I’ve been framing information architecture since 1994 via articles, books, games, talks, prezis, and consulting. So you might expect this article to be about the taxonomy of farm animals or the structural design of farm websites. But it’s not. Our strengths are our weaknesses, and my early success in framing information architecture blinded me to […]
Keep readingCrisis Information Architecture
This is a daughter-father collaboration. Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture and user experience. Claire Morville is a senior at the University of Maryland iSchool and works at the Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab. We exist in a liminal era of crisis. In the whole of climate change, ecological collapse, mass extinction, cultural stress, […]
Keep readingEmancipating Information Architecture
I hope to free information architecture from the shackles I helped to forge. Since 1994, I’ve been speaking and writing on this topic, most famously as co-author of the polar bear book, and mostly I’ve framed IA as a professional practice in service to business. I make no apologies. This focus on corporate IA has […]
Keep readingGentle Change
This is an edited transcript of a talk I had the privilege of giving at World IA Day (video) and at the IA Conference (vimeo, ppt, otter). Questions and suggestions (@morville) are welcome. Hello! I’m Peter Morville, and I’m so happy to be able to speak with you about gentle change. This is a personal talk, and […]
Keep readingTomorrow’s Architects
I had the honor and privilege of giving the STC Summit opening keynote in Denver, Colorado, and receiving the award of STC Honorary Fellow. Slides are here. This is an edited transcript. Hello! I’m so happy to be here with you to talk about information architecture and the organization of time, but first I want to tell […]
Keep readingPaths and Goals
An excerpt from the last chapter of my new book, Planning for Everything. I dream of a world guided by stories rooted in the revelations of science and framed with an indigenous worldview. – Robin Wall Kimmerer Niccolò Machiavelli never wrote “the ends justify the means,” but that’s one way to interpret The Prince. Some see it as satire […]
Keep readingHow to Plan for Design (and Why)
My new book is about planning for everything from websites to weddings. My workshop and this article focus specifically on how to plan for design and how to explain why it matters. I realized that why and how are inseparable. We thought we’d closed the deal on a six figure, nine week project, when our client asked “what […]
Keep readingRealizing the Future
An excerpt from the first chapter of my new book, Planning for Everything. One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world. – Malala Yousafzai We are several hundred feet into the cave when Claudia whispers in the dark “I’m so mad at you for bringing us here.” I’m not surprised. It’s my […]
Keep readingPlanning for Disruption
Planning is impossible and essential. We can’t predict the future in a complex, uncertain world, yet we do it all the time. We plan our days, weeks, projects, meetings, vacations, births, marriages, careers, and retirements. Often, as we hate uncertainty, we ignore it, then learn the hard way even the best laid plans are subject […]
Keep readingInformation Architecture Consulting
I’ve been an information architect since 1994, and every so often I find it useful to reflect on what I do. When I last pondered my practice five years ago, the context had shifted dramatically. Mobile, social, and search (SEO) were the key drivers. Since then, change has been subtle, more organizational than technological. Teams have struggled to […]
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