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Hello, IA enthusiasts!
World IA Day 2025 happened earlier this month on March 8th. This year’s 14th edition brought together communities in 23 different locations around the world. We also shared Andrea Resmini’s global keynote on YouTube and Vimeo.
As a follow up to Andrea’s keynote presentation, we’re hosting the WIAD25 Global Keynote Q&A Panel on April 14th. You’ll find more info in the newsletter.
In this newsletter, you’ll also find some great reading tips, upcoming online events, and resources in our community. Keep reading!
Warm regards,
Grace Lau & Xander Roozen Co-President team, WIAA |
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Join Us: "Everything Flows" Panel Discussion with Andrea Resmini |
Monday, 14 April 2025 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern |
Continue the conversation from Andrea Resmini's thought-provoking WIAD 2025 Global Keynote! Join us for a dynamic panel discussion exploring how Information Architecture is evolving beyond websites into the blended physical-digital spaces where we live and work.
Hear perspectives from diverse IA practitioners as they discuss making complex systems clear in an AI-driven world and reshaping IA practice for tomorrow's challenges. Moderated by Nate Davis, this 90-minute virtual event includes audience Q&A. |
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Weinberger, David. Everyday Chaos: Technology, Complexity, and How We’re Thriving in a New World of Possibility. Harvard Business Review Press, 2019. https://everydaychaosbook.com/.
Building on his earlier work in "Everything Is Miscellaneous," David Weinberger reinforces that information naturally resists clean categorization because everything is connected in multiple, complex ways. For information architects, the book encourages a shift from trying to perfectly predict and control information flows to creating resilient, adaptable systems that can thrive amid complexity and change. |
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World IA Café conversations |
In March, our regular World IA Café session is being replaced by the special "Everything Flows" Panel Discussion with Andrea Resmini (14 April) as a follow-up to the WIAD 2025 Global Keynote.
Our monthly Café conversations will resume in the coming months. |
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Taxonomies in Content Graphs: The importance of taxonomies in building graphs by Ian Piper
25 April 2025
Piper will share how SKOS taxonomies serve as the essential "semantic glue" in content graphs, solving the challenge of disconnected content assets. Through taxonomies, information professionals can enhance content findability, relationships, and business value in graph environments. This session delivers techniques for content design, a real-world taxonomy development case study, and entity extraction methods to connect content with concepts. |
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We're looking for a Community Moderator! Help shape the future of Taxonomy Talk by becoming our community moderator. This volunteer role involves facilitating discussions, coordinating speakers, and helping grow our taxonomy community. Apply or email TaxonomyTalk@worldiaday.org for more information. |
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Resources and Development in the Community |
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Since our last newsletter, we have been saddened to learn of the passing of Vicky Teinaki. Her work on "A plea for the lost practice of information architecture" which we shared last month and her many contributions to service design remain valuable to our community. We extend our condolences to their family, friends, and colleagues. Those who wish to learn more about Vicky's life and legacy can visit their tribute page. |
Vicky uses the Winchester Mystery House as a metaphor for the chaotic results of building digital products without a solid IA foundation. She traces the decline of IA, attributing it partly to shifts in UX design roles and the prioritization of iterative development over upfront planning. |
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Here are 4 tips and resources we’ve come across that might inspire you in your work with information architecture and content strategy. We hope you find them helpful! |
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Technical communication and user experience have a deeply intertwined history, with technical communicators bringing a user-centered approach and valuable skills to UX; however, they often face challenges in recognition and integration within the UX field. To further understand the crucial role of organizing and structuring information for optimal user experience, explore the principles and practices of information architecture through the lens of technical communication. |
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Stephen discusses the Scottish Government's exploration of object-oriented user experience (OOUX) to achieve better information structuring, drawing parallels with how humans learn through objects and the success of object-oriented interfaces. This human-centred approach, aligning with fundamental cognition and proven UI patterns, offers a user-centric way to organize digital content for more intuitive and effective systems. Applying object-oriented UX principles to information architecture can lead to better information structuring. |
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Intercom undertook a major redesign of their product's information architecture to address navigation issues caused by growth, using user research and collaborative mapping. The restructuring process focused on making navigation more intuitive through user research and iterative prototyping. Achieving clarity in IA is not just about reorganizing elements but about deeply understanding user needs and iterating collaboratively to create a structure that feels natural and supports growth. |
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Information Architecture professionals face diminishing influence despite their critical role in digital ecosystems. To reclaim relevance, The Understanding Group (TUG) proposes that IA practitioners must adopt the product management playbook: measuring success, aligning with organizational goals, and communicating in the language of business value. By quantifying their contributions, IA specialists can secure their rightful place as essential contributors to digital product success. |
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From our Community Partners |
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The Information Architecture Conference will be in Philadelphia! Connect with IA leaders, practitioners, and thinkers for workshops, talks, karaoke and polar bear walks. Registration is now open—Workshop and registration is open until April 29. Register with "FRIEND50" for USD 50 off. |
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As 2025 continues, it’s clear that artificial intelligence (AI) has become more than just another buzzword. It’s reshaping the landscape of user experience (UX) design. In fact, there are many exciting opportunities arising in the UX field because of advancements made with AI. But how do we navigate this shift toward an AI-oriented future while also being mindful of its shortcomings? |
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Abby Covert offers a fresh perspective, moving beyond traditional metrics to help you understand if your work is truly helping people make better sense of things3 . This guide breaks down what measurement in sensemaking really means, emphasizing the importance of tracking both what you can count and what you can observe |
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The World Information Architecture Digest is a monthly global newsletter featuring Information Architecture perspectives and resources for learning and professional development, as well as general news about the association behind World IA Day. |
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