Libros UCLV { BETA }

Information Architecture

Although information architecture may seem to be a high-handed and daunting term, it's really nothing new or mysterious. Think about it: why did the Ten Commandments come to us as two huge stone tablets? Perhaps Moses preferred a trifold design, or a portable wallet-size version, only to be overruled by his Project Manager. In any case, someone decided how to present the information to that audience of potential users milling about at the foot of Mount Sinai. From clay-tablet scribes to medieval monks to the folks who organize your daily newspaper, information architects have contributed in subtle but important ways to our world. Information architects have balanced the whims of authority with those of unforgiving users of every stripe, while forcibly fitting their efforts into the constraints of the available information technologies. In many cases, information architects have been responsible for major advancements in those technologies. The World Wide Web is the latest advancement in information technology, and, as with the previous innovations, certain principles carry over and others must be completely reexamined and overhauled. Because the Web integrates so many technologies and content types into a single interface, it challenges designers of web sites and intranets greatly.