Analyzing the Analysts

An information architecture analysis of top business analysts' web sites.

Fox, Chiara and Keith Instone. Argus Center (2001). Articles>Content Management

Argus Center for Information Architecture

The Argus Center for Information Architecture works to define and advance the evolving discipline of information architecture. The Argus Center serves as a focal point for learning about the theory and practice of information architecture. Towards this goal, we: manage a selective collection of links to the most remarkable content, events, and people in our field; produce original articles, white papers, conferences, and seminars that draw from the experience and expertise of the Argus team; conduct research, independently and through partnerships, focused on improving our collective understanding of information architecture.

Argus Center (2001). Organizations>Information Design

Big Architect, Little Architect

First came the primordial soup. Thousands of relatively simple single-celled web sites appeared on the scene, and each one was quickly claimed by a multi-functional organism called a "webmaster." A symbiotic relationship quickly became apparent. Webmaster fed web site. Web site got bigger and more important. So did the role of the webmaster. Life was good. Then, bad things started to happen. The size and complexity and importance of the web sites began to spiral out of control. Mutations started cropping up. Strange new organisms with names like interaction designer, usability engineer, customer experience analyst, and information architect began competing with the webmaster and each other for responsibilities and rewards. Equilibrium had been punctuated and we entered the current era of rapid speciation and specialization.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Web Design>Interaction Design>Project Management

Defining Information Architecture

What is information architecture? Is it a nascent field or a flash in the pan? What does an information architect do? Are you an information architect? Am I? Is that the right label for our discipline? Do labels and definitions matter?

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design

An Ecological Approach to Design

This talk will explain how to use ecological design, which is an expansion of ethnography, to leverage both the rich local information from case studies, and a wider sociological perspective to take account of global realities.

Nardi, Bonnie A. Argus Center (2000). Presentations>Information Design>Knowledge Management

Educating the Information Architect

The good news is that the job market for information architects is exploding. Searches on sites like Monster.com regularly turn up 200 to 300 postings for "information architects." From consulting firms like Argus and Scient to e-businesses like LookSmart to Fortune 500's like Cisco, everyone is desperately seeking information architects. The bad news is that there's no established educational degree program geared specifically to meet the needs of aspiring information architects.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Education>Information Design

The Ethics of Information Architecture

Are you aware that the practice of information architecture is riddled with powerful moral dilemmas? Do you realize that decisions about labeling and granularity can save or destroy lives? Have you been designing ethical information architectures?

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>Ethics

Evaluating Information Architecture

This white paper explores the why's, what's, and how's of evaluating a web site's information architecture. It aims to raise consciousness about the evaluation of IA and to provide: 1) Web site owners and other decision-makers with an understanding of evaluation issues; and 2) Information architects with a synthesis of evaluation techniques.

Toub, Steve. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>Assessment

An Information Architect's Manifesto

Information architects of the world, unite! The environment has changed. Now, so must we!

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2001). Articles>Information Design

Information Architecture and Business Strategy

Information architects need a good understanding of business strategy and its relationship to information architecture.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>Management

Information Architecture and Ulcers

Being an information architect can be stressful. There are certain points in the design process that are more stress-inducing than others.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>Project Management

Information Architecture Glossary

This glossary is intended to foster development of a shared vocabulary within the new and rapidly evolving field of information architecture. It should serve as a valuable reference for anyone involved with or interested in the design of information architectures for web sites, intranets and other information systems.

Hagedorn, Kat. Argus Center (2000). Resources>Information Design>Glossary

Information Architecture of the Shopping Cart

This white paper explores the principles of design for process-oriented information architectures by illustrating the best practices in the design of e-commerce ordering systems commonly referred to as 'shopping carts.'

Bidigare, Sarah. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>E Commerce

Lessons Learned from the Dot.Com Crash: A Passenger's Story

Describes the inner workings of the dot.coms during the high-speed transition from irrational exuberance to outright panic.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2001). Design>Web Design>History

Little Blue Folders

The Web is big. A billion pages big, according to a recent study by Inktomi and the NEC Research Institute. It's the ultimate testing ground for information retrieval technologies. If your search engine can automatically bring order to this overwhelming global mess of stuff, just think what it can do for a single web site or intranet.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Design>Web Design>Search

Software for Information Architects

Information professionals have a love-hate relationship with technology. We love IT because it has made our jobs necessary by enabling the creation and connection of tremendous volumes of content, applications and processes. We hate IT because it constantly threatens to replace the need for us.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2001). Careers>Information Design>Software

Information Architecture and Personalization

This white paper demonstrates the use of information architecture components as a foundation for thinking about personalization. After defining the information architecture components, it describes a model that combines the components into a complete personalization system. This model could be used to guide your personalization system development methodology, evaluate a set of personalization systems, or merely to give you the terminology to help you communicate about personalization.

Instone, Keith. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Information Design>Web Design>Personalization

Retail Ecologies, E-Commerce, and Information Architecture

This white paper discusses information architecture in terms of retail ecology theory and how it translates to e-commerce. It begins by defining what a retail ecology is, and then discusses how the information architecture of e-commerce sites can change for four different types of retail ecologies.

Schleicher, Dennis and Jennifer Kush. Argus Center (2001). Articles>Information Design>E Commerce

Salaries and Benefits for Information Architects

The Argus Center for Information Architects received 229 responses to this survey, which ran from January 3 through January 10, 2001.

Argus Center (2001). Careers>Salaries>Information Design