Information Architecture: A Brief History to Where It’s Going

Edwin Ho
Edwin Ho
Jul 30, 2017 · 4 min read

One of the oldest systems for organized history dates back to 330 B.C. ancient Egypt’s Library of Alexandria which consists of content in a 120 scroll bibliography. In more recent modern times, libraries have come up with the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress Classification were developed to better organize and access ever-growing library collections.

Humans have been organizing and systemizing information for millennia long before the computer and internet. However, when the computer and internet came along, there were rapid influxes of information that had to be organized and systemically differently than previous methodologies.

Hence, Richard Saul Wurman, best known today for being one of the creators of the Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conferences, coined the term “information architecture” at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference in 1976. He also published a book on the topic in 1997. His new term was a more accurate description for the systematic approach to how systems of information work. [sources: TED, Knemeyer, Wurman]

His insight and knowledge eventually led to more general acceptance of his framework within companies within Silicon Valley area and thus sparked the movement for information architecture which would eventually allowed other thought leaders to build upon and contribute upon it.

The Information Architecture Institute is a non profit organization dedicated to furthering the field of information architecture. They explain IA in a concise quote:

“Information architecture is about helping people understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for, in the real world as well as online.” [source: IAI]

In other words, information architecture is the creation of a structure for a website, application, or other project, that allows us to understand where we are as users, and where the information we want is in relation to our position. Information architecture results in the creation of site maps, hierarchies, categorizations, navigation, and metadata.

The 1990s saw the explosive growth of computational power, the rise of the internet and the formation of the world wide web. Information storage was no longer limited to clunky machines and paper books. Information could now be stored, created and distributed across the world in distributed networks nearly instantly.

As the internet grew to serve consumer needs, information architecture became the foundation by which the immense amounts of data would be structured for human needs and understanding.

Web developers and designers sought clear standards from which they could structure their websites. The 1998 technology book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web won numerous awards for its attempt to standardize and apply the practice to web development.

IA continues to be an integral and foundational role in web development and user experience design.

So here begs the question: Where is Information Architecture going in the future especially as the technology and information and more complexity progresses?

Several experts within the industry seem to share have a common view which is that Information Architecture will be still be an integral methodology to the process of the user experience and user interface design process.

As designers and information architects map user’s requirements and business goals on Information Architecture, it solves various project.

  1. Reduces vagueness.
  2. Blueprint for the design project.
  3. Communication tool with business stack holders and also with the team.
  4. Constructive process.
  5. It’s advisiable to start design once all stack holder approves the Information Architecture.

As one expert, Peter Morville, who co-authored the seminal book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web add his thoughts on the future of IA:

“At a deep level, information architecture is medium-independent. A domain can be defined by words, categories, objects, and relationships. But to be useful in the world, an IA must bridge the gap between ontology and interface. We must design systems for navigation, interaction, and engagement. These pace layers are changing at different rates, so while it’s clear information architecture will remain relevant, what it will look like isn’t clear at all.

Our companies, communities, and societies are struggling to manage complexity. Unfortunately, when faced with too much information, people often panic. They cling to old ways, engage in divisive politics, and rely on the sure-to-fail quick fix. To break this cycle, we need to encourage systems thinking…” [Source: IAI]

Citations:

Article Title: What is Information Architecture? | IA Institute

Website Title: What is Information Architecture?

URL: http://www.iainstitute.org/what-is-ia

Article Title: Complete Beginner’s Guide to Information Architecture | UX Booth

Website Title: Complete Beginner’s Guide to Information Architecture

URL: http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/complete-beginners-guide-to-information-architecture/

Publication Date: 2015–12–22

Article Title: History of Information Architecture — How Information Architecture Works | HowStuffWorks

Website Title: How Information Architecture Works

URL: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/information-architecture1.htm

Article Title: The Present and Future of Information Architecture — Timothy Jaeger — Medium

Website Title: The Present and Future of Information Architecture

URL: https://medium.com/@timj/the-present-and-future-of-information-architecture-4fc07ac9fe7f

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