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The federal government's focus on clear and understandable writing is supported by www.plainlanguage.gov. The purposes and directives for the site have evolved since its origin, necessitating revision of the site structure. Teams of students and professionals worked through a five-phase framework to organize and manage the change process. Their strategy started with gathering data on stakeholders' priorities and what worked and didn't work on the existing site structure. The redesign team developed several personas representing various types of anticipated site users and their specific needs. They evaluated the collected data from these perspectives and identified real users' top tasks. To organize content semantically, the team developed a taxonomy with four primary facets and built out the taxonomy following standard principles of vocabulary control. Two taxonomy versions emerged, providing site navigational labels and metadata to mediate retrieval. The teams developed, tested and revised mock-ups until the final stage of the effort produced a new site design having an arrangement of text, labels, links and relationships that better supports the site's new mission as the design continues to evolve. INSET: Personified Clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author's experience over years shows how the transience of shifting contexts and the desire to rush into new information structures can easily lead to failure. In one instance, midlevel managers understood the value and possibilities of structuring information to serve end users, but they were overridden by executives who insisted on developing a portal, the current trend, at the expense of a public facing website. Strategic decisions made without full understanding of the problem are doomed. Information architects must take an active role helping clients navigate the structure of information. They must communicate the importance of asking strategic questions to understand the audience, purpose and context of a website under development and then clarify the priorities and necessary actions to achieve the goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an interview with the author, Eric Reiss discusses his contributions to information architecture, including his recent book, which explores usability from two angles. He breaks down the topic into 'ease of use,' focusing on physical interaction, and 'elegance and clarity,' addressing psychological aspects, each with five simple subtopics. The analysis lends itself to client presentations and to teaching students. Reiss prompts all to look at how well any product functions and at any website to consider its success on aspects including function, ergonomics, convenience, logic and predictability. Contemplating the foundations of his work, he traces his interest in usability back to redesigning a rocking horse as a three-year-old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an interview with the author, Eric Reiss discusses his contributions to information architecture, including his recent book, which explores usability from two angles. He breaks down the topic into "ease of use," focusing on physical interaction, and "elegance and clarity," addressing psychological aspects, each with five simple subtopics. The analysis lends itself to client presentations and to teaching students. Reiss prompts all to look at how well any product functions and at any website to consider its success on aspects including function, ergonomics, convenience, logic and predictability. Contemplating the foundations of his work, he traces his interest in usability back to redesigning a rocking horse as a three-year-old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports several issues of information architecture (IA). It highlights several definitions of information architecture as given by the IA Institute, Dan Klyn, and Dan Brown, wherein the Institute defines it as the structural design of shared information, the art and science of organizing and labeling websites to support usability, and as the community of practice focused on the principles of design and architecture to digital landscape. It also features Nick Finck's online discussion for the 11th Annual IA Summit. In addition, the author introduces several articles in the journal including one on Keith Instone and Andrea Resmini on the "Research and Practice in Information Architecture: Current Relationships" and one by Nathaniel Davis.

For Thom Haller, an icy spinout in a new truck and frustration with a user manual raised the issue of perceptual affordance, design based on the perceived needs of a user. An object's design ideally serves its user, being visible and clearcut to avoid error, yet design snafus abound. The vehicle manuels's verbal references to four-wheel drive were circuitous and uncertain, and the illustration was no more helpful. Both failed to provide a direct answer to the user's's question about how to enable four-wheel drive or meet reasonable expectations for guidance. For informationarchitects, usability is primary,delivered through sensible and logical placement of information and understandable terminology.Our job is to make the complex clear, and the need is everywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Thom Haller, an icy spinout in a new truck and frustration with a user manual raised the issue of perceptual affordance, design based on the perceived needs of a user. An object's design ideally serves its user, being visible and clearcut to avoid error, yet design snafus abound. The vehicle manuels's verbal references to four-wheel drive were circuitous and uncertain, and the illustration was no more helpful. Both failed to provide a direct answer to the user's's question about how to enable four-wheel drive or meet reasonable expectations for guidance. For informationarchitects, usability is primary,delivered through sensible and logical placement of information and understandable terminology.Our job is to make the complex clear, and the need is everywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be successful, the process of information architecture should be consistent with the needs, understandings and priorities of the client. The client's existing landscape includes the full context of factors that can impact a project. Any new addition to the set of known influences has the power to derail or at least delay the project. Any lack of shared knowledge and understanding about such elements can undermine work as planned or accomplished. To avoid surprise requirements and unworkable delays, user experience professionals must keep their eyes on the full landscape and be alert to unexpected obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mysterious change in the background information architecture of Facebook resulted in the author apparently going silent. His disappearance was traced back to a wrong choice among the revised privacy options. The classification labels were ambiguous, not clearly differentiated, and offering no definition, leaving the user uncertain which to use. The labels All and Public were open to misinterpretation, and the distinction between two option groups was similarly vague. The example illustrates problems that arise when information architects fail to fully consider the implications of clustering certain kinds of information, the relationships between clusters and the appropriateness of labels to reflect the content. The example illustrates information architects' unending challenge to make the complex clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mysterious change in the background information architecture of Facebook resulted in the author apparently going silent. His disappearance was traced back to a wrong choice among the revised privacy options. The classification labels were ambiguous, not clearly differentiated, and offering no definition, leaving the user uncertain which to use. The labels All and Public were open to misinterpretation, and the distinction between two option groups was similarly vague. The example illustrates problems that arise when information architects fail to fully consider the implications of clustering certain kinds of information, the relationships between clusters and the appropriateness of labels to reflect the content. The example illustrates information architects' unending challenge to make the complex clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on the blog post of a student announcing that the term information architecture (IA) is dead. He states that he was not impressed on the writer's argument since the label IA was offered by Richard Saul Wurman for clarity, and that he saw the limits in the meaning of the word designer. He also says that he is not bothered if other people avoid the label IA, and that he uses the label "teacher" and "communication consultant" for the client's language. Moreover, he tells that he understands the importance of IA based from his experiences in a travel system. Furthermore, he mentions that they must spend time on educating others in the importance of information structure rather than decrying the death of IA.

