xBlog: The visual thinking weblog
22nd March 2007

Information architecture is not dead, it’s just sleeping

“I have been to every IA Summit (the first was in 2000), and I’m going to this one with more trepidation than any I have been to before. While I don’t accord with the sensationalist notion that “information architecture is dead,” I do fear that it is in a deep sleep. And I’m concerned that the leadership within the field of information architecture are doing little to nothing to really advance the field. For me, an acute sign of this, and the particular cause of my trepidation for this summit, was the cancellation of “Learning Interaction Design from Las Vegas” pre-conference session. This was to be given by three leaders in the field of user experience — Steve Portigal, Bill deRouchey, and my colleague at Adaptive Path, Dan Saffer. It was a brilliant concept — using the location of Las Vegas as material for a day-long workshop on user research and interaction design. Sadly, it fell victim to market forces.”

posted in Information architecture | Permalink | Comments Off

22nd March 2007

Tufte’s Intelligent Designs

“When information needs to be communicated, Edward Tufte demands both truth and beauty… But what inspires Tufte is more than aesthetics. Galileo’s observations, recorded in nearly 12,000 pages, marked an intellectual revolution. No longer was knowledge the dictate of church authorities, kings or the acolytes of Aristotle. Theories could be tested—doctrine could be upended—by what the eye can see. As Tufte sees it, what makes evidence beautiful isn’t artistry. ‘It’s all about discovering and telling the truth,’ he says.”

posted in Information design | Permalink | Comments Off

22nd March 2007

19 Things NOT To Do When Building a Website

“I’ve compiled a small list (or rant) of some very basic and fundamental rules that all webmasters must learn and respect when developing a website that needs to make actual money. This list can also be used by companies looking to hire a web development firm or to evaluate an already deployed website project.”

posted in Web design, Web development | Permalink | Comments Off