally, we would like to separate presentation from content, enabling us to format the content in different ways for different purposes. How can we achieve all this with the efficiency and usability we've come to expect of other publishing tools?

Lombardi, Victor. Digital Web Magazine (2002). Design>Content Management>Web Design

The (Unfulfilled) Promise of Content Management Systems  

Be realistic about your needs. Use the right system for your needs. Err on the side of a smaller system. Accept the consistency/flexibility tradeoff. Devote extra time to information architecture. Build a modular design with reusable content. Standardize process and design elements as much as possible. Don't neglect the content in favor of (sexier?) IA and technology.

Lombardi, Victor. AIfIA (2002). Articles>Content Management