Information Architecture is a relatively new phenomenon. We usually understand architecture as pertaining to buildings, so the term information architecture might seem a bit weird at first. However it denotes something very similar as in its original sense: it means planning out the structure of information in a Website. It also means in colloquial sense “cleaning up the mess”. Information architecture is the way to find jewel in a whole bunch of junk.
Planning out the structure of information is very important, because if we produce and share a piece of information, we want to make it valuable to other people. However due to a large amount of information, people and contexts we need to provide it with a certain structure to make it accessible, and searcheable. That means laying out how certain pieces of information are connected with each other, what the information is about and for whom it can be relevant.
As information can mean many things to different people, an information architecture usually also takes into account the context in which it is shared. At the same time, as the number of contexts is infinite, an information architect usually specializes on the group of people and their goals for whom information is intended or brings more value.
Information architects are people who build the bridge between a vast array of users and their needs and the objective bits and pieces of information, therefore they are invaluable for the proper functioning of the Web and are milestones of the good user experience.