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What the heck 
is an 
Information Architect? 
(and more importantly, why do I care?)
What?
THEM: What do you do…? 
ME: Um, well, I’m an 
Information Architect. 
(pause) 
THEM: So… uh…
Do you…
Do you… 
Make it 
pretty?
Do you… 
Make it 
pretty? 
No, that’s a Web Designer
Do you…
Do you… 
Write 
the code?
Do you… 
Write 
the code? 
No, that’s a Developer.
THEM: 
Uh… 
OK… 
So…
Do you…
Do you… 
Manage that 
backend 
STUFF?
Do you… 
Manage that 
backend 
STUFF? 
No, that’s a Data or Systems Architect.
THEM: 
Wait… 
So what DO you DO?
And I tell them…
Information 
Architect
Website 
Information 
Architect
Architect 
Website 
Information 
Architect
Architect 
Website 
Information 
Architect 
Building
Just to be clear…
But this really is mine…
Back to the 
building analogy…
4bed/3bath 
Idea
4bed/3bath Blue Prints 
Idea
4bed/3bath 
Idea 
Currency 
Transfer 
Blue Prints
4bed/3bath 
Idea 
Currency 
Transfer 
Blue Prints 
Wireframes
And why 
do you care?
Because… 
an 
Information Architect 
can make your life easier.
•BA/PM/Planner: 
An IA can help you consider and plan 
for all scenarios. 
•Dev: 
An IA can help answer your questions 
about what was intended. 
•QA: 
An IA can help you determine test 
scenarios.
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art 
UI 
Spec
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art 
UI 
Spec 
Dev
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art 
UI 
Spec 
Dev QA
Process 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art 
UI 
Spec 
Dev QA
IA’s Artifacts/Deliverables 
1. Wireframes (Wires) & 
Flow Diagrams 
2. UI Specification 
Document
Wireframes (wires)
Wireframes (wires)
Wireframes (wires)
Wireframes (wires)
Wireframes (wires) 
•Determine hierarchy of data 
and functionality 
•Consider where you 
want eyes to go 
•Predict user behavior 
•Plan for permutations 
•Consider process flow 
•Based on Biz Reqs
UI Functional Specs
UI Functional Specs 
Idea
UI Functional Specs 
Idea 
Biz 
Req
UI Functional Specs 
Wires 
Idea 
Biz 
Req
UI Functional Specs 
Wires 
Art 
Idea 
Biz 
Req
UI Functional Specs 
Wires 
Art 
Specs 
Idea 
Biz 
Req
UI Functional Specs
UI Functional Specs 
•Call out specific behavior 
•Provide IF/Then scenarios 
•Account for errors 
•Accounts for permutations 
(that may not be present in 
original art 
•Helps fill in any holes that 
might exist from original 
planning.
Process Recap 
(as seen from an IA perspective) 
Idea 
Biz 
Req 
vetting Wires Art 
UI 
Spec 
Dev QA
Stuff for us to figure out together: 
When to 
engage 
an IA 
How this 
process 
marries into 
your existing 
processes 
How IA 
deliverables 
can be 
tweaked to be 
more useful 
to you 
Where do 
docs live 
When’s 
lunch 
QA

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What is an Information Architect?

Editor's Notes

  1. Title page
  2. First, let’s talk about the what…
  3. Sometimes I’ll be talking to someone while I’m standing in line for coffee…
  4. Or maybe having a cocktail at a cocktail party… And the small talk goes something like this:
  5. An information architect…
  6. Is to a website
  7. As an architect
  8. Is to a building.
  9. Just to be clear, I’m not REALLY comparing myself to FLW.
  10. But this really is my design/architecture
  11. Say you’re building a home - you start out with an idea…
  12. You’ll work with an architect to turn that idea into blue prints.
  13. The same goes for a business idea.
  14. An information architect will help turn that idea into a “blue print” or wireframes
  15. IA deliverables: Wires and specs
  16. IA deliverables: Wires and specs
  17. Let’s talk about wireframes.
  18. The purpose of wireframes is to “sketch out” an idea. It can be on a napkin.
  19. I sometimes do a pencil sketch first and the go to visio.
  20. Flow diagrams can also be important at this stage. Sometimes, as I work on the flow diagram, I find I need to alter the wires to accommodate more scenarios.
  21. What wire frames are and why they’re a good thing.
  22. UI Functional Specs deal more with specifying behavior.
  23. Let’s recap how we get to functional specs…
  24. Idea to business requriements
  25. Biz reqs to wires
  26. Wires to art
  27. Art to UI functional specs
  28. A bigger picture of the UI functional specs
  29. What UI specs are and why they’re a good thing.
  30. IA deliverables: Wires and specs
  31. Final slide