The "How" of Enterprise Information Architecture
Summary
Enterprise IA problems are rarely caused by tricky information architecture. Instead, people and organizational problems manifest in bad IA. Sarah will share tools you can combine in different ways to help move your individual IA strategy forward.
Key Insights
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Information architecture involves three core models: navigation, content (object), and information (taxonomies/metadata).
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Most IA professionals rarely create traditional site maps; they focus on structural models instead.
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The biggest challenge for IA in enterprises is not designing better systems, but getting organizational buy-in and ownership to implement changes.
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A concrete, well-defined goal with clear final steps and resource needs is vital to making things happen in large organizations.
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The political stream (internal worries and priorities) must align with problem and solution streams for successful change initiatives.
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Enterprise change often requires working through product managers or backlog owners rather than relying on top executives like the CEO.
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Small, visible wins (like installing a consistent header) can unlock momentum for bigger, more complex IA improvements.
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IA experts need to understand organizational mechanisms and politics without losing their critical perspective or desire to improve things.
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Building early credibility by being helpful on small tasks helps foster trust and support from other teams like developers.
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UX and IA practitioners need to engage deeply with business realities and technical systems to have meaningful conversations and collaborate effectively.
Notable Quotes
"My job wasn’t to do good IA, it was figuring out how to be allowed to do good IA."
"The intellectually honest answer to most questions about information architecture is, I’m not sure, or it depends."
"Getting from terrible to not terrible is often more challenging than going from good to delightful."
"You can’t make anyone else care. We’re asking the wrong question."
"Windows of opportunity happen when problem, solution, and political streams align."
"Nobody cares about IA. If they did, they’d be IAs or at this conference."
"No amount of power is enough to make a wide-ranging agenda move forward on its own."
"If I do my job right, you never decide what goes in a dropdown again."
"This header took six minutes of IA work—but two years to make happen."
"Enterprise scale is what makes this hard, but also what makes it really satisfying."
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