Information architecture without internal theory: An inductive design process

Abstract

AbstractThis article suggests that Information Architecture (IA) design is primarily an inductive process. Although top‐level goals, user attributes and available content are periodically considered, the process involves bottom‐up design activities. IA is inductive partly because it lacks internal theory, and partly because it is an activity that supports emergent phenomena (user experiences) from basic design components. The nature of IA design is well described by Constructive Induction (CI), a design process that involves locating the best representational framework for the design problem, identifying a solution within that framework and translating it back to the design problem at hand. The future of IA, if it remains inductive or develops a body of theory (or both), is considered.