Amazon.com:
What
is
an
information
architect?
Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:
An
information
architect
is
the
person
responsible
for
how
an
information
system
(such
as
a
Web
site
or
intranet)
is
navigated,
searched,
labeled,
and
organized.
The
information
architect
takes
the
lead
in
creating
a
"structure"
that
enables
graphic
designers,
programmers,
copywriters,
production
staff,
and
others
to
develop
and
maintain
the
site.
The
information
architect
needs
to
achieve
an
insider's
view
of
what
the
goals,
content,
functionality,
and
audiences
are
for
the
site
while
serving
as
an
outsider
who
can
advocate
for
the
site's
users
and
rise
above
organization
politics.
In
terms
of
disciplinary
background,
we're
strong
believers
in
library
and
information
science,
the
field
we
come
from,
but
there
are
many
other
information-focused
disciplines
that
are
also
good
sources
of
information
architects.
Really,
if
someone
has
developed
a
Web
site
on
their
own,
they've
served
as
its
information
architect
by
default.
Our
goal
with
this
book
is
to
make
people
conscious
of
this
role
and,
we
hope,
to
help
them
do
a
better
job
of
architecting
their
sites.
Amazon.com:
You
begin
your
book
with
a
call
for
"Consumer
Sensitivity
Boot
Camp."
Can
you
describe
the
Boot
Camp
and
tell
us
where
you
think
the
need
stems
from?
Rosenfeld and Morville:
The
Boot
Camp
is
really
a
short
but
important
exercise
designed
to
get
our
clients,
most
of
whom
are
champing
at
the
bit
to
write
HTML,
design
graphics,
and
code
applications,
to
stop
and
remember
for
a
moment
what
it's
like
to
be
a
user
of
a
Web
site.
Most
Web
sites
fail
because
their
developers
have
succumbed
to
the
very
strong
temptation
to
do
"cool
stuff."
The
Boot
Camp
gets
developers
to
articulate
what
it
is
they
love
and
hate
about
other
Web
sites;
besides
helping
to
develop
a
consensus
design
philosophy
for
our
clients,
this
exercise
reminds
us
all
what
it
is
like
to
be
frustrated
users.
This
sensitivity
to
users'
needs
can
then
inform
the
development
process.
Interestingly,
this
exercise
seems
less
relevant
with
our
more
experienced
clients.
For
them,
the
sexiness
of
Web
development
has
worn
off.
They
deal
with
frustrated
users
every
day.
They
have
now
become
frustrated
developers.
They
have
bought
in
to
the
novel
concept
of
planning
a
site
before
leaping
ahead.
However,
even
these
very
experienced
folks
aren't
always
prepared
for
how
hard
it
is
to
plan
and
architect
a
site.
To
make
this
challenge
less
intimidating
to
these
savvy
clients,
we've
had
to
develop
a
whole
series
of
exercises
that
go
beyond
the
Boot
Camp.
Amazon.com:
You
drive
home
the
point
that
it's
important
for
site
users
to
have
a
mental
model
of
the
underlying
structure
of
the
site.
Why?
Doesn't
a
hierarchical
"user
mental
model"
contradict
the
inherent
lack
of
structure
available
through
hypertext?
Rosenfeld and Morville:
The
very
human
ability
to
form
mental
models
or
"memory
palaces"
is
essential
to
our
ability
to
navigate
through
our
daily
lives.
In
order
for
me
[Peter
Morville]
to
make
the
drive
from
my
home
in
Ypsilanti
[Michigan]
to
my
office
in
Ann
Arbor,
I
must
draw
upon
my
mental
model
of
the
geography
between
home
and
office,
a
model
that
includes
buildings,
parking
lots,
and
roads.
Mental
models
tend
to
be
simplified
versions
of
reality,
capturing
only
the
major
elements
necessary
to
get
you
from
point
A
to
point
B.
They
also
tend
to
be
formed
subconsciously.
We
don't
usually
plan
to
build
a
mental
model,
and
we're
often
not
aware
we
have
them.
However,
they
are
critical
to
efficient
navigation
of
both
physical
spaces
and
information
spaces.
In
the
absence
of
a
mental
model,
we
are
forced
to
rely
on
maps,
signs,
and
other
navigation
tools.
The
interpretation
of
these
external
models
takes
time
and
energy,
slowing
down
the
navigation
process.
Consider
the
added
time
it
takes
to
navigate
an
unfamiliar
city,
even
with
the
best
maps
and
street
signs.
