IA Conference 2019
The 2019 IA Conference, organized with the help of the IA Institute, took place March 13th through 17th, 2019 in Orlando, FL. Over fifty speakers covered a diverse range of topics relating to information architecture from practical hands on experiences to high level frameworks. Once again the experience exceeded all expectations in bringing together practitioners from around the world.
Sketchnotes from Own Your Story by Donna Lichaw
Own Your Story
Donna Lichaw’s opening keynote started off the IA Conference on Friday morning. Using her story as a framework she laid out ways in which we can take charge of our own narratives. Instead of reacting to the circumstances around us we can be proactive in creating the career that we want.
Slides
https://www.donnalichaw.com/iac
Web Site
Sketchnotes from I’m a Taxonomist (and So Are You) by Bob Kasenchak
I’m a Taxonomist (and So Are You): Vocabularies as Gateway
It is easy when looking at a project to get lost in the trees. Bob Kasenchak urges us to instead look at forest and take a broader view when designing our taxonomies and ontologies. By placing ourselves in the middle of the universe instead of thinking how it revolves around the domain we can expand our thinking.
Web Site
http://www.theiaconference.com/session/im-taxonomist-can-vocabularies-gateways/
Sketchnotes from The Psychology of Information Avoidance by Dr. Corinne Novell
The Psychology of Information Avoidance
“No news is good news” as the saying goes. In this presentation Dr. Corinne Novell examines the reasons why people may seek to avoid feedback online by looking at research. Her talk delves into the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset as well as how a positive or negative outlook may change outcomes.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Telltale Techniques: Applying Storytelling to Enhance Information Architecture by Erik Chuk and Sara Hayden
Telltale Techniques: Applying Storytelling to Enhance Information Architecture and User Experience
Erik Chuk and Sara Hayden present a framework for thinking about the user journey as a narrative experience. Working around the conceptual model of the story arc their presentation lays out ways in which information architects, user experience designers, and anyone building an experience can reframe the process of the user’s flow through information environments.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Data Through Time and Space by Kristen Carter
Data Through Time and Space
In this case study Kristen Carter talks about how the Getty Provenance Indices are undergoing a major redesign to embrace linked open data. Some of the challenges are presented along with findings and solutions as this work in progress moves to completion. Whether it be a machine or a human how can information be surfaced to reveal new relationships and further research.
@KritticalHit
Web Site
https://www.theiaconference.com/talk/data-time-space-case-study-designing-event-based-linked-data/
Sketchnotes from Five Ways to Perform User Research in the Enterprise by Patrick Neeman
Five Ways to Perform User Research in the Enterprise Without Talking to a Single User
Sometimes the luxury of user research is something that can’t be afforded due to time or scale constraints. In this presentation Patrick Neeman lays out five ways in which people can still gather information to build informed solutions. From reusing existing patterns to studying adjacent problem spaces his foundation allows anyone to begin building more user centric experiences.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Signal vs Noise by Ha Phan
Signal vs Noise
More and more information is being produced every day. The sheer amount of content means that some trust must be placed in machines to infer meaning. Yet how do you train a computer to understand what is meaningful and what is just background noise? In this case study from her work at GoPro Ha Phan challenges information architects to consider the relationship between signals, noise, and how it impacts interaction.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Disrupting the Status Quo: People Centered Design by Eduardo Ortiz
Disrupting the Status Quo: People Centered Design
When Eduardo Ortiz takes the stage you know that it will be both entertaining and highly challenging. Here he reflects back on his career path and current projects to demonstrate how information architects, user experience practitioners, and designers in general can truly make an impact on the world.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Escaping Flatland: The Spatial Turn and Information Architecture by Dan Klyn and Andreas Resmini
Escaping Flatland: The Spatial Turn and Information Architecture
When Dan Klyn and Andreas Resmini take the stage you know that some serious knowledge is about to be dropped on the audience. Despite their attempts to compress a huge idea into a mere thirty minutes their framework has left me with hours of reflections. Whether it be through Heidegger, James Joyce, or the Big Lebowski this dense presentation lays the groundwork for a fundamental shift in the way that we view information architecture as a practice.
Slides
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QgaJSzV80Mj78lGG1cQ4jHDE4EESryT0YYPpZCkqwsk/edit
Web Site
https://www.theiaconference.com/session/escaping-flatland-spatial-turn-information-architecture/
Sketchnotes from Stop Being a Designer: What We Can Learn from Comic Book Creation About Collaboration by Troy Parke
Stop Being a Designer: What We Can Learn from Comic Book Creation About Collaboration
As part of Disney’s team Troy Parke architects amazing and memorable experiences for visitors. In this session he reflects on his passion for comic books to build a framework for thinking about ways in which we can turn our product teams from collaborators into co-creators using story telling, reuse of patterns that work, and thinking visually about our processes.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Conversations with Robots: Voice, Smart Agents, and the Case for Structured Content by Andy Fitzgerald
Conversations with Robots – Voice, Smart Agents, and the Case for Structured Content
As humans we are good at contextualizing the world around us based on visual information. Machines, on the other hand, are only as good as the data they are provided. In this session Andy Fitzgerald demonstrates how thinking about your content in an atomic and structured way can enable a better experience for all users - whether they be coming through the web site, through a voice agent, or discovery via search engines like Google.
Article
https://alistapart.com/article/conversations-with-robots
Web Site
Sketchnotes from Using Navigation to Reframe What’s Possible by Anita Cheng
Using Navigation to Reframe What’s Possible
As an information architect for the city of San Francisco Anita Cheng builds services to better the lives of residents. In this case study she examines how her work rethinking a housing portal might lead to better outcomes for underserved residents by making real change. By getting buy in, visualizing the end goal, and knowing our limitations information architects can make a true impact on society.
Web Site
https://www.theiaconference.com/talk/using-navigation-re-frame-whats-possible/
Sketchnotes from Citizen Centric Information Architecture by Alysson Franklin
Citizen Centric Information Architecture
Christopher Alexander says that complexity is a great problem. In this session Alysson Franklin expands on how he has tackled solving it while revising the information architecture of the state of Ohio’s digital services. His case study serves as a good framework for anyone dealing with large scale systems that span hundreds of departments, web sites, and end points while being citizen focused.
Web Site
https://www.theiaconference.com/talk/citizen-centric-information-architecture/
I’m Feeling Lucky: Building Great Search Experiences for Today’s Users
As head of NPR’s product design team Daniel Newman manages experiences such as NPR One. Here he reflects on the challenges of building search that gets users to the content they want whether it be through a traditional search box, a voice query, or even virtual reality. By demanding better metadata and putting humans behind the algorithms we can ensure that people’s needs are met.
Web Site
Sketchnotes from I’m Feeling Lucky: Building Great Search Experiences for Today’s Users by Daniel Newman
Sketchnotes from IA from Truth by Lou Rosenfeld
IA for Truth
In the closing plenary Lou Rosenfeld wraps up another excellent conference by urging the community to do some reflection. Look at yourself, look at the community, and look at the world. Whether it be “Big IA” or “Little IA” how can we be forward thinking about the role of information architecture in the environment around us.