Is information architecture a career for the digital age?

Knowledge begins with questioning. And in the digital age, questioning has transfigured into searching, or more popularly 'Googling'. New career paths have emerged in response to the rising need for a better knowledge-seeking experience. While finding information has become more accessible than ever, we are still struggling to find them in proper structure or design.

Who are information architects?

The purpose of information architecture is to arrange info in a way that makes them understandable. Many job roles could fall under that umbrella. From librarians to technical writers to designers to even people who create step-by-step instructions for self-assembled furniture are all information architects. However, information architecture is only one portion of their work description. So, you would hardly come across people with such a designation. 

Still, we want to delve deeper into information architecture and will use the term 'information architect' to smoothly describe the roles and responsibilities. 

Information architects use the principles of information science. They might not have learned these principles through formal education. However, through experiential learning, information architects help organisations present their data to users effectively and efficiently.

What is information architecture?

We often fall into the trap of thinking that information architecture is just building the navigation menus for a website. Yes, data is primarily presented in computer systems, websites, and apps in this digital age. However, there is no reason to think they are the only domains for an information architect. They can even help in designing directional signs in a metro station.

Think of it this way; what do architects do in the construction industry? They design physical structures to make them as efficient as possible for the users. In addition to making the structure solid and comfortable, they might make it easy to move through and pleasant to be in.

Information architects build data structures to serve users in the best possible way. They focus on ensuring information is easy to find, fast to scan and read, contains a framework for future expansion, and is easy to learn and remember. Those data structures are the basis for all the products, apps, and websites we use daily. They appear throughout the product or site, not just the navigation menus. For example, there are several ways items can be sorted and filtered. They also include the layout and hierarchy of page types on a site, the types and locations of content chunks on each page, and how files are displayed.

Do organisations need information architects?

Similar to how some buildings were never designed by an architect but grew somewhat traditionally, we see the same in the digital world. It is possible to have a website or software that an information architect has never touched. The question is, how much better could it be with the involvement of information architects?

Most organisations would not have the luxury of hiring a full-time information architect. The person who does information architecture work will also have other responsibilities. In my experience, those other responsibilities are often in the related fields of user experience (UX) design, user research, or content creation. Whether it is 1/5th of someone's responsibilities or one's entire job, an information architect should have multiple skill sets to be seen as a valuable team member.

Young professionals typically learn the related skills as their job responsibilities grow. For instance, I learned about trade marketing after I joined British American Tobacco as a Territory Officer. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) was not my forte before joining LightCastle Partners as a Digital Marketing Specialist. What helped me pass the assessments were my transferable skills. It is the same for an information architect. You need to possess a set of soft skills and a few transferable hard skills to begin a career in information architecture.

Is the market ready for hiring information architects? 

Even if a traditional company had known about the role and found someone with the right skills, it would not have hired an information architect. It is because there is no recognised need in the industry. It is a luxury that only a few organisations can afford. However, being a freelancer, you may serve organisations on a project-by-project basis. You can also split your time between a few non-competing organisations as a part-timer.

Where do we start and how?

Let's say a company worries about conversion rates from one section of its website. Even though visitors are being driven to that area and hang around for a while, they don't visit many pages and aren't following the calls to action. The issue is identified as Bounce Rate in web analytics.

An information architect would ask about the business goals for this part of the site. Is this for awareness, driving to purchase, or something else? Knowing the business goals allows you to optimise your site for the right results. Information architects will probably analyse the site's metrics and user research to determine its current performance. Next, it's time to look at the content on the site's pages. How has it been laid out? Does it fit with the style and format of the rest of the site? Can you quickly identify the company and the important brand attributes?

Afterwards, it is time to speak with the page designer to understand why things were designed the way they were. So just in the course of this initial investigation, the information architect has become involved in quantitative and qualitative analysis, business goal elicitation, brand compliance, content creation, and design. They will then collaborate with content creators and designers to develop and test alternatives that may resolve the issue.

Throughout this process, the information architect constructs a top-down view of the information space, determining what information is being presented, what is missing, what should be removed, and the order and structure in which it should be presented. They will also create a bottom-up view based on the goals of visitors:

• Does this section of the site make its purpose clear?
• Can people find the information they need to feel confident about proceeding?
• Is the way forward clearly labelled?
• Is more detail available for the users who want it?

This is only one example of how an information architect can help the teams they work with. Their responsibilities include defining overall data structures and communication standards. Nonetheless, an information architect must be able to perceive a project's top-down and bottom-up aspects.

Final thoughts

If you want to build a career in information architecture, think about how you can present yourself to your potential client or employer. As already mentioned, the industry doesn't recognise your need. They don't even know who you are. It will help if you sell the need before selling yourself. Be prepared to confront many probing questions. They could be something very different from what you expect.

Go for this career only if you are passionate about psychology, design, and technology. Do not expect to bring home the bacon. I recommend undergraduate students take it as a part-time gig or side hustle. For full-time professionals, take the leap of faith only if you can afford it.