Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Second Edition

Chapter 17. Making the Case for Information Architecture

Wherever information architecture is happening or could be happening, someone is trying to decide whether or not the pursuit is worth the investment of resources. And they need a lot of convincing. You, as an information architect, must be prepared to make a case for what it is you do.

You Must Sell

Perhaps you haven’t ever found yourself trying to sell information architecture to a client; that’s what the sales folks do, or if you’re an in-house information architect, your boss worries about this, not you. Your job is to just show up and generate those blueprints and wireframes. If this describes your attitude, skip this section. (But don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself unemployed.)

When it comes to others’ perceptions of information architecture, be prepared to change negative thinking into positive. Most people still haven’t heard the term “information architecture,” many don’t think it’s real or worth their attention, and many simply don’t understand the value of anything so “fuzzy,” especially when compared to concrete things like, say, the intensively marketed software tools that promise to solve their problems.

Some people do recognize the value of information architecture, but don’t know how to convince their colleagues. And others implicitly recognize its value in theory, but simply don’t yet have the practical experience to tell the people in charge just how valuable it is compared with the many other ...