The "How" of Enterprise Information Architecture
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
Information architecture involves three core models: navigation, content (object), and information (taxonomies/metadata).
-
•
Most IA professionals rarely create traditional site maps; they focus on structural models instead.
-
•
The biggest challenge for IA in enterprises is not designing better systems, but getting organizational buy-in and ownership to implement changes.
-
•
A concrete, well-defined goal with clear final steps and resource needs is vital to making things happen in large organizations.
-
•
The political stream (internal worries and priorities) must align with problem and solution streams for successful change initiatives.
-
•
Enterprise change often requires working through product managers or backlog owners rather than relying on top executives like the CEO.
-
•
Small, visible wins (like installing a consistent header) can unlock momentum for bigger, more complex IA improvements.
-
•
IA experts need to understand organizational mechanisms and politics without losing their critical perspective or desire to improve things.
-
•
Building early credibility by being helpful on small tasks helps foster trust and support from other teams like developers.
-
•
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."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The rebrand caused our NPS to plummet and freaked out our executives — that was the trigger to get serious."
Shipra KayanHow we Built a VoC (Voice of the Customer) Practice at Upwork from the Ground Up
September 30, 2021
"Changing culture is hard because we’re willing to change actions but resistant to changing beliefs."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"Don’t just run away from something. Make sure you are running towards something."
Renee ReidBecoming a ResearchH.E.R (Highly Enterprise Ready)
June 3, 2019
"Language can be vague, imprecise, and even contradictory, but the body can be a bridge to understanding."
Dane DeSutterKeeping the Body in Mind: What Gestures and Embodied Actions Tell You That Users May Not
March 26, 2024
"The four Cs—consistency, convenience, confidence, and customizability—are not just good for accessibility, they make a great experience for everyone."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
October 3, 2023
"Balance UX and CX—making the site work technically is not enough if the content or experience isn’t meaningful."
Andrew Custage Michael MallettThe Digital Journey: Research on Consumer Frustration and Loyalty
March 29, 2023
"The nitty gritty is a space to become resources for each other so people know who to talk to when they have questions."
Shelby SwitzerMaking Space for Community Knowledge-sharing in a Distributed World
December 10, 2021
"More than a third of content on social media sites is AI generated, creating a training problem for new AI models."
Llewyn PaineCoexisting with AI: A practical guide for researchers to navigate tools, ethics, and integration
March 11, 2025
"Sensemaking is your superpower as a researcher to amplify your impact beyond user experience mechanics."
Robin BeersNavigating organizational systems: Rethinking researcher’s role in driving change
March 13, 2025
