![[information architecture]]
To me, IA is about systematically removing barriers to understanding. That may involve tactical IA – creating controlled vocabularies and organization systems that foster data quality at a systems level. Or it may involve strategic IA – understanding complex systems through research, modeling those systems, and designing processes and programs to promote clarity and access in an information space.
Architecting information requires understanding:
1. how to manipulate digital objects in information systems, andÂ
2. how to organize and represent those objects in meaningful ways;
So that:
1. the business can maintain and develop the information, and
2. information is more accessible, relevant, and useful to the user.
There are also many more [[Information Architecture Definitions|definitions of information architecture]].
## IA concepts
### Basic concepts
[[Data Information Knowledge Wisdom hierarchy]], [[The Information Architecture domain]], [[The infamous three circles of IA]]
### Tactical IA concepts
organization, labeling, search, [[navigation]]
### Strategic IA concepts
information management, [[governance]], [[information strategy]], [[research]]
### Tools of the IA trade
[[taxonomy]], [[ontology]], [[knowledge graph]], [[content inventory]], [[Concepts/metadata|metadata]], [[modeling]], [[language]], [[IA is a way of seeing]], [[ambiguity]]
### How IAs work
Nate Davis has identified a [[Information Architecture Common Set|common set]] of skills and tasks that IAs do on any project. It is derived in part from his work on the classical and contemporary [[IA Schools of Thought]].
## IA Resources
- [[Information architecture resource list]]
## Books about information architecture
- [[Books - Information Architecture|Information Architecture books]]
- [[Books - Navigation and Search|Navigation and Search books]]
- [[Books - Information Behavior|Information Behavior books]]
- [[Books - Taxonomy, Ontology, Organizing Information|Taxonomy, Ontology, Organizing Information books]]
## Information Architecture Conference notes
- [[IAC24]]
- [[IA Summit History notes|Links to previous IA conferences]]
- More coming soon...
## Taxonomy
- [[Taxonomy Resources]]
## Navigation
- [[Navigation menu order largely doesn't matter; what does matter is consistency]]
- [[Effective navigation comes down to brand, consistency, and utility.]]
- [[Designing Web Navigation - Optimizing the User Experience]] (book)
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**Relates to**: [[information architecture]]