The government site www.plainlanguage.gov espouses the use of clear and understandable writing in documents developed for citizens. Since its inception and careful information architectural crafting in 2006, it has gone through changes, including a change in responsibility for site maintenance. Recently, a legislative mandate has created unexpected new requirements for the site that the present implementation does not meet, resulting in criticism from frustrated users. With a different purpose and audience for the site, the original information architecture--no longer effective--will be revamped to meet changing needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a situational analysis of the author regarding his garden landscape in Washington, D.C. He narrates that he invited a landscape architect for the condominium building where he operates a studio. He comments that the project failed because he did not participate as a client with his contractor who focuses on the plan. He reflects that it was not just a garden that he wanted and that he needs a product. Moreover, he concludes that when providing information architecture services, he should listen better to hear the client's want.

The article shares the author's views on how to gain perspectives through allowing the students to structure information in the U.S. He notes the importance of reflecting on the visual and structural choices and understanding the communication product from another perspective in order to create a good user experience. He mentions the significance of focusing and concentrating on others experience to fully understand the users perspectives and translate it to and for others. He infers the need to explain perspective to business thinkers because success lies in the ability to get to the other person's point of view.

The article presents the author's views on the importance of human performance for information architects to help humans do what they need or want to do. According to the author, improving the performance makes good business and performance can be improved through the improvement of information structure. He states that benchmarking is the heart of performance thinking and it helps information architects determine whether changes in information structure enable humans to accomplish what they want to as well as helping them to understand the consequences of good or flawed performance. He suggests that information architects should understand what performers need to know, what is best supported and what is better referenced.

The author examines the profoundness of the impact of information architect's work on the field of information architecture. Personally, the author is attracted to the field of information architecture because he is attracted to the profound impact available to practitioners in the filed. He asserts that as information architects they create deliverables or products they provide to communicate design. He believes that the profound impact of the work of an information architect takes place when someone is using a product or a deliverable.

The article discusses the author's views on being an associate editor for information architecture of the "Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science & Technology." He explains how he got the job of being an information architect. He also outlines the eight Ps of information architecture which guide him throughout his career including performance, perspective and presentation. He cites the book "Human Competence," by Thomas Gilbert to explain how information structure can help people do their jobs better.

This issue's special section delves into issues in information architecture and usability (IA/UX), ranging from the theoretical and conceptual to the practical. Authors explore the fundamental nature of information and evolving designs to support its complexity and translating patterns in semantic space to the screen and interface. The value of metaphors is shown for demonstrating information architecture to clients, while visual images can help illustrate the process. Last, an interview with Eric Reiss reveals the noted IA practitioner's thoughts on explaining usability to clients and his new publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on how to help improve information architecture of practitioners with the help of information professionals. The author says that information professional, which need to embrace strategies that would support and influence others. It also mentions tables that would guide or direct practitioners in writing information structure.

Recollections of an information architecture class focusing on user experience brought out the importance of understanding context. One site overhaul project revealed internal problems rising from contrasting views of the stakeholders. The project served as a lesson about choices in site content and structure made by information architects to support end user information needs and organizational goals, rather than showcasing creative designs and personal preferences. Information architects should ask themselves how their choices differ when working with an organization that is clear about its goals for supporting knowledge, not simply presenting data without meaning or purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers author's insights on the Plain Writing Act passed at the 111th Congress on September 2010, which aims to improve the accountability of U.S. federal agencies by promoting clear communication. It says that the Act will allow several individuals, such as information architects, content strategists, and writers, to produce materials that best meet the needs of audiences. Moreover , the Act will encourage government writers to think differently on the information that they publish.

The article profiles Richard Saul Wurman, keynote speaker at the 2010 Information Architecture(IA) Summit. It mentions that Wurman holds a special place for those who practice information architecture, in which he identified as limited perceptions of the word design. In his speech during the IA Summit, he relates the information architecture within the framework of his journey from not knowing to knowing. He also emphasized the audience of the inherent structures in information.

The article presents the author's account on the development of the web site www.plainlanguage.gov. When Thom Haller moved to Washington, D. C., he learned to familiarize himself with the language of government. The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) began to put together federal resources filled with guidelines for writing clearly. The web site www.plainlanguage.gov succeeded at bringing clarity in one place but it was difficult in accessing the information. In 1998, he was teaching information architecture students who then got involved with the redesigning of the web site in 2002.