Users
are
constantly
visiting
unfamiliar
Web
sites
and
must
struggle
to
understand
how
each
site
is
organized
and
where
to
find
the
information
they
need.
As
information
architects,
we
strive
to
design
sites
that
enable
users
to
quickly
form
a
mental
model
of
the
information
space.
Hierarchy
is
the
most
simple
and
familiar
way
we
organize
information.
From
family
trees
to
the
animal
kingdom
to
the
corporate
"org
chart,"
we
are
constantly
dividing
information
spaces
into
categories
and
subcategories.
Users
can
quickly
form
mental
models
of
hierarchical
information
spaces
by
recognizing
the
familiar
tree
structure
and
forming
an
implicit
understanding
of
how
to
navigate.
Hypertext
can
be
leveraged
successfully
to
complement
an
information
hierarchy,
enabling
navigation
options
that
cut
across
multiple
levels
and
branches
of
the
underlying
tree
structure.
However,
it's
important
to
balance
the
goal
of
added
flexibility
with
the
danger
of
overwhelming
complexity.
Add
too
many
hypertextual
navigation
options,
and
the
user's
mental
model
will
turn
to
spaghetti.
In
general,
hypertext
should
be
used
to
complement
rather
than
replace
hierarchy.
Amazon.com:
You
make
a
good
point
that
the
cliché
information
superhighway
caught
on
because
of
its
value
in
translating
the
idea
of
the
World
Wide
Web
into
a
well-known
real-life
example.
What
do
you
think
are
the
merits
and
disadvantages
of
metaphor
in
Web
design?
Rosenfeld and Morville:
Metaphors
are
wonderful
tools
for
enabling
communication
and
creativity.
The
term
information
architecture
itself
draws
from
the
familiar
world
of
physical
space
to
introduce
the
concept
of
creating
navigable
information
spaces.
We
often
encourage
our
clients
to
consider
metaphors
during
the
conceptual
design
phase
of
Web
site
and
intranet
development
projects.
Thinking
about
opening
a
virtual
bookstore
or
digital
library
can
generate
quite
a
bit
of
excitement
and
some
great
ideas.
However,
we
rarely
recommend
the
integration
of
a
strong
metaphor
into
the
actual
design
of
a
site.
We've
seen
too
many
examples
of
metaphors
that
mislead,
limit,
or
reflect
poorly
on
the
organization.
During
the
design
process,
these
metaphors
become
constraining
and
can
ultimately
hamstring
the
designer.
Amazon.com:
In
chapters
7
and
8,
you
really
delve
into
the
nuts
and
bolts
of
working
with
companies
to
design
their
sites.
Can
you
give
us
some
background
about
where
you've
used
your
model?
Some
horror
and
success
stories?
Rosenfeld and Morville:
Over
the
past
several
years,
we've
worked
with
a
wide
range
of
clients
to
design
and
implement
information
architectures
for
both
Web
sites
and
intranets.
Past
and
present
clients
include
AT&T,
Barron's
Online,
Borders
Books
&
Music,
the
California
Digital
Library,
Chrysler,
Dow
Chemical,
Encylopaedia
Britannica,
SIGGRAPH,
the
State
Library
of
Iowa,
and
the
University
of
Michigan
Business
School.
Through
this
experience,
we've
developed
a
fairly
structured
methodology
and
a
set
of
tools
that
enables
us
to
move
quickly
from
research
to
conceptual
design
to
the
delivery
of
an
information
architecture
that
helps
users
find
the
information
they
need
and
helps
the
site
owners
manage
that
information
more
efficiently.
Most
of
our
projects
involve
a
certain
degree
of
pain
along
the
way
to
ultimate
success.
During
the
early
phases
of
each
project,
we
work
collaboratively
with
our
clients
and
we
often
hit
a
point
where
they
become
overwhelmed
by
the
complexity
of
what
we're
trying
to
do.
The
truth
is
that
organizing
large
volumes
of
heterogeneous
information
for
multiple
audiences
in
a
networked
environment
is
very
difficult.
We
console
ourselves
and
our
clients
with
the
knowledge
that
it's
better
to
deal
with
the
complexity
during
design
than
to
force
users
to
confront
that
same
complexity
when
they're
trying
to
navigate
the
site.
So
far,
we've
always
managed
to
push
through
the
tough
parts
and
design
a
successful
information
architecture.
