Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 3rd Edition

Chapter 17. Making the Case for Information Architecture

What we’ll cover:

The unavoidability of selling

The ROI case for information architecture

The fallacy of ROI thinking when it comes to information architecture

Other ways to make the case for information architecture

The value of information architecture: a checklist

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 that person often needs a lot of convincing. You, as an information architect, must be prepared to make a case for what you do.

You Must Sell

Perhaps you’ve never 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. 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 ...