Information Architects
by Allan Hoffman
Among dotcom-era job titles, information architect is notable for its staying power. But the relatively new status of this job role presents both challenges and opportunities for information-architect wannabes. After all, the work an information architect does is not as easily described as that of a coder or network engineer.
The Information Architecture Institute, a professional organisation formerly known as The Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture, defines the field as "the structural design of shared information environments" as well as "the art and science of organising and labeling Web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability." Information architects (IAs in industry speak) often work closely with software and Web teams but typically focus on navigation schemes and usability rather than pure design or hard-core coding.
