Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
We hear a lot of talk about “digital transformation.” But isn’t that what we’ve been doing since the Web emerged in the late 1990s? Why is this still so aspirational for so many organizations? In his consulting practice with Factor, Bram Wessel sees first-hand how enterprise-scale organizations are awakening to the reality that the information itself that drives experiences and gets implemented in technologies —the Information Layer, if you will— is increasingly a tangible organizational asset. As such, it’s as critical as any other kind of infrastructure. Bram joins Lou to ponder where we’ve been and where we might be headed in the realm of enterprise information architecture.
Key Insights
-
•
Information architecture evolved through three eras: technology, experience, and now the information era.
-
•
Early enterprise IA efforts were often undervalued, seen as an afterthought to implementing technology like CMS.
-
•
The information era recognizes information as a core organizational asset with real fiscal and strategic value.
-
•
Successful IA requires organizational alignment combining grassroots practitioners and senior champions.
-
•
Governance and a clear roadmap are critical to maintaining evolving information models within enterprises.
-
•
E-commerce taxonomy cannot simply be copied from merchandising structures; customer-facing navigation needs different taxonomies.
-
•
Many large organizations operate multiple unaligned information architectures across various systems causing costly data quality issues.
-
•
Enterprise IA maturity can be modeled in five stages from accidental silos to mastery with continuous improvement.
-
•
Taxonomy and ontology management tools like Synaptica, PoolParty, and Semaphore enable flexible, shared information models.
-
•
Fast-paced agile environments require parallel tracks for production and information strategy development with stable onboarding processes.
Notable Quotes
"There was a naive belief that just implementing content management systems would automatically make great experiences possible."
"We’re entering an information era because information itself is infrastructure and has actual monetary value."
"You need both a bottom-up and a top-down approach to achieve organizational alignment for information architecture."
"Customers can’t buy products they can’t find, and often that’s because product content isn’t related to non-product content."
"Organizational information models need to grow and be managed, not treated as static deliverables."
"Our role often feels like being information therapists – understanding pain and helping clients align their information."
"The first stage we see is the accidental stage with silos and no consistent information across the organization."
"Mastery means information is a strategic asset with quantifiable equity central to business identity and operations."
"You don’t need everyone to agree on every term, but you need governance to decide roles and approvals."
"In agile, you can’t move fast and break information strategy; you need a parallel track to feed changes into production."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"People don’t want a quarter inch drill, they want a quarter inch hole."
Jim KalbachJobs To Be Done
February 25, 2021
"Clear, straightforward language paired with progressive disclosure helps overcome skepticism and greenwashing fears."
Mike Brzozowski Laura Palotie Steve Isley Nancy TsangUX in everyday products: Empowering climate conscious choices
July 17, 2024
"The researchers' role includes coaching, mentoring, and leading research efforts, not just doing research ops."
Smitha Papolu Nova Wehman-Brown Melissa Schmidt Adam MenterTheme 3 Discussion
June 4, 2019
"Product managers often see design work as a black box and want transparency and accountability."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
"Working with designers as stakeholders means we get very direct, point-blank feedback, which makes design decisions more efficient."
Caitlyn Hampton Monica Lee Jina YoonCompass 101: Growing Your Career In A Startup World
June 11, 2021
"The hardest thing with hypotheses is looking for the disconfirming evidence, not just the confirmatory."
Andrea GallagherThe Problem Space
May 16, 2019
"Just because you can solve a hard technical problem doesn’t mean you’re solving a real problem for real people."
Jonathon ColmanHow to Maximize the Impact of Content Design
January 8, 2024
"Please don’t chop off that engine until the new one is built because you are not the only one on this plane."
Laura KleinUnique challenges of innovation in enterprises
April 23, 2020
"Most users don't know what they want until you show it to them."
Prayag Narula Hannah HudsonEmpowering Designers to do Good Research
March 11, 2022
